Claim: Obama is a light-weight who is all style and no substance. Not true. Obama has detailed policy positions published on his website, including a hefty, 60-page document that lists his plans in 15 different areas.With respect to his education plan alone I counted 17 specific policy proposals ranging from before preschool to higher education. I counted 36 specific economic policy proposals ranging from credit and bankruptcy reform to family and labor protections. You don't have to take my word for it, check his plan out for yourself. In my judgment, his policy recommendations are pragmatic, non-ideological, and intellectually serious (even though I don't agree with a few of them). After you do this, compare his policy details to that of John McCain, who really is a light weight on actual policy.
Claim: Obama hasn't accomplished anything as a Senator. Obama has only been in the Senate for four years. Still, his record as a Senator is surprisingly rich. For example, he has done important work on nuclear non-proliferation. Along with other ethics reform measures, he has passed legislation that creates a searchable record of recipients of federal contracts and grants. He also successfully worked to limit no-bid contracts in Katrina reconstruction and to protect Veterans benefits. A complete list of Obama's senatorial record can be found at the Library of Congress website. Again, compare his real achievements in the same time period with that of John McCain.
Claim: Obama isn't patriotic. This is just nuts. Real patriotism isn't about wearing a flag pin, shouting out the national anthem as loud as you can, or always talking about how much you "love America." It is about whether you actually do stuff that helps the country. Obama's response to the not-patriotic-enough charge is right on. He compares his patriotism with that of our current regime who have let down our country time and again:
A party that presided over a war in which our troops did not get the body armor they needed, or were sending troops over who were untrained because of poor planning, or are not fulfilling the veterans' benefits that these troops need when they come home, or are undermining our Constitution with warrantless wiretaps that are unnecessary?Well said, Barack. Vote Obama March 4th!
That is a debate I am very happy to have. We'll see what the American people think is the true definition of patriotism.
5 comments:
Well said.
I know I'm voting Obama. I'm still trying to work on Ben. He's unsure.
I'm not going to defend McCain because I have my own reservations about him, but calling him a lightweight on policy seems a bit inflated. Admittedly his website is more sparse on policy details than Obama's, but is that a meaningful measure of a candidate's policy acumen? I have read quite a bit of Obama's policy treatise and have likewise been very impressed, but whether he can articulate those policies on the stump, I think, is the real concern. If people are voting for him based largely on his personal charisma and moving speeches, yet are ignorant of his policies, I think this is a legitimate concern.
Great Renee! I think this might be something really special to be a part of.
Ben C. -- I know this is a common worry. But it hasn't really been my experience that Obama voters are particularly uninformed about policy. I guess I should add a post about this. Look for it soon!
It is probably the case the emotion is part of what is driving Obama voters -- emotions of hope, unity, and so forth. Emotions are also driving the McCain voters too, though. Especially fear of the "bad guys" who are out to get us. I guess I prefer hope to fear.
You make a good point about emotion driving supporters of both candidates. I too am much more attracted to the message of hope, as opposed to fear. I still wonder though, if voters only saw the candidates policy positions on paper, no personality involved, would Obama or McCain enjoy the support they do. It is doubtful. Looks, personality, presence are KING! I think that is why Obama will beat Hillary.
While policy is important, to some degree the president's hands are tied--and frankly legislation is not in the job description. Leadership is much more important; being able to work with others, getting people to compromise, dealing with tough decisions, individuals, and countries is more what the president has to do. This election is easy in my book to see that Obama clearly is that guy. Read Brian's post on Why Obama? it is remarkable what people of all ideologies who have actually worked with Obama think of him. Charisma and personality are important as well--I think that is what makes all the other stuff work.
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