The Country Should Follow Iowa’s Lead…
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by Seth Green | December 2nd, 2007
The latest polls out of Iowa are showing some very exciting signs for those of us who hope for a president who can bring this country together. Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee are now the preferred candidates in Iowa and both symbolize a new politics for our country that could offer a new approach to policymaking based on hope and opportunity, rather than fear. The candidates have very different positions on many issues, especially social issues, but I actually think they have a lot in common in their approach to politics, which is badly needed in Washington. Both stand out for NOT taking the opportunity to score political points bashing their opponent. Huckabee was asked about his views on illegal immigrants in the last debate and instead of ignoring his record to make cheap personal attacks on Romney (a la Giuliani), he answered the question directly and defended his views rather than changing them (a la Romney). “In all due respect,” he said ”we are a better country than to punish children for what their parents did. We’re a better country than that.”
Obama has similarly decided to stay above the mudslinging and stick to putting out a positive vision, rather than trying to bring down his opponents. This week, Bill Clinton provided a perfect opportunity for Obama to pounce when he tried to rewrite history by claiming he was against the Iraq war from the beginning. But rather than spending every single speech from here on explaining that Bill and his wife “were for the war before they were against it” (a la Bush) he merely said “If he did, you know, I don’t think most of us have heard about it. But I’ll let you check with him as to where he made these, made these statements.” Then, he want back to defining himself and what he offers to America.
And perhaps most refreshingly, neither of these guys is an ideologically driven partisan or a Washington insider that thinks experts always know what’s best. Obama told us he would speak with foreign leaders without preconditions because it’s just common sense, even if it does not fit into the American exceptionalism and stubborness that fakes as a foreign policy strategy in Washington today. And Huckabee has defended giving educational opportunities to kids of illegal immigrants because we’d rather have these kids in school than on the streets with no skills and no future.
Wow, just imagine if this election came down to Obama v. Huckabee. Imagine, two people who want to talk about the issues and who define themselves by telling us what they believe. Imagine, civil debates and humble candidates who actually appear to enjoy interacting with the public in town hall settings. That would make this the first general election in a long time where this country actually grows together through a discussion about our common future.
To be clear, Obama and Huckabee would still present America with a very real choice in policy terms, but this time the choice just might be framed in terms of which candidate is better for America, rather than in terms of which one is worse. We just might talk about who can America that shining city on a hill again, rather than just who can deliver us from evil. We might ask how can we make this country whole again, rather than just who can protect us from another attack. We might wonder how do we make America great again, rather than just how do we keep America strong. We might believe in ourselves again and live up to our country’s promise of being a pioneer in the greatest gift of humankind: freedom. Some may say I’m a dreamer, but apparently many in Iowa share my hope for the candidates to make it to the general election. I hope other states will follow Iowa’s lead. |
