Is there really something new in Obama?

A lot of my democrat friends have opted for Senator Obama. I am not sure what I think they see in him. Indeed, he is new. In November I heard George Stephanopoulos speak at a meeting in Washington, he quipped "the problem with Obama is not that he is Black it is that he is green.' I believe the vast majority of the American people are ready to vote for a Black candidate. Had Colin Powell run at some point, he would have been very strong. But I suspect that as we get to know more about Obama his allure will diminish. When you look at his policy proposals a lot seems scripted.

On the economy "As president, Barack Obama will implement a 21st century economic agenda to help ensure that America can compete in a global economy, and ensure the middle class is thriving and growing. He will increase investments in infrastructure, energy independence, education, and research and development; modernize and simplify our tax code so it provides greater opportunity and relief to more Americans; and implement trade policies that benefit American workers and increase the export of American goods."

On education "Our schools must prepare students not only to meet the demands of the global economy, but also help students take their place as committed and engaged citizens. It must ensure that all students have a quality education regardless of race, class, or background. Barack Obama is committed to strengthening our public schools to maximize our country's greatest natural resource - the American people. Obama believes that we must equip poor and struggling districts, both rural and urban, with the support and resources they need to provide disadvantaged students with an opportunity to reach their full potential."

Obama makes a big thing about the role of faith including a statement on his website that describes a speech he gave in June of 2006 "Senator Obama delivered what was called the most important speech on religion and politics in 40 years. Speaking before an evangelical audience, Senator Obama candidly discussed his own religious conversion and doubts, and the need for a deeper, more substantive discussion about the role of faith in American life." When one reads the speech there is considerably less than meets the standard described on his website. The speech was in response to his campaign for the US Senate against Allen Keyes, who styles himself as a moralist but who I have always found as a blowhard.

The speech suggests that for Obama the role of religion in American society devolves into a power for social justice. He addresses the uneasiness of democrats to deal with the deep underlying faith of the American people. But then he goes on to suggest two other things. First, a vision of the role of religion that harkens back to the obligatory multi-cultural mantra of liberal democrats "Moreover, given the increasing diversity of America's population, the dangers of sectarianism have never been greater. Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers." While we should honor all faith traditions, it is foolish to suggest that all religious traditions have a uniform influence on American life. There is an inherent tension in the First Amendment which Obama seems to misunderstand.

The most profound statement in the speech for me was "Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God's will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths, including those with no faith at all." I agree with that statement, but as I read the speech on his site, I was struck with how significantly the speech seems far short of the speech that Mitt Romney gave more than a year later.

What would we get with Obama, were he to be successful? Based on his promises, because his record is far too brief to conclude much of anything, we would get an activist who proposes to expand the size and scope of the federal government. But we would also get, as perhaps we are likely to get with almost any candidate, a passel of advisors (in this case who are much more liberal (Obama showing a significant lack of candor refers to himself as a "progressive" because he knows what the American people think of people who call themselves the "l" word.)

Could I vote for him? Not likely, but again depending on who the GOP nominates possibly. But between him and Senator Clinton, the two leading democrat candidates, I am more likely to vote for Clinton than Obama under the principle of the "devil you know, versus the devil you don't."