Oh hell yes. Here’s my candidate.
I love 2:28.
Tag Archives: obama
Presidential Paradoxes
Why is running for president such an impossible job? And why (until lately) have Clinton and Obama been so close in national polls? Because we don’t know what the hell we want in a president.
From The Paradoxes of the American Presidency, by Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese, here’s a list of paradoxes that shows how confused the American people are about what they want. Some of these seem to apply to the Democratic primary contest.
Paradox #1. Americans demand powerful, popular presidential leadership that solves the nation’s problems. Yet we are inherently suspicious of strong centralized leadership and the abuse of power. Thus we place significant limits on the president’s powers.
Paradox #2. We yearn for the democratic “common person” and simultaneously a leader who is uncommon, charismatic, heroic, and visionary.
Paradox #3. We want a decent, just, caring, and compassionate president, yet we also admire a cunning, guileful, and, on occasions that warrant it, even a ruthless, manipulative president.
Paradox #4. We admire the “above politics” nonpartisan or bipartisan approach, and yet the presidency is perhaps the most political office in the American system, which requires a creative entrepreneurial master politician.
Paradox #5. We want a president who can unify diverse people and interests; however, the job requires taking firm stands, making unpopular or controversial decisions that necessarily upset and divide.
Paradox #6. We expect our presidents to provide bold, visionary, innovative, programmatic leadership, and at the same time to respond pragmatically to the will of public opinion majorities. That is to say, we expect presidents to lead and to follow, and to exercise “democratic leadership.”
Paradox #7 Americans want powerful, self-confident presidential leadership. Yet we are inherently suspicious of leaders who view themselves as infallible and above criticism.
Paradox #8. What it takes to become president may not be what is needed to govern the nation.
Paradox #9. The presidency is sometimes too strong yet at other times too weak.
Paradox #10. Presidents affirm the existing order and major traditions of society, yet often must also create a new order and boldly depart from the norm.
Tonight’s Debate
I watched the debate tonight. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but: I think Clinton definitely had the better evening. Obama seemed off his game. The questions were appalling — Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous both seemed to be channeling Tim Russert, and they brought up every possible scandal that has been raised against Obama. Including the flag pin thing! Are you kidding me?
Nothing about Mark Penn or his Colombia trade deal. But questions about Wright, and some Weatherman guy.
But Obama didn’t respond well to the questions at all. He sounded halting and hesitant and defensive when he spoke.
Clinton, meanwhile, seemed polished and prepared and seemed to know her stuff. If this were the only debate I’d seen, and I were voting in the Pennsylvania primary, I might vote for her.
Not that she has a chance of getting the nomination anymore, but she might very well be a better candidate against McCain than Obama would be. She’d certainly be better than either John Kerry or Al Gore at going on the offensive and standing up for herself.
Obama sometimes seems to be morphing into Adlai Stevenson before our eyes. We might get killed again this fall with him as the nominee.
Obama works under the assumption that people are smart. Case in point: his wonderful speech on race last month.
Clinton, on the other hand, works under the assumption that people are dumb and need things explained to them in simple terms.
Unfortunately, I think most people are dumb.
I don’t necessarily mean that as a knock against Clinton. It’s just the way things seem to be.