Reply #19: Of course, there will always be common goals, but equally there will [View All]

[Joe Chi Minh]

be quite disparate goals, even with a conciliatory President and opposition.

I respect and admire Obama, but I don't necessarily believe his words are always free of political calculation, that is to say, he will put the best complexion on an issue. Not necesssarily spin, unless too much is read into them ingenuously by wishful-thinking opponents.

To me, this would be a case in point. You seem to think he was more or less saying, "Democrat? Republican? No! The input of Republicans is just as likely to be pertinent as that of sincere Democrats. Why bother with distinctions? Parties, even? This adversarial system of ours is crazy. We're all pals together.

I doubt that. I certainly hope not, anyway.

PS: You make my point about the terms, "coalition" and "inclusive" being relative, not absolute. I'm sorry I gave the contrary impression. I felt that you were investing them with an absoluteness that was not intrinsic their meanings.