I think there is a categorical confusion between two kinds of unity at stake in Obama's insurgent campaign for the presidency. One view is exemplified in David Sirota's diary today:"But he also seems to believe that the reason our country has such challenges is because all sides of every issue have not come together in unity."
Sirota goes on to characterize his view of what Obama means by "unity" with these examples: that "low-income health advocates and the insurance industry haven't sat down together and sung Kumbaya" and again that "environmentalists and the auto industry refused to hug each other."
These words are obviously not an accurate description of Obama's positions. But they are incredibly revealing.
Sirota, I think, fundamentally miscasts what Barack Obama means by unity -- and what unity should, and can once again, mean to the Left. The only thing that connects Sirota's comment with Obama's campaign is, in fact, the word or idea of unity itself. For Sirota, this word has become something of a dirty word. For Obama, however, it is a key to his progressive vision. Unity for Obama is something very simple: the unity of actual American citizens. He is not talking, in other words, about finding (a false, triangulated) unity between progressive advocates and political or economic elites. This is what Sirota suggests. Rather, Obama is talking about finding unity among 300 million American citizens against economic elites.
After Obama's speech today no one should be able to accuse him of either ideological vagueness or wishi-washiness. He is specifically advocating certain well-defined policies. Four of them stand out:
- Universal Health Care -- on a defined time-frame.
- U.S. troops out of Iraq/Peace -- on a defined tame-frame.
- Massive development of renewal energy -- to conserve oil, improve environmental conditions and also to modernize and grow the economy.
- Massive improvements in education.
Does this mean there is some common-ground among all 300 million Americans? Of course not. But there can be, and there needs to be, a set of policies -- and, more fundamentally, a way of defining our politics and, indeed, our society -- that unites a large majority of Americans. Obama is not talking about triangulation; he's talking about realignment. I think this will become more and more evident, but is already pretty clear if we have the eyes to see it.