Despite Our Differences
November 21, 2008
Wouldn’t it be nice if we actually took John McCain’s advice and put the country first?
Barack Obama is the first person to be elected in non-controversial fashion since George H. W. Bush in 1988. (Pay no attention to the wingnuts and extremists who are questioning the validity of his birth certificate: those guys don’t, and won’t, matter.) As such, he deserves a modicum of respect. Why don’t we give it to him?
The right could never bring itself to respect Bill Clinton. It is an article of faith in conservative circles that Clinton would have lost to Bush in 1992 were it not for the machinations of one H. Ross Perot. Because Clinton only won with forty-three percent of the vote, conservatives figured he wasn’t worthy of the office, and attacked him accordingly for eight years.
Likewise, the left could never truly accept George W. Bush as President. To progressives, Bush was a pathetic politician who only received the 2000 Republican nomination by way of a smear campaign against John McCain, and only became the Commander-in-Chief thanks to Jeb Bush, Katherine Harris and five Justices on the US Supreme Court. Even after Bush soundly defeated John Kerry in 2004, the left could never say “Hail to the Chief” to a man they considered a White House thief.
This time around, no one can question Obama’s legitimacy. Sure, some on the right have suggested that the mainstream media and ACORN stole this election for Obama, but such claims are not taken seriously in the arena of ideas. Obama’s win was a testament to America’s fundamental greatness: even if you detest his politics, you have to admit that his victory was a moment of national pride.
What if future generations could look back and say that this was the moment when reflexive partisanship ended in this country? Obama will make mistakes, and conservatives should not hesitate to call him on those mistakes. However, conservatives must realize that they cannot attack Obama the same way they attacked Clinton. The country will not stand for it.
The reality is that Obama will enjoy an unusually lengthy political honeymoon. Because of his broad victory, his charisma, his intelligence and—yes—his unique background, millions of Americans have a desire to see him succeed. Even those of us who dislike his liberal political vision know deep down that with the twin problems of economic disarray at home and still-simmering Islamofascism abroad, America cannot afford to have a failed, Carter-style Presidency.
Those of us who are opposed to Obama’s vision must be firm in our criticism, but we must be fair and civil. This applies not only to conservative politicians, but also to right-leaning talk hosts, pundits and bloggers. Right now, the whole world is watching us.
Obama’s staunchest supporters will be looking for any piece of evidence they can seize upon to prove that Obama’s political opponents are just extremists, racists, nutballs, new-age John Birchers. Why give these guys any opportunity to humiliate us? Let’s not empower our enemies the same way Don Imus empowered his enemies last year.
We can question the Obama agenda with diligence and decency. We can work with Obama in the name of advancing what’s in the best interests of the country, and we can respectfully confront him if and when his decisions run counter to common sense. We ought not to use Obama as a political piñata; if we do, we’ll be the ones who get bashed to bits.
Right now, many Americans see Obama as a good and decent man. If those of us on the conservative side focus on nothing besides scandalizing his name, we’ll come across as repugnant heels—not the sort of impression we want to give as we attempt to rebuild the Republican Party. Obama beat us with a smile on his face. Perhaps we should consider trying to do the same.
Conservatives and Republicans need to be happy warriors. We can’t come across as grumpy, embittered sourpusses unable to accept the fact that John McCain and Sarah Palin lost. We need to make it clear to the American people that we respect Obama—and that, when he’s wrong, we will respectfully disagree with him. In the words of the President-elect, this is our moment—a moment for us to demonstrate, once and for all, that conservatism and class are synonyms, not antonyms.
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Well said. Turning Obama into a pariah in the same way that Clinton was fashioned will only further alienate the so-called mainstream electorate. There is a reason why the Brits call the party out of power the “Loyal Opposition.” It is a concept that I think we’ve forgotten since at least the early 70s, if not the late 60s. One who grasps it understands that it does none of us any good for the current leadership to fail miserably in times of crisis. We can disagree on policy and certainly on world views, but we must work toward the greater goal of the nation’s survival and not get bogged down in the mire of “hating” the other side. Despite the positions of certain members of the celebrity elite, we’re all still Americans.