On Friday I read a diary by NYC Lives entitled NY Times Columnists Let Obama Have it W/Both Barrels. In this diary he discusses and provides links to all the negative op-ed pieces in the NY Times about Barack Obama this week. He was particularly troubled by Paul Krugman’s op-ed. So was I. And I want to continue my comments in my first diary in that spirit.
I have been trying with great difficulty to understand Paul Krugman's perspective for some time, especially Friday’s op-ed piece where he critiques Obamas words in San Francisco in the most literal, concrete way and uses studies which can be easily debated. I like Edwards, so does Krugman. I am a progressive, so is Krugman. So why can’t I understand where he is coming from? Krugman is in good company this week. Even die hard Obama supporters have been worried. I have another take.
See below fold
As a life long progressive who has been committed to grassroots activism and a bottom up perspective on politics and social movements and as a sociologist (a bad word these days?) who writes about grassroots community protests, I know that there is sometimes a divide among progressives who focus on issues and those who focus on the process of organizing.
From where I sit, Obama is an organizer. He was a community organizer in his youth, and he continues to be one in this campaign. He is about building coalitions and trying to understand the lives and beliefs of people as they understand them for themselves at the grassroots. But people at the grassroots often speak in different languages, rooted in their different cultural, regional and economic histories. Obama is attempting to create bridges between communities as he consistently builds coalitions. This is an extremely difficult project.
I was first struck by Obama’s strong desire to create bridges among working people during his historic talk on race in PA. He concluded this talk with a call to unite working people who have often been divided by racial-ethnic differences and conflict. He showed an understanding of the anger coming out of white working class communities that have been exploited and disenfranchised and argued that they unite with working people across race around class issues such as education, jobs, health care.
In his talk in San Francisco I saw him trying to create another bridge- this time between a progressive, middle class audience and working folks in PA...... if anything, it seemed to me, he was challenging the possible elitism of his audience and anticipating what he saw as "their" possible and problematic attempts to reduce or reject values such as religious faith or pro gun ideologies. In both PA and SF I heard Obama offer the strongest call for unity--- a call to challenge past misunderstandings, anger, hurt, and conflict-- that I have ever heard from a presidential candidate. Maybe you can argue against his phrasing or be concrete and do what Krugman did on Friday, offer studies that challenge the accuracy of what Obama said. Or maybe you see his broader vision.
The bottom line for me is that Obama is a coalition builder. He attempts to understand people on their own terms and then to translate and create bridges between groups that have normally been divided. This is a historically difficult challenge when you are talking about bridging Reagan Democrats and progressive contributors in San Francisco. It is even more complex when you are talking about the many communities around the US who entered into this debate once this talk was leaked to the press. Still Obama rose to the challenge as he entered into multiple discussions and multiple translations once again.
Obama’s challenge is consistent. Do not let differences hide the reality that working people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds are suffering and have real needs that need to be addressed--- do not be distracted by people's disagreements around guns or religion. He has found a way to authentically support different sides of the issue, not as a way to buy votes by pretending to be something other than he is, but to show areas where he can find common ground. He is a community organizer.
A few months ago I strongly supported John Edwards. He said things that no other presidential candidate has said in my lifetime. It made my heart sing to hear a presidential candidate propose new policies which challenged corporate interests, their control over this country, and their exclusion of middle class and working class people.
Call me fickle. Someone once said that primaries are about falling in love. But today I find Barack Obama makes my heart sing. Where others see errors, I see a movement builder. Where others see gaffes, I see attempts to translate. I find powerful his strong support, compassion and understanding of ordinary people, his belief in empowering the voices at the grassroots, his desire to bring together people who have historically been oppressed and/or divided. He has created a candidacy and presence that this country desperately needs. Today I am grateful to have Obama take center stage and I welcome his authentic democratic voice.