The enthusiastic response of voters to Barack Obama's use of phrases like "to heal our nation and repair the world" has created concerns and even mockery in some quarters. Where is the substance?, critics ask.
Every politician, of course, has a responsibility to communicate his or her philosophy and policies in simple terms that people can understand. The root of Barack Obama's success with voters has been his ability to do just that. What I'd like to discuss today, then, is twofold.
First, I'd like to explain how the moral imperative to "repair the world," or, to use the Hebrew phrase, tikkun olam, is rooted in a politics of meaning that is directly applicable to the challenges we face in the 21st Century. Second, I would like to give substantive and pragmatic examples of how Barack Obama's innovative policies and actions enunciate that philosophy.
When one understands the moral underpinnings of Obama's policy positions, and how they translate into pragmatic action, it is easier to understand why so many support him...
tikkun olam: to repair the world
To start off I'd like to examine the Hebrew phrase tikkun olam..."to heal, or repair, the world."
A phrase originating with early rabbinic scholars, tikkun olam has, in modern times, come to "connote social action and the pursuit of social justice." Diarist chapter1 used the concept to address environmental concerns in this recent diary. Rabbi Michael Lerner of the magazine Tikkun and prominent advocate of the "politics of meaning" further elaborates on this concept, and the candidacy of Barack Obama, in this recent essay. Perhaps the most relevant explanation of tikkun olam as it relates to the moral philosophy behind Barack Obama's politics can be found in this passage from Austin, Texas Obama supporter and blogger, Josh Keller:
going to the Obama rally in Austin made me think differently about what it means to be an observant Jew and the type of politics that represent our values more generally. The following is a blurb from the Nation. I am using the blurb because I couldn't remember the speech word for word and this seems to jive with my own recollection.
Obama ended by recalling, as he often does, Martin Luther King Jr.'s prophecy that "the arc of the moral universe...bends towards justice." Yet as his speech reached a crescendo, there was a palpable sense that he believed, perhaps more than ever before, in his own message. "Here's the thing, young people, it doesn't bend on its own, it bends because you put your hand on that arc and you bend it in the direction of justice," Obama boomed. "Think about all the power that's represented here in all of you.... If you all grab that arc, then I have no doubt, I have absolutely no doubt, that regardless of what happens in this presidential year and regardless of what happens in this campaign, America will transform itself."
This obviously has strong biblical meaning, and is rooted in Judaism. It corresponds to the idea of Tikkun Olam (to repair the world) and that g-d's will is revealed through human spirit and action. And this is what Jews celebrate on Pesach every year. It also has deep roots in the African American churches, who saw the story of Exodus as speaking deeply to them. So in simple words, this movement can represent a new politics in America, but also a return to ancient views of justice.
Josh's inclusive, yet still religious (perhaps overly so to some), interpretation of tikkun olam gets to the core of its potential broader appeal. What I would like to do is explain why this outlook, even when applied in a completely secular context, has an essentially modern relevance.
In 2008, the moral imperative to repair, to heal the world has a deeply pragmatic appeal to every American.
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healing and repairing as fundamental start points
Linguist George Lakoff wrote an influential essay for Huffington Post that can serve as an introduction:
This nomination campaign is about much more than the candidates. It about a major split within the Democratic party. The candidates are reflecting that split. Here are three of the major "issues" dividing Democrats.
First, triangulation: moving to the right -- adopting right-wing positions -- to get more votes. Bill Clinton did it and Hillary believes in it. It is what she means by "bipartisanship." Obama means the opposite by "bipartisanship." To Obama, bipartisanship is a recognition that central progressive moral principles are fundamental American principles. For him, bipartisanship means finding people who call themselves "conservatives" or "independents," but who share those central American values with progressives. Obama thus doesn't have to surrender or dilute his principles for the sake of "bipartisanship."
The second is incrementalism: Hillary believes in getting lots of small carefully crafted policies through, one at a time, step by small step, real but almost unnoticed. Obama believes in bold moves and the building of a movement in which the bold moves are demanded by the people and celebrated when they happen. This is the reason why Hillary talks about "I," I," "I" (the crafter of the policy) and Obama talks about "you" and "we" (the people who demand it and who jointly carry it out).
The third is interest group politics: Hillary looks at politics through interests and interest groups, seeking policies that satisfy the interests of such groups. Obama's thinking emphasizes empathy over interest groups. He also sees empathy as central to the very idea of America. The result is a positive politics grounded in empathy and caring that is also patriotic and uplifting.
What Lakoff is getting at is something fundamental. It conveys an approach to tikkun olam. Per Lakoff, Obama is saying that we can only dare to heal and repair the world when we work together, when we find what is common in our fundamental start points, when we address the largest problems we face as one united people.
On the one hand we have a political philosophy that is incremental, cautious, cynical of political opponents, and seeks the surety of its effectiveness by appealing to a politics of contrast that is inherently ideological and pits group against group.
On the other hand, we have a political philosophy whose fundamental contrast is methodological, historical and moral. It is, in essence, a politics of meaning. The contrast is with the failed policies of the past that have yielded us a divided public, a broken ecosystem, an economy with inequity in both opportunity and results, and a world that is less stable and less safe despite our enormous military expenditures and the pursuit of war in Iraq. To repair this world, to heal this nation, requires crafting majority positions founded on the pragmatism inherent in policies that have the broadest appeal because they bring the maximum number of people together to address the largest of our concerns.
To subscribers of the first view, this movement calling for change might well seem frightening and without substance. What's important to understand here is that if you don't think it's possible to rebuild a zone of trust and common ground in this nation, then a movement calling for healing and repair, for a kind of renewal of hope in America, for tikkun olam, will necessarily seem dangerous and risky.
To subscribers of the second view, coming together to heal and repair the world is pragmatic common sense. Faced with global warming, with the threat of terrorism from ideological splinter groups, with a global economy that is more inter-connected and inter-dependent every day, and with a nation where the two political parties have pitted one group against the other for forty long years of destructive politics, there is a thirst for a break from the failures of the past. To those who hold this viewpoint, it makes pragmatic sense to seek a fundamental common ground. The stakes are too high, the world is too broken, the perils of climate change and destabilization through a foreign policy that is unilateral and often done at the bidding of large corporations too great.
Healing and repairing, unity and common ground, a politics that expresses a shared moral core are what draw people to the Obama campaign and these are the best way, the best lens through which to understand his policy proposals.
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tikkun olam and policy: Obama's clear substance
Once you understand that Obama's rhetoric about healing the nation and repairing the world are not bromides meant to stoke a cult of followers but instead reflect a fundamental commitment to move the nation towards policies that build pragmatic progressive solutions to our deepest concerns, the substance of his proposals and the motivations of his actions come into focus. Barack Obama, in policy after policy, in action after action, reflects a commitment to tikkun olam.
Barack Obama will pass a comprehensive 100% Cap and Auction Carbon emissions plan.
Barack Obama will make massive investments in energy independence.
Barack Obama will invest in energy efficiency and promote fuel efficiency and alternatives to driving.
Barack Obama voted to eliminate Cluster Bombs.
Barack Obama is opposed to the militarization of space.
Barack Obama has set a goal of the elimination of nuclear weapons, but will not do so unilaterally.
Barack Obama will target and attack those who attack our nation and build alliances with everyone else.
Barack Obama will meet with leaders of foreign countries and rebuild our nation's relationships around the world.
Barack Obama will make sensible reforms to United States policy towards Cuba, allowing more visits and more economic exchange with Cuba for Cuban-American families.
Barack Obama will double United States humanitarian foreign aid.
Barack Obama will pass comprehensive immigration reform in his first year in office.
Barack Obama will stand with Caucus for Priorities for sensible reductions in our military expenditures and reinvestment in our infratructure and our people. Watch this video.
Barack Obama is for portable, opt-out pensions for working families.
Barack Obama is for ready return income tax returns that benefit all Americans who have straightforward taxes.
Barack Obama will eliminate income taxes entirely for fixed income seniors making under $50,000 a year.
Barack Obama is for a Universal Health Care plan that has shared responsibility between Government, Business and Individuals.
Barack Obama is for true net neutrality.
Barack Obama is for transparency in our government and public access to the work done in Washington D.C.
Barack Obama voted for accountability on FISA.
Barack Obama contributed to the effort to reverse the South Dakota abortion ban.
Barack Obama will pay our teachers more.
Barack Obama will create a national service program for college students.
Barack Obama will routinely ask parents to help in the education of their children.
Barack Obama will pass a law banning replacement workers.
Barack Obama has spoken out against homophobia and Anti-Semitism at African American churches.
Barack Obama has spoken in favor of condom use to combat AIDS at evangelical mega churches.
Barack Obama and his wife Michelle took a public HIV test in Kenya to promote testing as a means of preventing the spread of AIDS/HIV.
Barack Obama has made the central internal credo of his campaign be the three words, Respect, Empower, Include.
Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University and went to work as a community organizer on Chicago's South Side.
Barack Obama is a Constitutional Scholar who will promote respect for the rule of law and a return to respect for the Constitution within our Exectutive Branch.
Finally, Barack Obama understands the meaning of the fundamental moral imperatives that underly the politics of our party. (Watch that clip.)
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Conclusion
Young people have voted for Barack Obama in overwhelming numbers. This new generation looking at a new century knows something, they understand tikkun olam, the moral imperative to heal our nation and repair our world.
They can see, where some of us who are older can't, the utter futility of privileging the battles of the past, of a cautious approach that mistrusts, and even creates, enemies. They can see clearly how our politics have led our nation into this war in Iraq.
Just because they are young does not mean they are not wise. Youth does not mean that they cannot see the wisdom and pragmatism of an appeal to unity, to a common moral ground, to hope.
Sometimes those who are young can understand the oldest and wisest words and apply them appropriately to our time:
If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?
-Rabbi Hillel
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