Obama inauguration: A new tone. No more fake optimism for the people (Naomi Wolf)

[struggle4progress]

... I thought Obama did three things impressively. Firstly, he sounded a note of our dire circumstances that was in line with a reality that many have been in denial about. That is technically ­brilliant, because he's inheriting a mess, and he's telling people, "We're not going to dig ourselves out of this easily." But also, "Don't blame me for it all."

The second was that he reasserted the primacy of the constitution and the rule of law. With Bush sitting behind him, that was like showtime at the OK Corral. I have written in the past that it is going to take a grassroots movement to support him in reasserting the rule of law, because there are so many vested interests that stand opposed to it. But that was a shot across the bows.

Thirdly, most amazingly, I feel that he dialled down the threat level of the US with just a few sentences. He reached out a hand to the Muslim world. For Obama to say, "I'm not going to demonise you" – that is extraordinarily stabilising.

On top of all that, he gave plenty of red meat to the right, honouring the ­military and their sacrifices. The choice of the conservative, anti gay-marriage pastor Rick Warren to pray sent a message to the conservative base of the opposition that this is going to be a values-based presidency, that he's not going to dismiss the substantial proportion who opposed Democrats not because they disagreed with their economic policies, but because they disagreed with how amoral our policies have often been presented as being. It is not how I would wish for things in an ideal world. But Obama is playing poker brilliantly, because he has handed over something that is not very valuable. And he did all of this without a single partisan sentence. He spoke about Republican policies, but not Republicans. He isn't missing a trick. I thought it was a home run ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/21/obama-inauguration-no-more-fake-optimism

[bemildred]

1. Yeh. Right on Ms Wolf. nt

[bertman]

2. Very well-stated, Naomi. I was thinking the same thing but was unable to express it

like she has.

Thanks for the post struggle4progress.

Recommend highly. This is a must-read that gives a strong clue as to the political acumen of our new President, as well as his ability to say things honestly without being offensive.

And she is absolutely right that it will take a grassroots movement to reassert the rule of law. I hope we Democrats aren't so scared of pissing off the Reich wing that we focus on less "controversial" adjustments to the well-being of our democracy, to the exclusion of the rule-of-law adjustment.