Obama's Crossover Appeal

Much has been said about Obama's ability to attract independents and even some Republicans.  How does he do it?  Read the following to the attributions and I think you will understand...

On Katrina:

"Government hadn't done its first and most basic job... Signs of failure were all about us..."

"When you realize that there were 22,000 people in the Superdome to whom the government couldn't deliver water... something has failed."

"The simple fact is the city of New Orleans failed, the state of Louisiana failed, and the government of the United States failed."

On Change:

"What is needed is the profound transformation of the current system."

"In an era of ATMs, iPods, and eBay, we have government from the era of quill pens, inkwells, and paper ledgers."

"...spending on health will soon crowd out spending on other needs such as education and the environment.  Unless we act quickly to fix it..."

"Together, transformational change is possible."

"Despite all the media hype about a divided America, we are united in our desire for government that is capable, competent...."

"Transformational change will require courage, commitment, and cheerful persistence."

Etc.

I could go on and on with these quotes, but these are sufficient to demonstrate the resonance of Obama's message with the hopes and aspirations of most of us in America.

But, here's the kicker:

All of these quotes are from just the INTRODUCTION of Newt Gingrich's book, "Winning the Future".  This intro was written in 2006 for the 2nd edition of the the book, originally written in 2005.

I am not saying that Obama has plagiarized Gingrich (or vis versa.... I have not read "The Audacity of Hope" to look for similar phrases that would predate the Gingrich book.)  What I AM saying is that BOTH of these politicians have correctly identified the mood of the American electorate:

We are EXHAUSTED with, ASHAMED of, and WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE the party=centric squabbling that has characterized our government for two decades or more.  We want a government that works, can be trusted and again has a focus on the people, not the politicians.

What we want:

Simply, with the exception of the ultra Conservatives and the ultra Liberals, the interests of the people are NOT in party labels, but in ideas that actually WORK.  Accountability is NOT just a whip to punish your opponent with, but a measuring tool by which we must measure ourselves, our politicians and our strategies.

This is a "Liberal Democracy".  Democrats AND Republicans want to see an end to poverty, promotion of world peace, universal health, expansion of justice, life, liberty, happiness and opportunity to all.

Where we differ is on the MEANS to those ends.  So long as Obama and Gingrich are speaking about our frustrations and the need for change, we are excited about BOTH of them.  So long as both talk about the ideals on which this nation is founded, we stand up and cheer!  But when they talk about the role of government in achieving these ends, our unity fractures over differences about what we believe works and doesn't work.

I hope and pray that Obama is pragmatic enough to realize this.  If he votes for NEW ways to solve the old problems, he may avoid a quick demise in the polls.  He must dedicate himself to what actually WORKS, not to old socialist patterns proven to fail all over the world.

What works and what doesn't?

A large number of us believe that handouts that are not hand-ups simply enslave people psychologically.  It tells them that they cannot succeed on their own.  If we counter this negative self-image by building up a false self-image, by telling them that they are "entitled" and "just by their unique identity" they deserve xyz, we all too often create adults that act more like spoiled children.  We replace their self-doubt with un-earned pride and swollen egos that lead to violence, abuse and eventual incarceration.

From our perspective, the hand-up needed is an education that makes the individual self-sustaining in a job where he/she contributes to society, growing in earned self-respect and practiced self-discipline.

A large number of us believe that greed needs to be harnessed to encourage the production of jobs for the masses offered the "hand up", not condemned so harshly as to destroy incentives and drive the creative businessmen, inventors, artists and athletes out of the country.  A primary objective of the government and the entire legal system is to ensure a "level playing field" in which everyone can compete for jobs and customers with the only constraints imposed being those that protect the common good.  Indeed, the common good is often damaged more by over-regulation than by self-imposed personal, corporate and industry self-regulation.

Over the centuries, the only "price control" proven to work is competition... greed is our "friend" if harnessed to encourage competition and thus bring down prices to a minimum.  From this perspective, government does not "create" wealth NOR redistribute it.  Government can only provide a safe and free environment in which the world's inventors and entrepreneurs can experiment with new ideas and compete efficiently.

A large number of us believe that humanity must temper "survival of the fittest", and that this, in fact, is the reason behind civilization.  We are simply better off cooperating and specializing rather than killing.  Whether this "humanizing temperament" comes from religion, science or some reversal in the laws of evolution is of no significance compared to the value it holds to all people of good will.

From this perspective, it is offensive to turn our backs upon the suffering in the 3rd world and complain about losses among our volunteer troops or losses of riches "we could spend on our own".  Withdrawal from the world cannot be justified on the basis of "they are not worth it".  Indeed, the commitment to helping the enslaved find self-governance and self-sufficiency is not just humanitarian, but also pragmatic survivalist in origins.  We simply do not have enough guns or graveyards to hold back the starving masses if we continue to focus only on making OUR lives better.

In summary, as long as Obama or McCain speaks to our nations ideals and pursues them through practical and pragmatic means, either of them can be our next president.

If either strays right or left into party prejudices or proposes solutions based on ignoring pragmatic facts, there will be a revolution springing from the core of the American spirit and neither party (as we know them today) will long survive.

We want to achieve Liberal objectives ("liberty and justice for all") via Conservative (proven, practical) means.  I pray that these politicians recognize this and have make this central to their policies going forward.

If this all talk turns out to be a political ploy to win elections by deceiving us into "crossover" voting, there will be hell to pay.