That's the Point

Washington Post columnist Robert J. Samuelson wrote a piece today that essentially boils down to this: even though Obama says that he's about unity and reaching across the aisle, he's really a liberal.

I was sent the link by a friend as a kind of warning to prevent me from becoming an out and out Obamaniac. I guess my friend was trying to tell me, don't get caught up in the hype because Obama's actually liberal.

To which I have to respond: Yeah, that's kind of the point.

Even with his fancy rhetoric and stirring message, were Obama not liberal (as I am) than I wouldn't support him (which I do). Reagan talked about morning again in America and while I'm all for morning, that doesn't sway me. Promises of hope and unity are good, but if the unity is designed to work for an end I disagree with, I would oppose it.

For me, at least, Obama represents a chance to build a new progressive coalition. It's a chance to move the country not just away from partisanship, but toward a more progressive system. That's the goal I believe in. That's also the New Majority that Obama says we are building. It's a new, progressive, unified majority. And you can't get that without progressive goals in mind. For me, at least, that's the promise of an Obama presidency.