The McCain David Brooks knows — The Obama I know
David Brooks is one of my favorite columnists because of his thought-provoking social insights. He seems more a sociologist than a journalist. You could probably entitle a collection of his most important columns “Popular Sociology.”
On the Jim Lehrer News Hour, he has often expressed his fondness for John McCain, and now he has formalized his endorsement in a piece entitled The McCain I Know.
In it he attempts to demonstrate that although John McCain is not a sophisticated conceptual thinker, his long experience in the Senate forced him to take on issues one at a time in an inconsistent manner: “One day he’s a small-government Western conservative; the next he’s a Bull Moose progressive.”
Brooks argues that McCain has successfully established “a half-century of evidence” as a “good judge of character” and as “a serious man prone to serious things.”
David Brooks believes that if John McCain is elected “he will run the least partisan administration in recent times.” He believes that although he is not able to express himself well and is inconsistent, McCain will prove to be a man of character who will seek to work with a wide constituency.
The biggest problem with Brooks’ argument is its own internal incoherence — that is, since McCain is inconsistent, he cannot be counted on in any given circumstance. What Brooks therefore must actually mean is, experience teaches us we can usually count on McCain. That does not mean we can count on McCain for the big decisions! For example, David Brooks does not think Sarah Palin was a wise VP choice because she is not ready to step into the presidency — that is a major blunder. So even by Brooks’ own standards, McCain is not a dependable decision-maker.
The McCain David Brooks knows is a man of character who is not guided by thoughtful principles and who makes inconsistent decisions on a case by case basis.
The Obama I Know
We all have been so saturated by this presidential campaign that many of us feel we know these candidates and have images of them in our minds based on what we have read and seen over these months. I have written about Obama in several blog entries ( 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 ) .
For me, the Obama I know can be summarized in this sentence:
Obama is a leader with character who is guided by liberal beliefs, which include not imposing his will on those he leads, but rather seeking their participation in an inclusive democratic government.
What this means is that all people have to do is get involved and their voice will count and they will have an effect on the outcome of any given decision. This is what he has been encouraging: participatory democracy from the grassroots upwards as the only way to save our nation. It is not enough to leave leadership to Washington. But when Washington must be involved, it should hear from everybody!
In terms of staffing his administration, it might look very similar to McCain’s. In many ways Obama and McCain seem quite similar on many fronts. But on the interior they are quite different. Although they both appear to be men of sincere Christian faith and character, McCain is more volatile and temperamental, while Obama is more steady and thoughtful. The difference between the two men is that simple.
The biggest thing about being president is making decisions.
Whose temperament is better suited for the presidency?
Who made the best call on whether to go into the war in Iraq?
Answering these questions will tell you a lot about which way you should vote in November
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