Tikkun Magazine, March/April 2008
THE CONTRARIAN
What's the Vision Driving Change?
by George Vradenburg
This political season appears to be the Year of Change. Barack Obama's campaign is defined by "change"; Hillary Clinton is the candidate who can make "change" happen; even President George Bush says he would campaign for "change" were he running. All of us, it would seem, are looking forward to something different than what we have today.
Some things no doubt will be different: we will witness the first female or African-American major party presidential candidate. And, importantly, we will see a dramatic shift in America's foreign image with the end of the Bush presidency.
But will the vision of our new leader simply reflect the ordinary course adjustments associated with a new presidency or truly transform the direction of the nation?
First, we can expect a change of tone. Whether named Clinton, Obama or John McCain, our next president will likely diminish Washington's partisan, bickering tone. All three candidates, both in word and deed, have a track record of working well with members of the opposing party.
Second, while differences in detail abound, we can expect changes in domestic priorities. Contrary to the Bush Administration, the three leading candidates have emphasized global climate change, increased access to health insurance, and responsible fiscal policies in their campaigns.
Third, we can expect at least modest shifts in foreign policy. While there seem to be major differences between the Democratic and Republican candidates on the Iraq War, none of the leading candidates have advocated an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops. McCain would pull out troops at a pace dictated by security conditions on the ground and with an eye to restoring the strength of a U.S. military sapped by war; Clinton and Obama would pull out troops at a pace intended to drive political reconciliation and with an eye to reducing American casualties. And none of the candidates differ significantly on the need for an aggressive response to the War on Terror, on our commitment to Afghanistan, on a wary posture toward Iran, or on active steps to preserve stability in Pakistan. None of the candidates have reservations about our commitment to Israel or the modest efforts Bush is making to promote a two-state solution. Unfortunately, none of the candidates have yet embraced the Strategy of Generosity advocated in this magazine.
These changes, while not unimportant, are the adjustments expected in a change in the presidency. On the other hand, we should not expect the transformative change implied by Obama's soaring rhetoric. An expensive health and welfare program cannot be squared with our fiscal position; an immediate end-the-war position is at odds with a lengthy, phased pullout from Iraq. The separation of powers in our Federal government, the rigidity of Congressional composition created by gerrymandering, the balance of lobbying power across issues and constituencies, and the protection of minority rights in the Senate create significant structural impediments to truly transformative policy change. Our Founding Fathers were rightly suspicious of resting executive power in the hands of a monarch or demagogue and built structures to check that risk, even if one party controls two branches of government.
Moreover, this election will be closely fought and is not likely to produce the kind of landslide that would provide the mandate for transformative change. In the general election, the race will likely be contested between two compelling narratives, each offering a distinctive and appealing vision.
The Democratic vision will be one of national unity and harmony, inspired by a leader whose personal story embodies a post-racial (or post-gender) America coming together to address shared challenges through an active, consensus, and expensive government.
The Republican vision will be one of a nation driven by personal achievement and liberty, inspired by a leader whose courage, sacrifice, and patriotism reflects values of individual responsibility, innovation, and constrained government.
These two themes—community and shared values on the one hand and individual achievement and liberty on the other—are competing narratives of and in America. If both candidates are equally effective in championing their respective visions, the election will be closely contested.
This does not mean that this election is unimportant—quite the contrary. The visions of the two parties have important implications about what change we can expect in the next four years. We all want change, and the kind of change ordinarily attendant to a change in administration will no doubt occur. However, the vision that will transform and accelerate change in America has yet to be presented to the American people.
George Vradenburg is publisher of Tikkun, and often disagrees with our editorial opinions.
Source Citation
Vradenburg, George. 2008. What's the vision driving change? Tikkun 23(2):8.
