Let me mention two things that bug me about "leadership", beyond my anti-Atlanticism and the bad allusions in German.
First, by praising leadership abilities, one forgets that in a democracy, leaders are supposed to get their power from the people. What politicians should have is not some magic ability to go ahead, but ideas, then we the people decide which is the best idea and give the guy powers to attempt to realise it.
Second, the present-day concept of leadership is very closely linked to, I would even say was introduced by, neoliberalism. What neoliberals understand under "leadership" is the ability to push through unpopular reforms -- in effect, stuff they have NOT been elected for -- best by getting people to accept it in the process. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
What's your take on the long history of Leftist Authoritarian regimes? LOL.
But seriously, this is an oversimplification and does not really illustrate an appreciation for the relationship between people and their leaders outside the world of Hollywood cartoons. "Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
Lefties on the other hand will always slam anyone in power - until they get into power themselves.
The system of global capitalism we live under - dominated by global corporations - is largely American in origin, ideology, design and control. Many people recognise that for all its faults - it is better than the competing systems of Nazism and Stalinism it defeated.
Many people recognise that for all its faults - it is better than the competing systems of Nazism and Stalinism it defeated.
And this is not a generalisation? poemless:
The election of Obama shows that people with left-leaning ideology are craving strong leadership.
Really? Obama got rather more than the votes of left leaning ideologists. Most wanted alternate leadership to McCain/Palin, and authoritarianism in an US context seems to be more characteristic of right wingers - left wingers often being called liberals with good reason.
And yes of course there are lots of generalisations in my diary. There always are in short pieces. If I want to write an academic piece I will do so in an academic context, and I won't try to write a history of the recent world in 20 paragraphs.
I'm sorry I didn't get to read your diary. I meant to and perhaps you present an alternate argument there. However even if I disagreed with it I promise I wouldn't accuse you of a Hollywood cartoon character level of understanding. I think it helps to be bit more careful and respectful in your criticisms. Vote McCain for war without gain
True. And, in that case, a new group of Lefties will slam the newly-empowered Lefties. It's part of our charm, amigo. ;)
I've always said: Liberals are the Mets fans of politics. When our team fucks up, we boo them and start throwing things. To the extent that it goes well beyond constructive criticism, and we only finally feel like we've fucked ourselves with our pants on after it's too late.
Which is why I've preached that folks need to calm down right now and not get worked up over the presence of Rahm Emanuel or someone like him unless there's something concrete that Obama does on policy to warrant getting worked up. It's of no use and without merit until then, so sit back, give'em a chance to prove themselves, and rule afterwards. Suspicion? Totally understandable. Endless OHNOEZICANHAZPANCAKEZ!@ diaries on Daily Kos? No, those folks need to get a grip.
I stopped worrying about Obama quite a while ago after coming to the conclusion that he'd consistently thought stuff out well ahead of how far ahead I'd thought stuff out. He assembled probably the greatest campaign staff in American history and took down two of the greatest names in American politics, the Clintons and John McCain. I'm not sure people appreciate how amazing a feat that truly is. I like to think of myself as someone who understands the mathematics of campaigns pretty well, but I'm not fit to shine these guys' shoes. Obama's earned a little leeway from me. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
The economic advisory board is a decent cast of characters, but he probably wasn't being given too much differing advice. There's been a unifying of the two wings of the Democratic Party's economic people over the last few years. Whereas under Clinton, you had two camps --the Public Investors/Economic Activists (Reich, Krugman, Stiglitz) and the Budget Hawks (Summers, Rubin) -- you now have a group that largely agrees and fits more with the former category. Summers has talked a great deal about fighting wage stagnation. Rubin has 'fessed to Reich being right about public investment.
So, on the economic front, I'm optimistic. I think there's plenty of agreement on the critical stuff. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
