Did Obama run as a pragmatist?
I was having an interesting discussion in Muckraker I thought I would start here.
During the campaign, did you think Obama was an idealistic or a pragmatic candidate?
Since the innauguration, one of the most prevalent statements about the administrations decisions has been that Obama is a pragmatist. I'm fine with pragmatists -- I like pragmatism as a rule. That's why I backed Clinton in the primaries, because I thought she was the pragmatic candidate. We knew what we were getting. She lost, I know. And I supported Obama once she did. Perhaps less vehemently than many, but that's because I'm pragmatic, and to me, he wasn't.
Barack Obama's campaign, to me, was anti-pragmatic. It was as idealistic as you get, with crowds chanting "YES WE CAN!" when they talked of changing the culture and pattern of Washington, with slogans that stated, and demanded "Change We Can Believe In." And clearly, that was what the country wanted.
But now I'm wondering whether I misread the campaign, blinded by my own loyalties. So I'll throw the question out to those who backed him all along -- did he run as a pragmatist or is his recent pragmatism a necessary (if you believe so) device to survive in Washington?
During the campaign, did you think Obama was an idealistic or a pragmatic candidate?
Since the innauguration, one of the most prevalent statements about the administrations decisions has been that Obama is a pragmatist. I'm fine with pragmatists -- I like pragmatism as a rule. That's why I backed Clinton in the primaries, because I thought she was the pragmatic candidate. We knew what we were getting. She lost, I know. And I supported Obama once she did. Perhaps less vehemently than many, but that's because I'm pragmatic, and to me, he wasn't.
Barack Obama's campaign, to me, was anti-pragmatic. It was as idealistic as you get, with crowds chanting "YES WE CAN!" when they talked of changing the culture and pattern of Washington, with slogans that stated, and demanded "Change We Can Believe In." And clearly, that was what the country wanted.
But now I'm wondering whether I misread the campaign, blinded by my own loyalties. So I'll throw the question out to those who backed him all along -- did he run as a pragmatist or is his recent pragmatism a necessary (if you believe so) device to survive in Washington?
