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February 25, 2008

Obama or Clinton: An Interesting Choice for Republicans « Politics As Usual »

Zombyboy has a good post that raises interesting points about Obama vs Clinton, from a GOP perspective.
Here's my response:

If I may make a football analogy? Thank you.
The Clintons are like a player from University of Miami: you know what you are going to get: a great political player, but a thug. They'll make political decisions exactly in line with what you'd think: triangulating to maximize political and public support, but generally along the Democrat lines. You know you aren't going to get soaring oration. You know you aren't going to get inspired leadership. You know you aren't going to get decisions based on principles. You know that you are going to get a finger (wagging) in the wind to test its direction, and then a frenzied attempt to get in front of public opinion, and ruthless defamation of anyone who criticizes or otherwise takes any action that the Clintons feel may reduce their power. It's all about power, money, and legacy with the Clintons. Just as it is almost always about personal aggrandization from a U of Miami player. (apologies to any U of Miami player who doesn't fit this description).

But Obama is like the Division II (or Division III) standout. He's done some amazing things against amazingly inferior opponents. He has the measurables to dominate in the NFL (or world political stage). But will he? He entered the national stage as a 7th round draft pick (sort of), and in training camp, he's continued to tear it up...but only against other 3rd-stringers. Is he ready to be a pro-bowler? Or will he bust?

We don't know.

With Obama, his ability to be a good President will depend on the quality of people he surrounds himself with. The Clintons were never really good at that. They surrounded themselves with toadies and button-men. George W. Bush surrounded himself with competent advisors and, despite what you hear from the half of the country with BDS, did a fairly decent job in everything except PR. For a non-politico whose only experience was being a governer in Texas, he did a credible job as leader of the most powerful nation on this earth. Far better than Jimmy Carter, at the very least. Obama has that ability to rise above himself...if he surrounds himself with people who don't buy into the Messiah hype and take the pains to actually give him competent, good advice. And as long as Obama himself doesn't buy into the hype, just like a football player gets fat and lazy when he believes his own press...

So the choice is between a brutal, thuggish player whose abilities are well-known (minimum abilities assured, but little upside) and a relative unknown who could be an All-Pro or the next Ryan Leaf (Jimmy Carter).

So I'm not unhappy with Obama vs. McCain. If McCain chews him up and spits him out: great! We've got The Maverick in the office who will at least push some GOP concerns, and should resist the Democratic Party's headlong rush towards a socialist police state. Or we've got Obama, who will highlight the ideological bankruptcy of socialistic government, or will at least (at the very worst) avoid repeating the disgrace the Clintons would bring to the White House along with their other baggage.

Posted by Nathan at 08:49 AM | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Pretty accurate comparison of Obama to Division II or Division III player.

But must America did so deep in the barrel for talent?

And does she want a President who must rely on people many times more knowledgeable than he is? Doesn't this method operate more as a codification of Bush style politics where America stepped on the moving sidewalk in 2000 and couldn't get off?

The Presidency is much like stepping on that moving sidewalk for Americans, with master plans executed and carried out without so much as a thought of whether it is in Americans best interest, much less America's best interests.

Reducing Presidency to robotics of political favors isn't what the Presidency was meant to be about - but it is what America is, and has been getting. To idealize a man (or woman) as a country rather than the country is much like many of the nations America has criticized in its long history.

It's the ability to engineer solutions, not the ability to recognize the problems that count. Obama conveys much of the latter but very little of the former.

Posted by: Pat at April 15, 2008 04:06 AM

I don't agree with everything you said, but you make some good points.

The only thing is, I don't know if it should be The President who comes up with the solutions. If so, our political system should be based on finding the most creative thinkers. Obviously, it does not. Nor does the most intelligent have an inside track to winning positions of power.

I'm in the military, so I'm obsessed with leadership. Our best Presidents are leaders.

Aside from his foibles, I think few would disagree that JFK was a leader. Reagan was a leader. FDR, Truman, and Ike were all leaders. They weren't necessarily the smartest, but they made good decisions.

A leader gets out of the way and lets his people do their job...but also blocks anything that would disturb them, and also gives his people the tools they need to be successful. A leader takes ownership of his organization and his problem set, and gives his people a Battle Standard (Regimental Flag, if you will) to rally around.

I won't say George W Bush is as good a leader as Reagan or FDR, but he is still a leader. And I think history will evaluate W far better than he is seen now. And with all of his problems and mistakes (most of his mistakes coming when he tried to triangulate rather than lead: Medicare, No Child Left Behind), W is still a better leader than his father, Clinton, Carter, Johnson, Nixon...and a better leader then Kerry or Gore.

Well, that's my opinion, anyway.

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