At National Review, Jonah Goldberg finds a couple of silver linings in President Obama’s swearing in:
He wasn’t my first choice, but he is nonetheless my president. And if ever there were a wonderful consolation prize in politics, shattering the race barrier in the White House is surely it.
Indeed. More interesting however is this observation:
By hastening the end of the Cold War, Reagan took away the defining cause of the conservative movement. The right had other issues, to be sure. But anti-communism was the coalitional glue. And while principled conservatives were happy to trade a live campaign issue for a dead Soviet Union, the damage to conservative cohesion was real.
If Obama lives up to the dreams of his supporters in writing a new, post-racial chapter for America, he will have at once done more for America than any Democratic president in generations. But he also will have cut the knot holding much of the left together.
While I certainly hope Jonah is right about — at last! — a post-racial America, I’m less sure about that last bit. Because until health care is nationalized, unions are mandatory everywhere, and the Pentagon has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber, then there will be plenty to hold the Left together.
As a child I remember being told, “Be careful what you ask for you just might get it.” I think this will hold true for the democrats.
I question that President Obama will really make that much of a difference as far as race relations. He strikes me as more of a marker showing where we are, rather than a vehicle for going further.
Post Racial. Yes, that would be nice. But did you hear Lowrey’s prayer? Good lord!
Greetings:
I think Reverend Lowery is still waiting for his slavery reparations check.
As long as there is an America — democratic, capitalist — there will be enough to hold the Left together.
Jonah has a good point. Unfortunately, the price for cutting this particular knot is letting a whole lot of other knots grow bigger and tighter – government ownership of businesses, nationalized health care, no more secret ballots for unionization, 50% of our population having no stake in the income tax system except as receivers. Too high a price just to shut the race-baiters up (and they won’t shut up anyway.)