My Case for Obama [Bryan]

Here are my top five reasons:

#1 Foreign policy
For me the biggest policy reason to vote for Obama is foreign policy, since that is where a president makes a real difference. Obama's plans for the "renewal of American diplomacy" are fairly detailed and, for me, offer a welcome change from both Bush and McCain. I like that Obama is willing to sit down with both friends and enemies, just like Ronald Reagan did. At the same time, Obama isn't a naive dreamer; he has a strong realist streak that differentiates him from the previous administration and from McCain's "national greatness" neo-conservatism. In other words, Obama knows that there are real dangers out there, but he sees concentrated multilateralism as the best way to address those dangers. Moreover, Obama enjoys immense popularity abroad. By a margin of 46 percent to 27 percent, a recent BBC poll of foreigners said his election as president would "fundamentally change" their perception of the United States for the better. Obama could do much to help to restore the image of America in the rest of the world. This would increase American "soft power" and allow for greater cooperation on issues like terrorism and global warming

Obama's plans for a renewal of diplomacy
Obama as a foreign policy realist (Zakaria)
Obama's diplomatic strategy endorsed by Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher, James Baker and Henry Kissinger
Obama's potential "soft power"
McCain's general inclination for military solutions over diplomacy (Yglesias)

#2 Obama's intellect and character
Obama hardly ever seems to get angry or lose his cool, even when people are freaking out around him. In his policy speeches and books, it is interesting that he always tries to be fair to the other side. He has a first-class intellect. In his best speeches, he is able to put a problem within its larger context. He makes connections between different events and is able to see things from different perspectives. Here I am thinking about his brilliant speech on race "A More Perfect Union" and his perceptive 2002 speech against the Iraq War -- both speeches he wrote himself. People who have worked with him report that he loves serious scholarship -- Nobel Laureate James Heckman once marveled at how Obama was so interested in "what the research shows." Obama seems comfortable enough intellectually to be able to listen to criticism and different perspectives, which is a trait Bush really lacked and was ultimately his downfall. Obama just seems to exude confidence and competence, and he even speaks in complete sentences! After eight years of Bush, this to me is like a blast of fresh air.

McCain's temper
Obama's cool
Obama's reputation at Harvard Law (a glowing account from the conservative Weekly Standard!)
Evaluating Professor Obama at the University of Chicago law school: Here, here, and here.

#3 Economic Policy
Obama has an interesting mix of views about the economy. He tends to blend conservative free-market ideas with more liberal ideas about government regulation. For Obama, market forces are often marshaled through government leadership to solve social issues. This is true, for example, of his "cap and trade" plan to combat global warming. I think this ability to blend different points of view (both liberal and conservative) is one of his key strengths as a candidate.

Much of Obama's economic plan involves investments in a new "green" economy. This is an attempt to address both energy issues and economic issues at the same time. Obama proposes $150 billion in spending to develop new green technologies that will, hopefully, supply more highly-skilled manufacturing jobs. This is the sort of "Apollo Program" for energy that I've wanted to see for a long time.

As for the recent turmoil in the lending industry, Obama wants the government to play a strong role "refereeing" the credit and banking industries. Most of the current turmoil, as I understand it, can be traced back to some key deregulation legislation in 1999, which was spearheaded by McCain's main economic adviser, Phil Gramm. Obama has promised, correctly I think, to revisit the issue of regulating the banking sector.

Obama also seems to be more fiscally responsible than McCain. The Tax Policy Center, a respected non-partisan think tank, added up all the budget proposals and found that, unsurprisingly, Obama's budget doesn't balance. But it also seems that his proposals are closer to being in balance than John McCain's. Obama's plans, if fully implemented, would increase the deficit by an estimated $3.4 trillion, while McCain would raise the deficit by over $5 trillion. It seems that Obama does take fiscal responsibility seriously, at least more so than McCain at this point.

On how Obama uses free market solutions for progressive goals
More on Phil Gramm, McCain, and the financial crisis
Obama's most recent speech on the economic crisis
Tax Policy Center summary
Tax Policy Center detailed report

#4 Education plan
Since this is my area of professional expertise, it is something I love to talk about. I think one of the most important things about Obama's education plan is his "zero-to-five" plan. One of the big problems in schools, we've found, is that children from disadvantaged backgrounds come into kindergarten already far behind their peers. Obama's plan would supply grants to states to expand early childhood education programs (preschools) and also increase funding for Head Start initiatives (which are really great success stories when it comes to federal educational policy). Another important element of Obama's education plan is his reform of "No Child Left Behind." Obama wants to fund NCLB closer to its congressional allocation (finally!) and also to move away from simply using test scores to evaluate student performance. Schools will still be held accountable for performance, but they will be evaluated on a more complete picture of student achievement. These are two much needed changes in federal policy, and I think they will make a big difference in public education. Finally, Obama's advocates "paying teachers for performance," which is important because it breaks somewhat with traditional Democratic orthodoxy. Obama wants to reward teachers who (a) participate in mentoring new teachers, (b) work in tough school environments, and (c) successfully raise student performance. I also like that he will work with teachers in creating the standards used for merit pay initiatives. This is all great stuff!

Obama's education plan

#5 Health Care Plan
Obama's health care plan isn't ideal, and it is not what I would dream up if we could start all over again. It does have both interesting cost-savings provisions, though, as well as a realistic plan to extend health coverage to everybody that wants it. He plans to keep the insurance industry basically intact, with some regulations prohibiting them from denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions. He also plans to create a new national, government-subsidized plan. Employers must offer health insurance to their employees, or pay into the national plan. While Obama does have a mandate for children, for adults Obama believes that, with affordable alternatives, people will choose to buy insurance and do not need to be forced into a plan. If he is right, this would further decrease insurance costs. After all, often the people who don't buy insurance are young and healthy. If these people start to buy insurance in greater numbers, then insurance costs will decrease for everybody. I think Obama might be right about this, but I admit that I don't have much of an argument to prove the case.

McCain's plan, in contrast, leaves a lot to be desired, from both an economic and moral standpoint.

My analysis of McCain's plan
A good defense of Obama's plan
And another
Some research critical of McCain's plan
Some research critical of Obama's plan

A note to those concerned about social issues
Obama is both pro-life and pro-choice. Obama is pro-choice in that he would no doubt appoint judges that would sustain Roe v. Wade. BUT: He is pro-life in that he favors policies that will serve to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. These policies include expanding the social safety net for expectant mothers, and increasing the affordability of contraception and the availability of education programs. In short, he wants to reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions, while ensuring that such procedures remain legal. This seems like a position that even a strong pro-life person would be able to accept (and some do -- see Doug Kmiec below). As far as gay marriage goes, I doubt that this will even be an issue that the next president faces -- marriage is more a state issue than a federal issue (for the record, Obama favors civil unions).

Pro-life Catholic legal scholar Doug Kmiec on why Obama's pro-life position is better than McCain's
Recent data on the decline of abortion and its possible causes -- seems to suggest, to me, that Obama's proposals might be successful

Thanks to a conflicted voter and friend who gave me the excuse to put this together.