September 11, 2009--More Spocky

In a column titled "Less Spocky, More Rocky," Maureen Dowd faults Barack Obama for being too much like Star Trek's professorial Dr. Spock and not enough like Rocky Balboa. She writes:

President Obama is so wrapped up in his desire to be a different, more conciliatory, beer-summit kind of leader, he ignores some verities.

Sometimes, when you’ve got the mojo, you have to keep your foot on your opponent’s neck. When you’re trying to get a Sisyphean agenda passed, it’s good if people in the way — including rebellious elements in your own party — fear you.

Civil discourse is fine, but when the other side is fighting dirty, you should get angry. Don’t let the bully kick sand in your face. The White House should have impaled death panel malarkey as soon as it came up. [Emphasis added.]

(Linked below is her full New York Times column.)

Actually, he has struck exactly the right tone. It may not have been politically expedient and for sure hasn't produced the kind of testosterone fireworks media pundits thrive on or the under-stimulated Maureen Down seems frequently to crave, but if we are ever to make progress toward civility or to engage again in tough-minded rational discourse, someone has to act like the grownup. And for Washington Barack Obama, uniquely and thus sadly, appears to be one of the very few who welcomes the idea's of others and is, or at least has been, serious about working in a flexible and bipartisan way.

If the hollering and ranting and lying is ever to stop some one in charge has got to take the lead and be more like the thoughtful, self-critical, open-minded Dr. Spock. We have seen what we get when the Rocky Balboa's of the world are in charge. We wind up in wars that are ruining us; we get swaggering when we need reflection; and we are forced to endure the spectacle of muscle flexing and posturing when we should be listening to those with whom we disagree and perhaps have better ideas than we can generate on our own. We have seen self-interest overtake public responsibility; political cowardice and corruption replace courage and integrity; and greed overcome caring for, loving our neighbors.

And then there are all those anti-government government workers--right-wing GOP senators and congressmen. All on the public (government) payroll; all enrolled in the government-funded and run congressional pension system, all seeking eternal reelection, and all those over 65 (and there are quite a few of them doddering around) getting their medical care paid for via a form of socialized medicine--Medicare. That evil single-payer, government-run system. I haven't heard any one of them turning down their taxpayer-funded salaries, government pensions, or taxpayer paid-for healthcare.

When a few of these well-compensated public servants step up and rather than calling the president a liar when he was telling the truth and they were the ones doing the lying, when they rise to reject all their government subsidies and payments they seem to enjoy receiving, then and only then will I take them seriously. Until that happens I will continue to know them for what they are--hypocrites.

But, having said this, having given in to my own propensity to rant, agree with him, disagree with him, I continue to hope that Barack Obama stays on the high road and persists in setting this example of civility and open discourse. That still represents our best hope.