This, from Fareed Zakaria's column in yesterday's Washington Post, is a little odd:
President Obama made one of the most important speeches of his presidency on Wednesday. It was an eloquent defense of his basic approach to government and outlined specifically how he would tackle the nation's long-term debt problems. For people who have been searching for Barack Obama's core beliefs, this speech is perhaps the single best place to start — though it fell short in one important aspect.
In the next line, Zakaria describes Obama as a "left-of-center Democrat, but not very far left."
I actually wasn't aware that there were still questions about Obama's ideological views among pundits; between health-care reform, the stimulus, and financial reform, it's been more than obvious that Obama is a typical center-left Democrat with a preference for pragmatism and an eye toward technocratic solutions. And while yesterday's speech was an impressive defense of liberalism, it drew heavily from previous presidential addresses where Obama sought to re-contextualize liberalism as a form of American pragmatism. For instance, here is Obama's September 2009 address to a joint session of Congress:
That large-heartedness -- that concern and regard for the plight of others -- is not a partisan feeling. It's not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character -- our ability to stand in other people's shoes; a recognition that we are all in this together, and when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand; a belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgment that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise.
This was basically duplicated in yesterday's speech, toward the conclusion:
But no matter what we argue or where we stand, we've always held certain beliefs as Americans. We believe that in order to preserve our own freedoms and pursue our own happiness, we can't just think about ourselves. We have to think about the country that made those liberties possible. We have to think about our fellow citizens with whom we share a community. And we have to think about what's required to preserve the American Dream for future generations.
This sense of responsibility – to each other and to our country – this isn't a partisan feeling. It isn't a Democratic or Republican idea. It's patriotism.
As is the case with most things about Obama, if you've been paying attention, you'll notice that he hasn't changed much at all.
