Obama the Pragmatist Posted by Michael Cohen

I have a piece today over at the New York Times Campaign Stops blog about the pragmatism of Obama on the campaign trail. Figured it might be of interest to DA readers so for those of you so inclined, take a gander!

In his brief time on the national stage Barack Obama has been compared to a host of great 20th-century orators, including John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. But the most apt comparison may be to one of the greatest 19th-century orators: Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist leader.

In The New York Times recent examination of Mr. Obama’s career as a law school professor, a former student noted that he regularly evoked Douglass and not simply for his speaking skills but also for his “use of a collective voice that embraced black and white concerns.” For those seeking to get a clearer sense of what type of president Mr. Obama may be, his invocation of Douglass lends itself to several interpretations.

Douglass’s rise to prominence came from being a radical spokesman for abolition and a frequent critic of President Abraham Lincoln for the slow pace in which he worked to end slavery. But that was the younger Frederick Douglass. The thinking of the older Douglass appears to have had a more significant impact on Mr. Obama’s political thinking and in particular his campaign rhetoric.

More here

Comments

[Peace]

It seems that from his later speeches, Frederick Douglas was able to mention that some degree of pragmatism is needed in order to achieve an high cause such as the abolition of slavery. The higher cause that Obama should embrace is the abolition of nuclear weapons. It appears that they are a distablizing force in world poltics whether it be the poltical chaos in Pakistan, the problem of Iran, or our worsening relations with Russia. To get rid of these weapons would mean that the United States would have to sign treaties with nations that it does not regard favorably such as Russia and Iran. But a certain degree of pragamatism is necessary in order to avoid the threat of nuclear war in which everyone is a loser.

[charmingirl]

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