Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNew Yorker Magazine: Obama makes the case for liberalism: radical change through practical measures.
Liberal-In-Chief: President Obama makes the case for liberalism: radical change through practical measures.
In the interview with Maron, the President, confronting frustrations with the fact that he wasnt able to alter the world with the wave of a rhetorical wand, offered an alternative view of how big democratic societies work. They are, he said, like ocean liners: you turn the wheel slowly, and the big ship pivots. Sometimes your job is just to make stuff work, Obama said. Sometimes the task of government is to make incremental improvements or try to steer the ocean liner two degrees north or south so that, ten years from now, suddenly were in a very different place than we were. At the moment, people may feel like we need a fifty-degree turn; we dont need a two-degree turn. And you say, Well, if I turn fifty degrees, the whole ship turns over. Note that the President wasnt saying that big ships arent worth turning, just that it takes time. Their very bigness is what makes them turn slowly, but their bigness is also what makes them worth turning.
Beneath this pragmatism lies a deeper understanding that humanity is various, that the changes we work for will never be universally accepted, and the test of our politics is extending sympathy to those who seem to stand in the way. Change requires more than just speaking out, the President said, at Howard.:
'It requires listening to those with whom you disagree, and being prepared to compromise. You know, when I was a state senator, I helped pass Illinoiss first racial-profiling law, and one of the first laws in the nation requiring the videotaping of confessions in capital cases. And we were successful because, early on, I engaged law enforcement. I didnt say to them, Oh, you guys are so racist, you know you need to do something. I understood, as many of you do, that the overwhelming majority of police officers are good and honest and courageous. . . . The point is, you need allies in a democracy. Thats just the way it is. It can be frustrating and it can be slow. But history teaches us that the alternative to democracy is always worse.'
Obamas liberalism is not therapeutic. You dont listen to others to make them feel better. You listen because without their coöperation, or at least their tacit acceptance of the moral urgency of change, that long arc wont bend and progress wont happen. Your opponents have to understand that reform, even if it makes their fixations unsustainable, will not make their lives unlivable. Freedom didnt happen because your opponents saw the light. It happened because they no longer found it necessary to live in the dark. Their hands may never move toward a candle, but their eyes adjust. Allowing for the adjustment and the time that it takes is part of the intelligence of politics.
Beneath this pragmatism lies a deeper understanding that humanity is various, that the changes we work for will never be universally accepted, and the test of our politics is extending sympathy to those who seem to stand in the way. Change requires more than just speaking out, the President said, at Howard.:
'It requires listening to those with whom you disagree, and being prepared to compromise. You know, when I was a state senator, I helped pass Illinoiss first racial-profiling law, and one of the first laws in the nation requiring the videotaping of confessions in capital cases. And we were successful because, early on, I engaged law enforcement. I didnt say to them, Oh, you guys are so racist, you know you need to do something. I understood, as many of you do, that the overwhelming majority of police officers are good and honest and courageous. . . . The point is, you need allies in a democracy. Thats just the way it is. It can be frustrating and it can be slow. But history teaches us that the alternative to democracy is always worse.'
Obamas liberalism is not therapeutic. You dont listen to others to make them feel better. You listen because without their coöperation, or at least their tacit acceptance of the moral urgency of change, that long arc wont bend and progress wont happen. Your opponents have to understand that reform, even if it makes their fixations unsustainable, will not make their lives unlivable. Freedom didnt happen because your opponents saw the light. It happened because they no longer found it necessary to live in the dark. Their hands may never move toward a candle, but their eyes adjust. Allowing for the adjustment and the time that it takes is part of the intelligence of politics.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/05/23/president-obama-speaks-his-mind
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
1 replies, 423 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (3)
ReplyReply to this post
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
New Yorker Magazine: Obama makes the case for liberalism: radical change through practical measures. (Original Post)
ehrnst
Jun 2016
OP
underpants
(182,949 posts)1. Marking for later read - New Yorker
Thanks