Progressive Left - Is there cheese with that "whine" ?

I enjoy a good glass of wine to end the day, perhaps a nice crisp Cabernet Sauvignon. But my gut tells me that the wine producers are getting a lot of orders from inside the beltway. And the ahem “whine” requests are ironically coming from the so called “Progressive” wing of the Democratic Party. What amazes me is that these are supposed to be the intellectuals, the ones that “get it”. Yet, their hand wringing over the “Clintonian” look of the Obama cabinet, or President Elect Obama’s decision not to actively campaign in the Georgia Senate runoff election is extremely disappointing. They continue to question President Elect Obama’s change mantra as if competence is not a component of change, as if they fail to grasp the concept that the idealistic realities of a primary campaign and general election, may give way to the more sobering realities of the Oval Office in real time. They seem to have forgotten that the sixteen month Iraq withdrawal timetable introduced by then Senator Obama and supported by the left has been effectively adopted by both Bagdad, and the Bush Administration. And that Bush holdover Gates will be charged to manage that withdrawal. If you listen to the whine from the left, one would think Gates will secretly work to lengthen the conflict.

As I wrote in my blog Browner, Younger and Smarter, the Obama coalition that reflects that title, turned to Obama primarily because of their perception he would bring competence back to the White House. As it stands now the liberal wing of the Democratic Party seems to have gotten the case of “yes buts” meaning - yes Larry Summers, Paul Volker, Tim Geithner, and Hillary Clinton are competent, high quality picks, but whaaaa, what about us?

What about you on the left? During the campaign, those on the left, as well as many independent voters, decried Senator McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin as the anthesis of “Country First”. Now as it appears that President Elect Obama is making country first decisions, choosing direct reports who have respect on both sides of the aisle, as competent, intelligent policy technicians with gravitas both at home and abroad to pursue Obama’s policy directives. The key formulation is these will be President Obama’s policy objectives. No matter whose administration these individuals served under before, and their past political loyalties notwithstanding, President Elect Obama has made it crystal clear, they now work for him.

As a person who wrote in October 2006 that Senator Obama should stand down and give way to the inevitability of Senator Hillary Clinton, I understand the error of underestimating Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Obama is a very astute politician - a fact ought not to be “slept on”. This is not a man who will allow his reports to undermine his vision. And let's be clear Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett, will be in the room when every key decision is being made, protecting his backside. As for Obama's own political instincts recall that then Senator Obama understood the potential danger of Reverend Wright long before the media picked up on his speeches, and put distance between him by not allowing him to speak at his announcement rally in Springfield, he turned down public financing as it became clear to him he was sitting on a cash cow, and decided against the town hall debates with Senator McCain in order to get his message out with more clarity. Senator Obama while having the most liberal voting record has been moving toward a more pragmatic, and realistic centrist position since he won the nomination. Why, because that’s where the country is. The country rejected writ large the failed policies that were driven from the extreme of the right, and President Elect Obama is wise not to allow the political pendulum to drift dangerously to the left. Remember his oft stump remark, this election is about “big things” and as the days and weeks have passed since his election, those “things” have gotten even bigger.

Senator Obama needs Republican support; he needs John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell and John Boehner, as much as he needs Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, and Nancy Pelosi. As Karl Rove mentioned President Obama will have about 180 days before the first Congressional break, he can’t hit the ground running by marginalizing the Republican Party, or governing as if they don’t exists. That is change we can believe in. This is change that makes sense. As for those on the left who feel they are shut out? The aforementioned troika of gatekeepers Emanuel Axelrod, and Jarrett are positioned to provide a listening ear to views of the left, and make sure that their concerns, and input is included in the process.
Members of the left, we should all raise a glass to the victory of Barack Obama, and a return of competent government, but let’s not sully that glass with bitterness based on unrealistic views of what change means.