Fooled again might have been the better title for this entry. Despite my age and experience, I actually believed that Barack Obama stood for something more than his personal desire to attain power. I guess, I thought he was that rarest of people, a politician with principle. His message of hope and change is exactly what the country needs particularly when backed up by a man of principle.
Earlier this week, Mr. Obama proved that he’s no different than any other politician striving to attain higher office. And while this revelation was not unexpected, it somehow was still surprising and most definitely disappointing. Part of Obama’s message has been about accountability and one of his promises was to filibuster any bill that included immunity for telecommunications companies relative the government’s illegal spying on US citizens. This week, the such a bill came to the floor and Mr. Obama didn’t filibuster, he didn’t even vote no, he supported it with a yea vote.
This FISA bill is a steaming pile no matter how you spin it – it significantly places individual Constitutional rights at risk for further erosion. Now, we’re not likely to ever know the real damage the Bush Administration caused by illegally spying on citizens because it’s all swept under the table in this legislation. This action constitutes a breach of trust of the highest order.
Now, instead of enthusiastically supporting candidate Obama, I find myself in the all too familiar position of voting for the lesser evil: do I choose McCain, a known politician and liar or Obama, now a known politician and liar? Does it really matter? What a truly depressing development.
FISA, SHMISA: Granted, there’s a pretty egregious violation of civil rights in letting the government spy on whoever it pleases and exonerating the phone duopoly (IOU a rant on the damage they have done in the cellphone marketplace) from culpability. But the notion that Obama’s minor reversal here means the bloom is off the rose is quite a leap! Of all the sins of the Bush administration, from criminal negligence in Afghanistan/Pakistan to the negligent criminality of the war Iraq, bankrupting our global diplomatic capital with the very people we need to negotiating with by pretending there is no such thing as habeas corpus, the debasing of the financial system by deceptively fleecing the working classes with fee-based illusions of asset ownership, capped off with a eight years of energy profligacy — FISA starts to look at worst like fruit fly droppings.
Barack’s style is refreshing, and to some extent so is McCain’s, but there’s really no grounds to credit one or the the other for a higher quality of politics. I don’t discount the value of rhetoric, as it lubricates the political system, but we need not confuse occasional impurities of the lubricant with the real machinery. What is each of these guys going to do behind the wheel of the machine? I’m troubled by Obama’s fealty to corn farmers in contrast to McCain’s willingness to support free trade with Brazil on sugar-based ethanol; advantage McCain. I do believe Obama will get better mileage out of the machine than McCain, and (to mix a metaphor) his poker-playing skills bested Billary already, so that’s a point in his favor. Anyone leading a country crazy enough to include both Ohio and California is going to have to play his/her poker hand with some wrinkles and imperfections. I don’t expect to win every hand, and FISA is one I’ll fold on. Energy reform, financial stability, more nimble self-interest in aligning rival world powers — who’s more likely to take us to a better place? That’s the question we need to ask.
David, it’s not so much about FISA per se, it’s about a position that was taken to garner support and then a complete turnabout without so much as an explanation about what changed. Obama has represented himself as a man of principle and has run on that platform as much as one of change. When he reverses course like this it shows him to be a simple politician using politician’s tools well – which is OK if you’re a known politician.
But Obama’s campaign relies on the genuine nature and enthusiasm of the electorate to sweep him into office. He’s lost that, at least with me. Will I vote for him in the fall, most likely yes. Will I be supporting him? Well, I guess so in so far as I support the least bad choice.
Your points about energy, finance, and more nimble self interest are well taken. Clearly, no matter who wins in the fall the country is getting a big upgrade.
I’m more than a little wary of principles — there’s a man in the oval office today whose principles mean he does what the little man upstairs (I’m not sure if it’s God or Dick Cheney) tells him. What’s worse, a leader of bad principles with mastery politics, or a man of good principles without the mastery of politics? GWB is the former, Dukakis and Carter were the latter. Granting consent to be governed means we must take the measure both of the principles and the political skills to wield them. I think we need to worry that those who think the measure of principle could ever add up to 100% are listening to the little being upstairs instead of the one between their own two ears. And it’s not just a worry about Obama: that’s just how Bush fooled the American public into two terms in office.
There’s no comparison, Bush wouldn’t know a principle if it bit him on the ass.
Perhaps my expectations are too high, but an example of a principal is belief in “rule of law” for example. The FISA bill is all about that in my mind, there are rules that we agree to follow, the government in particular, and when people don’t follow those rules they should be held accountable. With FISA we lose the ability to take the law breakers to task and further erode individual rights going forward. As an attorney, I’d expect Obama to realize this and to take a stand based on his public position on the subject. At a minimum if new information appeared that caused him to reconsider his position, I’d expect a statement to that effect, not just a vote in the dark that is contrary to his public positions. That is neither principle nor smart politics.
That being said, Obama does constitute a huge upgrade. I’m just not enthusiastic about him now that he’s just another lying politician. It’s disappointing to me that in order to succeed in our political system this seems to be how it is. In any case, I’m not a sophisticated political observer…