Obama's Acceptance Speech

I'm grateful to Barack Obama for saying some things last night that I've been wanting to hear for a long time. The highlight reel, as taken from CNN's helpful transcription:

• "Now, I don't believe that Sen. McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know."
  [I really, truly believe that John McCain is a good man, and I really truly believe that he doesn't have a grasp of the real world consequences of his policies.]
  
  
• "For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy -- give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is that you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. You're on your own. No health care? The market will fix it. You're on your own. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps -- even if you don't have boots. You are on your own."
  [This addresses two of my biggest pet peeves about non-interventionist economic policy. First: "The market will fix it." I do believe in capitalism, and I do believe that over a long enough time frame, market forces even things out. Nevertheless, I believe that government services compensate for providing things that the private sector wouldn't find enough profit in to make it worthwhile. Elementary education, for example. The private sector can provide it, and make a profit, but they can't make it profitable without making it unavailable to the poor. Which leads to the second fallacy: The "bootstrap" story. As Obama points out, you need to have boots before you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps. American society is a limited meritocracy: it is possible, in some cases, through hard work and diligence, to pull yourself out of poverty. However, the field at the top is already crowded (capitalism is, after all, built on competition), and it's crowded by people who may not always have the most potential, but have better tools with which to take advantage of that potential. The Bootstrap story is real, but it is necessarily rare by the nature of capitalism. Unfettered capitalism yields what we saw in the late 19th century: abysmal respect for human rights and a perpetually indentured underclass. Labor pushed back and yielded the communist movement. A good government provides a countervailing force to the fluctuating moods of the market so that the highest amount of people have the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits capitalism can bring.]
  
  
• "We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without losing her job -- an economy that honors the dignity of work."
  [The Obama campaign has talked about "dignity initiatives" before, but not enough. There's a lot of diplomatic and economic benefit to be had just from making sure people get treated like people.]
  
  
• "Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves -- protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and science and technology."
  [As I said before about the regulation of the free market . . .]
  
  
• "And for the sake of our economy, our security and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East. We will do this."
  [Damn skippy!]
  
  
• "I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America." [The biggest thing standing is the automotive infrastructure. Everything's built around how cars are now, so if we change how cars work, all the factories and, say, gas stations, have to change with it. If we can take care of getting our companies equipped, that's a huge step.]
  
  
• "And we will keep our promise to every young American -- if you commit to serving your community or our country, we will make sure you can afford a college education." [I really, really like the idea of civil service leading to college scholarships.]
  
  

• "And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility to provide love and guidance to their children. Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility -- that's the essence of America's promise."
  [Yes! I believe that the government should be there to help make sure the people who fall through the cracks can get back out. But there is an inner libertarian in me, and I do worry about what libertarians call "the nanny state." The government shouldn't have to waste time and money banning trans fats because people refuse to make the effort not to eat crap. The government shouldn't have to spend millions of dollars chasing pot dealers because some people find it offensive. People need to grow up and realize that they don't have someone to attend to their every beck and call. They are responsible for their own lives.]

• "We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans -- have built, and we are here to restore that legacy."
  [I'm sick of the stereotype of Democrats as ineffectual cowards when it comes to defense issues. Ask questions first and shoot later is not generally a bad strategy.]
  
  
• "But what I will not do is suggest that the senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and each other's patriotism."
  [Dissent is patriotic. It's an attempt to make our country better.]
  
  
• "We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. You know, passions may fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. But this, too, is part of America's promise -- the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort."
  [This is the heart of what's being called "post-partisan." He's acknowledging, finally, that both parties generally have the same general goals. The differences are in the strategies and the how we define the problems.]