Here is a little something that I wrote for the Seattle Times website, discussing Obama's move to the center. I was limited in what I could write for the Seattle Times, but here I have a little more space to work with and I want to expand on some of my thoughts...so here you go!
Obama's Move To The Center
Looking at some of Senator Obama's recent actions and comments and the bluster that has been caused by them among liberal bloggers, political pundits, and editorial boards, I have a hard time getting too worked up over his change of stance.
Gail Collins' wrote an interesting take on this in Thursday's New York Times saying that Senator Obama was always to the center of all of the other Democratic candidates and that if you listened to him, he was always saying he favored action over the overly partisan bickering which led to gridlock and inaction.
While I agree with a lot of that, I do think that the liberal bloggers, many members of the media, and the same political pundits were pushing for Barack Obama to be a progressive knight in shining armor. As if Obama was sent down from heaven as a gift from God to right all the wrongs that liberals feel conservatives have perpetrated since the dawn of time.
The truth was always going to be much more interesting than that.
If you looked at Senator Obama's stances and limited record, you saw someone that was as centrist as Bill and Hillary Clinton ever thought about being. You saw someone that had a record that showed he was more than willing to compromise the heart of a bill to say that he was willing to work across the aisle and get things done. Or you saw someone that, if not presented with an option that he could agree with, would vote "present" so as not to dirty his hands with the tough decision of voting "no" if he didn't agree.
I find don't feel like this is a legitimate "controversy." Those pundits, bloggers and editors that are upset about Senator Obama's votes on FISA and his opting out of campaign finance have a right to be upset, Senator Obama said that he would not allow for telecom immunity and that he would work with the Republican nominee to preserve public financing of the general election. On both counts, no amount of spin will cover up the fact that Senator Obama lied.
But as far as a move to the center goes, Senator Obama was always in the center compared to all the other Democratic candidates. Now that the Obama myth is being matched up to the Obama reality, perhaps people are maybe having buyer's remorse because of something that they had convinced themselves that they had in Senator Obama.
As far as this having any effect on my vote...I don't know that it will. I had long ago resigned myself to the idea that I wouldn't be voting for someone that was going to offer true change.
Since I was pressed in my initial writing, I did not have the ability to fully elaborate on some of my thoughts on this issue.
The main concern I have with Senator Obama's shifting positions on FISA and campaign finance, along with his perceived move to the center is in the effect that it will have on people's enthusiasm for putting their necks on the line for a cause, candidate or movement in the future.
For many people, Senator Obama's candidacy is the very first time they have felt moved to participate in any meaningful way in political activism, discussion, or campaigning. And no matter what, the enthusiasm all of us have seen from any candidates supporters is a good thing because it shows that our democracy still has life and vibrancy.
The problem with this enthusiasm is that the lack of enthusiasm has partly been driven by cynicism directed at the politics of the past where a citizen's voice isn't heard and where there is a seemingly impassable wall between the voters and the public servants.
Finally, so many people felt that Senator Obama would be an honest broker between them and the government that paves the way in Washington.
In the way that we now find an uproar about Senator Obama's new positions on FISA and campaign finance, he finds his campaign torn between two sides.
The danger here is that as Senator Obama works to develop his support in the general election, by changing his position on important issues like FISA and campaign finance, he runs very close to burning the bridge of support between himself and his most avid supporters during the primary.
But the greater danger is that this "controversy" also has the ability to bring the whole dream of a Democratic wave to a complete halt because there is a haunting possibility that undecided voters will be completely turned off by what they perceive as Obama's cynical use of traditional political tactics while preaching change to all of America.
The combination of a slipping base and a questioning undecided patch could be a dangerous combination and one that would do more to damage the American political culture than any one person or administration could do on their own.