Getting Real on Obama

If Obama is really about a new kind of politics, and I hope he is--see the graphic at the top of my blog--he should start thinking about actions as well as words.

Jill challenged me on my defense of Obama's plaigiarism. Is he really right to do what he did? I was asked by Michele also, what if it were a student? Well, I've argued the rules are different for politicians. But there's more to it. If Obama is trying to change those rules he needs to act differently. This is Clinton's point: if Obama is authentic, use your own words. If he wants change, he needs to show it with his actions. A better example: Campaign finance.

Obama promised to accept public financing, and McCain has said that he would agree to it. Now Obama is hedging. Well, if Obama really represents change, he needs to, when the time is right, address this issue. Is he for change or isn't he? I don't think it's that complicated. Sure, McCain might benefit from outside groups running ads for him in an effort to subvert the intent of public financing. But the left has its own outside groups that can match them if it comes to that. Move On will rise to the challenge. If Obama really represents change, he needs to help chart a different course in how elections are run.


The most disappointing moment of this campaign, to me, was when Edwards challenged Clinton on lobbyists money in one of the debates. Obama said, "No one's hands are clean on this." Wow, that's not what change is about. Change is about saying, no, I won't take money from lobbyists either.

I like Obama, and I support him at this point (after having supported Edwards) in spite of some curious statements. Most recently, he's claimed that he might support school vouchers. Dayton blogger Scott Elliott wrote about it here, and Michele McNeil wrote about it too. Change? I guess... but it's not the change in the right direction! On the other hand, Hillary doesn't need to fear-monger, a la Bush, to oppose them, either. From Scott:

Obama said he remained a "skeptic" about vouchers, but would reconsider if the research showed otherwise. There has not been a conclusive longitudinal study of the effectiveness of Milwaukee's voucher program, although a new study is underway.

Rival Hillary Clinton has been highly critical of vouchers, even warning that widespread use of them could result in public financing for kids to attend schools that teach "jihad."

And then there were the strange comments about Reagan ("I didn't say they were good ideas."), his quasi-support for merit pay, his oddly expressed desire to go after Pakistan. In spite of it all, I still think Obama's following and his energy make him a unique candidate. He's a gifted speaker and writer, and in spite of what Hillary suggests at times, words really do matter.

But so do actions. I hope his actions match his words.