Democratic Presidential Debates

Barak Obama is different.

I watched the debate the other night and saw something I rarely see among those debating for political office. He listened and gave credit for points well made. He even admitted a mistake no one had considered bringing up.

In contrast, Senator Clinton seemed to need to be defensive of her points, never admitting that Senator Obama might have been right on something.

One could say that he is using a calculated device meant to hide his inadequacies compared to more experienced debaters and politicians.

I’m not even sure I should have offered that view of what Dr. Obama did. It is really quite cynical. Cynicism is easy in this day of politicians who say one thing (e. g. “family values” devotees who actually have been caught in sexual misbehaviors and crimes) and do another. Hypocrisy reigns . . . sometimes.

What we as citizens need to do is pay attention, get more information (not cherry-picked by ourselves or our favorite news sources), and see what makes the most sense before we make an opinion.

The more I think about what I saw, the more I think that Professor Obama is acting out in the debates what he says he will do as President and what he says he has done as a state and senatorial legislator: listen, take the best of what he is told by another, and give it credence by taking it into his current position. He doesn’t just accept anything. He stands up to what he sees as errors. But he doesn’t slash and burn in response. He tries to lay out why he has taken the position he has.

In the next President of the United States, we desperately need someone who does not feel s/he has to be right. We desperately need someone who understands why s/he thinks the way s/he does and presents those facts and ideas as an opportunity for others to see, respond, recognize common ground, and want to keep trying to come to a workable agreement.

That bodes well for a kind of Presidency that will bring people together. When someone pays attention and listens to you, you feel a lot better about working with that person.

Based on the way he has conducted himself in these debates, I believe Barak Obama will learn very quickly what the various sides of a problem and possible solutions are and maintain respect for those who are honest with him so that he can work with them to develop a reasonable resolution.

And if he is willing to listen to the experts who differ with his advisors, he will not fall into the trap most of the rest of us do, thinking we are on the right track and don’t need to listen to other alternatives.

Finally, for my purposes in this essay, add to that way of operating the fact that he can go back and see a mistake he made, he could be one of the wisest Presidents we’ve ever had.