Obama: Radical or pragmatist?
Making sense of President Obama's political stance
“Who is Barack Obama?” asked David Brooks in The New York Times. Conservatives view him as a “big-government liberal” and “ruthless” partisan determined to remake the U.S. into a European social democracy. Liberals find him “weak and indecisive,” and far too willing to compromise cherished liberal principles in the battle with evil Republicans. These “diametrically opposed” viewpoints are the products of our new political culture, in which people live in “information cocoons” of like-minded partisans. A more “sensible country” would see Obama for what he is: a “center-left pragmatic reformer.” Obama’s health-care plan, for instance, may be flawed, but it’s quite similar to plans supported in the past by centrist Republicans Mitt Romney and Bob Dole. Similarly, on issues from education reform to terrorism to foreign policy, Obama is nothing like the cartoon figure depicted by Left and Right. In fact, he’s “the most realistic and reasonable major player in Washington.”
Sounds like Brooks has “a man-crush” on the president, said Matt Welch in Reason.com. But let’s look at the facts. Yes, Obama talks like a moderate—remember when he promised a “net spending cut” in the midst of the financial crisis? But “words and deeds are different things.” So he submitted a $1.3 trillion budget with no net spending cut. He talks tough on failing schools, but poured $100 billion into “the education status quo via the stimulus package.” I only wish he were as liberal as critics charge, said Robert Kuttner in HuffingtonPost.com. Only in recent weeks does Obama finally seem to have realized that to move the country forward, he must stop wasting time bargaining with obstructionist Republicans and become a true “partisan progressive.”
Whether he governs from left, right, or center, said Fred Hiatt in The Washington Post, can Obama at least pretend he’s enjoying it? The main reason his poll numbers have dropped is that Obama just “doesn’t seem all that happy being president.” He has made it very clear that he regards “politics with a certain disdain,” wading into crowds or Congress only when necessary. At day’s end, Obama rushes upstairs to be with his family, as if he’s sick of the whole thing. “A secure, self-confident adult,” Obama is undoubtedly healthier than, say, Bill Clinton, who had an endless need for adoration and drama. But people might find it easier to root for Obama if he at least seemed “happy we hired him.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Why would anyone look to the United States as a model?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Kristi Noem and the politics of puppy killing
Talking Point Revelations in Republican's upcoming memoir may have doomed her political career
By The Week UK Published
-
Death toll in Brazil flooding tops 100
Speed Read The record rainfall is linked to El Niño, which has been exacerbated by climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published