Liberals, and I count myself among those ranks, subscribe to a philosophy that is currently causing our internal struggle between "Rah rah, follow Obama" and "Don't be sheeple!" I think that as each side argues about which one is right we would be remiss if we don't examine the aspect of our nature that inevitably causes this trouble.
Follow me below the fold for sweeping generalizations, stereotypes, and an attempt at insight.
DKos is currently having a vicious fight for supremacy among two camps, those who throw their full support behind Obama despite disagreeing with his decisions, and those who throw their full support behind Obama and agree with his decisions (or at least his ability to make them). First, we should recognize that everyone wants to support the Progressive Ideals that bring us to DKos in the first place.
Let's examine why this current discourse rages with such ferocity on both sides. As liberals we are accustomed and value some core principles, critical thinking, high hopes, and worrying.
Critical thinking: Although we have no monopoly on critical thinking, we place a great value and understanding situations further than the official statements and explanations. Fed giving away $700billion sets us off on a flurry of question, who is in charge of giving it away? why is this happening? is this a good idea? what are the future implications of such a plan? are there any historical precedents? and so on and so forth. This is our great strength as a community, examining a topic from so many angles, so many voices raising questions, providing insights, and a consensus of sorts is reached when we have reached a critical mass of understanding. Because of this innate need, we take every appointment with the same flurry of questions, because we want to understand more fully.
High hopes: One of the greatest things about DKos is the fact that we have such high hopes for the future. We hope for a day when healthcare is a right, not a privilege, the LGBT community is given equal rights, the Iraq War has come to a close, and Dennis Kucinich is president (Ok, the last one is just me, but Kucinich is my homeboy and for several years my representative, so I'm throwing out the props) These high hopes are fantastic, they energize us to work for a brighter tomorrow, but they lead inevitably to the last point.
Worrying: With such high hopes for the future, we worry, about everything. It's ok, it's another great strength, when the media was beating the war drums, we were worrying, how many troops will die? how many Iraqis? how will this change how the world sees us? what will this do to our freedom? and so many other questions. It is this attribute that comes out in full force when someone that we fear won't implement the things we hope for is put up into office. We worry that our high hopes have just been dashed on the rocks of politics.
So where does this get us. Nowhere fast, wink! Actually I think if we understand why we feel the way we do, why the people disagreeing with us feel the way they do, that we can enhance our discourse. At the end of the day we are all playing for the same team, we all want a better tomorrow, we just disagree a bit on if we are making progress.
Remember that we need not follow blindly, in fact that would truly throw away our core values. On the flip side of the coin, we don't need to thrash and fight and worry about every choice Obama makes. There is a magical third option that everyone is trying to express:
Trust that Obama is making the right choice, but be vigilant and understand why these choices are being made. Obama is not infallible nor did he claim to be. Those voicing concern are just as valid as those cheering on Obama.
The most dangerous thing we can do is be complacent, to get comfortable with blindly accepting the things Obama does, or to get comfortable criticizing and not trusting anything. We must for the good of this country continue to be engaged, and its nice to know that so many of us here on DKos are doing exactly that.