What Obama's Victory Stands For
According to E.J. Dionne:
Change, particularly generational change, was also at the heart of Barack Obama's victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards. . . . Obama's theme of ending partisan divisions by reaching out to independents and Republicans may be an enduring legacy of the evening . . .
According to David Brooks:
[Obama] talks about erasing old categories like red and blue (and implicitly, black and white) and replacing them with new categories, of which the most important are new and old. He seems at first more preoccupied with changing thinking than changing legislation. . . Obama is changing the tone of American liberalism, and maybe American politics, too.
It was not a victory for progressive policy seems the conclusion but for unity and tone. It is ironic to me that John Edwards and Joe Trippi claim to be on the winning side last night. If Brooks and Dionne are correct, the big SUBSTANTIVE loser last night was John Edwards. Brooks writes: [More...]
He’s made John Edwards, with his angry cries that “corporate greed is killing your children’s future,” seem old-fashioned. Edwards’s political career is probably over.
Edwards' message of being a Fighting Dem for progressive values was defeated. Hillary's public image, created by a horrible Media, was defeated last night. I lament both defeats.
Obama's victory was one of style and tone over substance. Can he make it a substantive victory come next November? That is his challenge.
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