Obama will gain from honouring McCain
James Forsyth 5:29pm
In a classy gesture, Barack Obama is holding an inaugural eve dinner to honour John McCain. (There are other dinners that night for Colin Powell and Joe Biden). But it is also smart politics, as it costs Obama little and gains him much.
McCain is a genuine American hero and the evening will be seen, and is presumably intended to be seen, as a sign that Obama is moving from being the candidate of one party to the president of the whole country. McCain isn’t going to run for president again and his support for various initiatives—think immigration reform and climate change legislation—would give them a pleasing bi-partisan sheen. The dinner will make Obama’s administration appear bi-partisan without actually having to compromise on policy.
The soft-focus side of bi-partisanship is something that Obama has excelled at throughout his career. His 2004 convention address, which put such rocket boosters under his rise, was an exercise in it. Now, that he is president we can expect much more of it. I suspect that, for example, the meetings with all previous Secretaries of State and Defense that the Bush administration instituted in its second term will become major events. Last week’s lunch for all living presidents was, after all, the idea of Obama’s chief of staff.
The conspicuous appearance of bipartisanship will make it harder for those within the Republican Party who argue that the party shouldn’t cooperate with the incoming president on the grounds that it should want clean hands if everything goes wrong. McCain, who will be keen to restore his image as a bi-partisan figure after the election campaign, will be in the cooperation camp. It is to Obama’s benefit to boost his standing and isolate those who are reluctant to work with him.
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Disgusted from Dunkeld
January 12th, 2009 5:38pm Report this commentVomitous empty gesture. All about politics! I'm not fooled.
David Allen
January 12th, 2009 6:58pm Report this commentAs a McCain voter at a time where visible good manners are very rare, I see this, not as a cynical or empty-gesture, but as moment of welcome decency and civility. We need to re-establish a spirit of bye-partisanship in this country and if Obama is the one to re-kindle it through these sorts of actions I believe millions of us will support him in his endeavours.
Chris
January 12th, 2009 9:10pm Report this commentMcCain is a genuine American hero, but he has no loyalty to the Republican Party, only to John McCain.
David Allen
January 12th, 2009 9:57pm Report this commentActually, part of the problem in the United States has been the bilious, bitter Republican/Democrat polarisation, mostly, I have to admit, brought to us by the Democrats but not exclusive by them alone. John McCain might not have been a "loyal" (i.e. knee-jerk, herd-following religiously narrow) Republican, but he is a brave man and independent thinker who gives his loyalty to his country first. Would there were more like him and fewer bottom-feeders like the Reids, Blagojevitchs, Daleys, Kennedys, Clintons, and Pelosis. Obama will be honouring one of the best Americans. I hope the President-elect enjoys the evening, for he will have to dine with a lot of scum in his new job and pretend to like it.
Augustus
January 12th, 2009 10:13pm Report this commentYes, by July 4th life won't be all that bad. Americans will come to feel that 2009 will be one of the most upbeat years in their history. And as the news media begins to get behind America and report on all the mysteriously wonderful things that are suddenly taking place, all the campaign talk of the Great Depression and a Vietnam-like war will thankfully subside as the Obama administration gets going and solves problems with conciliation, dialogue, and multilateral wisdom, rather than shrillness, unilateralism, pre-emption and my-way dogmatism. They will hear that, by historical levels, unemployment is not that bad, that GDP growth is not historically all that low, and that deficits, inflation, interest rates, and housing starts are all within manageableparameters. Depression with morph into recession, which in turn by July will be a downturn that by next year will be an upswing on its way to boom times. And if any official should dare to criticise Obama's insensitivity and his directionless government, he will be seen as a heretic, a whiner, a turncoat, not a truth teller, a brave maverick, and the occasional loud-mouthed senator who voices slurs against the 'One' will be condemned as unpatriotic. Happy retirement John McCain!
Laurel Federbush
January 13th, 2009 5:39am Report this commentI hope that Obama will continue to work with McCain, and that this dinner isn't just being done for appearances. As this article says, McCain is a hero, but not just because of his military record. He is someone who has taken great political risks for what he believes in, and demonstrated bipartisanship for the good of the country rather than his own political gain. Obama could learn a lot from McCain, and will accomplish a longer-lasting success with his initiatives if he does them in a bipartisan way. Where the two of them have common ground, it would be desirable for them to work together.
Kevyn Bodman
January 13th, 2009 11:29am Report this commentWhy do so many Americans praise bi-partisanship?
Politics is partisan.
If my view of the best policies for the future is different from your view why should I, or you, trim that position?
Get on the stump, argue it out, have an election and let the voters make a decision.
Then implement that decision.
Of course political opponents should treat each other with respect; but that's a world away from bi-partisan politics.
Verity
January 13th, 2009 1:44pm Report this commentWell, Kevyn Bodman, you've got my vote. Bipartisanship is neither here nor there. And if John McCain had spent more time promoting Republican principles and less time "reaching across the aisle", he might have won the election.
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