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Obama is the Establishment
by Being a Hillary supporter is like being the person in the dorm who yells at her partying neighbors to shut up, because she's studying for a final exam. You know you have a good reason, but you’re a little annoyed at yourself for being such a pill. At the same time, I get very indignant about Obama’s snow job on the Democratic electorate. The Will.i.am "Yes I Can" video?
When I worked for John Kerry last election cycle, Will's band the Black Eyed Peas were BFF with DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe (who is more Establishment?) and performed for many Kerry functions. I bet they would've made a video too if we'd had YouTube. My Dad said to me yesterday, "I don’t understand. There was this article in the New York Times about the emergence of Obama and the death of the establishment but I don’t understand how he emerged from nowhere without the aid of the establishment."
Obama is aided by the establishment. This is his strength (it's why he's not been marginalized) but it's also important to remember when we get swept up in his change-y exuberance. He spent more money on TV ads than Clinton. His campaign manager and senior team are DC veterans. A cursory glance at the FEC year end report by spending purpose says Obama spent almost twice as much as Hillary in the category “polling” (of course, who knows, since there are many other line items that absorb pollsters and related consultants).
Take four big issues: there is little difference between Obama and Hillary and when there is, I choose Hillary’s position:
Energy and Environment: “In terms of climate/energy policy proposals, there's not a whole lot of distance between Obama and Clinton. On this issue as on so many others, they both followed Edwards' early lead and ended up with strong, ambitious plans. Both would substantially cut greenhouse gas emissions and boost clean energy; both pitch sustainability as an issue of shared sacrifice and economic opportunity; both have an impressive grasp of the policy details.”
Iraq: Obama wins because he never voted for the War, but he never had to. And like most of the other Democrats, he has voted since to continue funding for fear of being labeled "against the troops." As Jim Hoagland writes, “Obama's effort to impeach Clinton's credibility through a backward-looking debate on Iraq —pitting her 2002 vote vs. his 2002 speech — has not been decisive because he has yet to show that the difference will lead to an authentically different approach to getting U.S. combat troops out of Iraq...Yes, Obama has promised to withdraw all combat troops within 16 months. Clinton promises to begin withdrawals within 60 days of her inauguration. Most significantly, each has promised a hedge: to keep unspecified numbers of soldiers behind to fight terrorists or train Iraqis and, in Clinton's case, to protect the Kurds and deter Iranian aggression.”
For a detailed voting record (pitted against Joe Liberman for contrast), click here.Health Care: Depending on who you ask, not that big a deal. I’m with Paul Krugman. I think mandates matter- Massachusetts is proving that they do and enrollment in its newly mandated health insurance program is higher than expected. But former Labor Secretary Robert Reich doesn’t and he is about 1,000,000,000 more knowledgeable than I am so read his account.
Education Policy: This was a surprise to me. I don’t know much about Ed. Policy, so I asked an expert, a friend from the Kennedy School. She supports Clinton’s education policy, and invited me to check out Obama’s Education advisor, Linda Darling Hammond, who has been called a “wolf-in-sheeps-clothing ed advisor.” A critic of both charter schools and alternative programs such as Teach for America, will Darling lead an Obama education effort that is anti-reform? Then again, both candidates have to pander so much to teacher’s unions, they can’t talk very much about school reform.
None of this is reason not to vote for Obama. It’s just that perception and reality are so different here. But then again, I spoke to a bunch of students the other day and they all said their Facebook pages were blinged out with Obama stuff, and all their friends had the Obama ringtone- but the thing is, a few said to me, “they don’t really know what his positions are.” I said, well, what’s his message and the entire room of 50 people yelled, “change.” Positions are less powerful than message, and Obama's got a great message.
To me, Obama rhetoric is like Splenda- "made from, tastes like." Tastes like change, but it's not really. It has no substance. It's made from the same stuff as other politicians. I don't understand exactly how Obama embodies change, except that he tells us he does.
Depends on what you want from a President. Obama has exhibited great leadership. He has created a brand and a message and it works. He's brilliant and charismatic and he gets our zeitgeist. I suppose he can hire a great Cabinet, the way he clearly hired a crack campaign team.
But you won’t see me joining the cult of Obama. Not today at least. Speaking of, this column from Marc Stein in the LA Times is a must read. I'm excerpting it here, it's so good.
He's got Obamaphilia
It's embarrassing to be among the fanatics of a relatively mainstream presidential candidate.
Joel SteinFebruary 8, 2008
You are embarrassing yourselves. With your "Yes We Can" music video, your "Fired Up, Ready to Go" song, your endless chatter about how he's the first one to inspire you, to make you really feel something -- it's as if you're tacking photos of Barack Obama to your locker, secretly slipping him little notes that read, "Do you like me? Check yes or no." Some of you even cry at his speeches. If I were Obama, and you voted for me, I would so never call you again.
Obamaphilia has gotten creepy. I couldn't figure out if the two canvassers who came to my door Sunday had taken Ecstasy or were just fantasizing about an Obama presidency, but I feared they were going to hug me. Scarlett Johansson called me twice, asking me to vote for him. She'd never even called me once about anything else. Not even to see "The Island."
What the Cult of Obama doesn't realize is that he's a politician. Not a brave one taking risky positions like Ron Paul or Dennis Kucinich, but a mainstream one. He has not been firing up the Senate with stirring Cross-of-Gold-type speeches to end the war. He's a politician so soft and safe, Oprah likes him. There's talk about his charisma and good looks, but I know a nerd when I see one. The dude is Urkel with a better tailor.
All of this is clear to me, and yet I have fallen victim. I was at an Obama rally in Las Vegas last month, hanging at the rope line afterward in the cold night desert air, just to see him up close, to make sure he was real. I'd never heard a politician talk so bluntly, calling U.S. immigration policy "scapegoating" and "demagoguery." I'd never had even a history teacher argue that our nation's history is a series of brave people changing others' minds when things were on the verge of collapse. I want the man to hope all over me.
Still, I can't help but feel incredibly embarrassed about my feelings. In the "Yes We Can" music video that will.i.am made of Obama's Jan. 8 speech, I spotted Eric Christian Olsen, a very smart actor I know. (His line is "Yes we can.") I called to see if he had gone all bobby-soxer for Obama, or if he was just shrewdly taking a part in a project that upped his Q rating.
Turns out Olsen not only contributed money, he volunteered in Iowa and California and made hundreds of calls. He also sent out a mass e-mail to his friends that contained these lines: "Nothing is more fundamentally powerful than how I felt when I met him. I stood, my hand embraced in his, and ... I felt something ... something that I can only describe as an overpowering sense of Hope." That's the gayest e-mail I've ever read, and I get notes from guys who've seen me on E!
When I started to make fun of Olsen, he said: "I get that it's a movement. But it's not like a movement for Nickelback. For the first time, we should feel justified in our passion. You don't have to feel embarrassed about it, buddy." It was a convincing argument until he told me he cried during an Obama speech. That did not help me feel less lame.
So to de-Romeo-ize, I called someone immune to Obama's hottie dreaminess: a white suburban feminist baby boomer. To get two things done at once, I called my mother.
My mom, a passionate Hillary Clinton supporter, immediately attacked Obamamania. "Some part of me wants to say, 'People wake up. He has no plans.' I get frustrated listening to his speeches after awhile," she said. She also said that the new vacation house in Key West is really great and her vertigo hasn't been acting up.
I started to feel a little more grounded again. Did I want to be some dreamer hippie loser, or a person who understands that change emerges from hard work and conflict? "People are projecting an awful lot onto him," Mom said. "Almost like what was that movie with, oh, the movie, oh God. That English actor, he practically said nothing. Oh shoot. He was the butler and everybody loved him and what he was thinking and feeling. Do you know the movie I'm talking about? You don't." Hers, of course, is the demographic most likely to vote.
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Comments
I love this part Morra!!
What a great lede:
"Being a Hillary supporter is like being the person in the dorm who yells at her partying neighbors to shut up, because she's studying for a final exam. You know you have a good reason, but you’re a little annoyed at yourself for being such a pill."
So true, so true.
You make such compelling arguments. Thank you.
Jill
Writes Like She Talks
Thank you-
I feel like I defend my pro-Hillary ness a lot, and then people look at me like I'm missing something. Maybe I need to get out of Cambridge, MA.
Are you getting ready for Primary Day?
Learning Toward Obama
Would I be happy with Hillary as President. You bet. She's smart. Talented. And I would be enormously proud to have a woman as President. But I am concerned with the chaos that could be created with Bill hovering around.
My decision to go with Obama is all about style. I think in leadership Style matters. Obama's approach is one that I think the world will appreciate more, and having him in office will go a long way to healing some deep wounds.
Truth is once I know that a candidate supports my political views in theory ( pro choice, separation of church & state, stem cell research) I don't pay much attention to the details of policy statements of candidates because world events, and the compromises in the legislature have a greater influence on what they actually do than what they "plan" to do.
Having a leader that inspires others to get involved is a great thing.I believe its what our country needs.
elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness
Ohio is being mobbed! lol
And it's still three weeks away.
There are some great Ohio blogs to follow (in addition to mine of course lol - which actually is not as focused as some of the others) but I keep a list on this page. Ohio Daily Blog is a must-read if you want to follow Ohio and Buckeye State Blog too, as much as I disdain the frat-boy interaction in a lot of the comment threads, lol.
The first Obama TV ad launches tomorrow and we're all trying to figure out what the ticket/credentialing scenario will be for the Feb. 26 MSNBC debate, which we assume is still going forward, even after the "pimping out" comment by David Shuster. Someone who says that they work at Cleveland State, where the debate is to be held, said that NBC is in charge of the tickets and the university will be posting more information today or tomorrow.
I've not been a Hillary supporter, to be honest - Joe Biden was my choice, then Dodd and then Richardson. Edwards wasn't in it for me. Now, between Obama and Hillary, I'm having a tough time. Which is one reason I really, really appreciate these posts from you, Morra.
This bullying of people who don't want Obama - even if they're not for Hillary, is really a problem to me - I see it all over the place and I really dislike it. I've had some of directed at me by friends, chiding me. But that's just not right.
Jill
Writes Like She Talks
Love
I'm having a very, very long day and this piece made me smile all over.
Love.
Now back to work for me.
~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings
Of that...
I have no doubt. ;- )
nelle
Transformational leadership
I hear you Elana!
But I'm still for getting things done. And being a pill, sometimes.
Jill, I bet Ohio is going to be insane. Keep us posted, and I'm RSS-ing your blog links page right now.
You bet
Latest news on the debate is that although the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State can seat 13,000, they expect to only allow 2,000 to attend and that the tickets will be distributed by the campaigns. A few of us have already decided to write and call some people to say that we think that at a minimum, 1/2 the tickets should go to the public, with the remainder being split between the campaigns. The president of CSU made a big deal about how wonderful it would be for the city and CSU students and area high school students etc. But if the campaigns can seat the entire audience...I don't know - that disappoints me.
Should it, or is it more common than I realize?
Jill
Writes Like She Talks
That doesn't seem fair to me, Jill.
Comcast Center at the University of Maryland holds almost 18,000 people and I'd say the majority of the people there today were students.
Laurie
Thanks for that info, Laura
Yeah - something just doesn't seem right. The CSU president is a pretty homey guy, I don't imagine he'd go in for puffery and I believe he really wants it to be open. I think that what might be happening is that the two campaigns are in serious control-mode. Cleveland is a very, very interesting place and possibly a very tight battle between these two candidates, far more than people might have thought on the surface. And the whole Edwards spin about him wanting them to attend to poverty - Cleveland, sadly, has been the heart of most national looks at poverty in the country.
I'm keeping my hopes up that the information out there isn't accurate, lol, and it has in fact been wrong before. And we'll also be trying to keep up the pressure and indicate that all voters are better served by allowing a broader audience to attend.
Jill
Writes Like She Talks
Getting things done
And with all that establishment support you just argued Obama has, he can't get things done?
PopConsumer
Beyond Help
Political LOLcats
it was only a matter of time: and the superdelegates one is the best
http://yeswecanhas.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/superdel.jpeg
Happy Cult Member
Why?
As long as the answer to "why are you a Clinton supporter?" is "because I'm not an ill informed, crazy cult member!" you'll persuade no one to support Clinton and you offend Obama supporters which is not the greatest strategy if you're counting on everyone falling in line behind Clinton come November should she win the nomination.
So I'll just stay happy in my ever-growing cult and look forward to welcoming you to the fold when Obama is the Democratic nominee ;-)
Oh, and I agree - the Joel Stein, LA Times piece is one of the funniest things I've read in a long time.
PopConsumer
Beyond Help
Alas, I will leave the fold
I won't vote Obama for president this year, even if it means supporting McCain. I try but I just can't do it.
I really hope I don't have to vote Republican. My family will never let me live it down. But if Obama gets the nomination it's either McCain or I can't vote. I just don't believe Obama is the person for the job.
~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings
a) I don't work for HIllary so I don't have a
strategy
But the point is, Obama has become about much more than what Obama stands for. When we imbue a leader with the attributes we desire, rather than what he actually does and has done, we lose track of reality. How can he not let his supporters down if and when he gets to Washington? If and when he is eviscerated by McCain and the RNC?
I definitely think Obama's Establishment support is the key to his success (as I wrote). But I worry that the excitement of Obama 2008 is less about a candidate and his agenda than the appearance of a candidate who allows us to pour our wishes and desires into a vague rubric of "change." Obama is a political candidate. He voted to keep the Iraq War going. He's poll tested. That's the reality and it's pretty status quo. He has always been running for a bigger office. He hasn't fought the hard legislative fights- read this article. His health care plan is too vague.
See, now I really sound like a pill. Wow, I hate change. I hate positivity. I hate young people showing up en masse to support their candidate. I have to stop writing about this before I can't look at myself in the mirror.
Keep looking in the mirror
Obama is not what many of his supporters think he is and you should keep on pointing that out.
He IS establishment.
He IS spending more money than HRC.
His followers, the ones who aren't like Maria, who can't tell you why they're voting for him (or throwing money at him) except to say "he's for change!", "when he talks, I tingle!" etc... are not paying attention and they will be let down if they find themselves with a President Obama who IS establishment and who IS NOT able to make the changes because he isn't a chance taker and he isn't a change maker.
~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings
But that's always the case
No candidate who actually has a chance at winning is not "establishment." It simply is not possible to contend let alone win without that support. Clinton is just as if not more establishment and so what? It's a meaningless criticism. And the only reason he is spending marginally more money than she is because he's raising more of it and she's in the lead so he has to. A million dollars a day vs. half-a-million a day is obscene either way. If the tables were turned Clinton would be outspending Obama.
And many (too many) Americans are not well versed in the issues enough to understand where they actually stand let alone what a candidate will do for them. That Clinton got your 18 year old daughter excited enough to actually turn out, vote and participate is a fantastic thing. That Obama is doing the same for other young people is also a fantastic thing for our democracy. Age alone is not an indicator of engagement in nor understanding of issues. And if enthusiasm for Obama gets some of those changy supporters to not only show up and vote but actually start to pay attention to issues then that is the best possible thing for our country and democracy.
I read a blogger who has had precisely this experience. He is engaged for the first time. He has now read widely and deeply about issues. He is clear eyed that Obama is not perfect but he is the best choice. How is that a bad, scary or dangerous thing.
And as for McCain vs. Obama - I would love to know what evidence you have that Obama is any different from any other politician to the degree that you have no idea what he will actually do in office - in other words that he is not what he says he is. Like Bill Clinton who immediately reneged on his promise to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military? Politicians are politicians, including Hillary Clinton.
I, however, do believe McCain when he promises to maintain his perfect anti-choice record, to appoint judges like Alito and Roberts, to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, to bomb, bomb, bomb Iran and to keep us in Iraq for 100 to 10,000 years.
PopConsumer
Beyond Help
All politicians disappoint
When Bill Clinton came into office the first thing he did was to back down on promises and disappoint those who elected him to office. If Hillary Clinton is elected, she will too.
Lots of Clinton supporters are imbuing Clinton with some sort of magical patriarchy smashing powers just because she is a woman. Her challenge to patriarchy and sexism will only ever be symbolic. Is symbolic important? Of course. But will you be disappointed when it doesn't make any actual change to the status and reality of 99% of women in this country beyond setting a great example?
And, as for the health care plans - the specifics of any candidate's plan don't matter at this point. Neither is going to pass wholesale the plan they propose. What is more important is the approach and thinking behind it. Look at Paul Krugman's vs. Robert Reich's arguments. There is different economic thought behind each and to me that's a much better indicator of how a candidate will approach issues once in office. I have no issue with taking Krugman's side over Reich's but be fair and acknowledge that there are plenty of renowned economists lining up behind Obama's plan.
A fence sitter...
be I.
Just about 5 weeks ago, I walked into the voting booth in the NH primary, stood there and wavered, then voted for Hillary. My vote would be the same today.
That should not be mistaken to mean I'm appreciative of the divisiveness that has sometimes been evident on both sides in the weeks after NH.
Over this time, we've seen that there are still plenty out there who do have an issue with gender, that do have an issue with skin colour. This is a great opportunity to shine a light on these things and have meaningful discussion, but... what we get are references to 'emotional outbursts' and the like. And that isn't even what Matthews apologised for - he probably still doesn't know his inane repetition of this view bothered some of us.
Yet at some point, one will represent the Democratic Party. The other will rally behind them, but what damage will have been done that can be thrown back at both in the running against McCain?
Will McCain and Clinton or Obama actually discuss *anything* relating to the prejudices on gender and skin colour get discussed in the light of cameras? I doubt it. Can you imagine a one hour debate on the ERA? I can't even see Hillary agreeing to do so. We're going to bury the issues, never fully address them, and leave the divisiveness of the last few weeks be the last word on two issues America needs to face - and overcome.
nelle
I'm still with you, Morra.
While I would be happy to support either Obama or Clinton against anything the Republicans are throwing up this year (snark), I still think Hillary's position is more clearly defined. And, as the person who told people to shut the hell up so I could study, I do like someone who's already thought through something past the music video. Call me old school, I don't care.
Surrender, Dorothy - When I was your age, we just let them ride in the back window.
One more thing Maria
I just realized: if I can't explain myself well about why I support Hillary v Obama, I need to look at that. And then I saw this great quote from a blogger: History tells us that a politician's record and campaign promises may bear little relationship to what the politician actually does as POTUS.
So, Maria, you have jolted me out of my entrenched defend HRC stance. I'll get back to you.
Hold your stance
I admire your entrenched pro-Clinton stance. I am not trying to sway you (though I'd happily welcome you to the Obama camp and do my best to persuade you if you were open). But I'm glad I've pushed you. :-)
And, the intangibles matter. "So none of the arguments against either candidate seems to me to weigh one way or another. So why did I vote for Barack Obama rather than HRC? Because he gives a really nice speech."
There are plenty of good, persuasive arguments for Clinton just as there are for Obama. And while I'm not going to give them to you ;-) I know you know them, know how to find them and present them.
I've just seen too much of the attack the supporters arguments from both Clinton and Obama supporters, in general. Coming from either side, in either direction, supporting one candidate solely on the basis of bashing the other and his or her supporters is lazy and offensive and I'd like to see better. And, in the case of Clinton and Obama can smack unpleasantly of sexism and racism. We can do better than that.
I'll temper that though by also pointing out that I think there is nothing wrong with drawing contrasts or pointing out fair and accurate negative criticisms. Just as there are reasons to vote for a candidate there are reasons why you would not vote for a candidate. For example, Clinton's vote on Iraq is one reason why I did not vote for her. Clinton's untruthful campaign mailers in New Hampshire about Obama's record on choice is another. But it's not because she's prissy or I don't like the cut of her pantsuit.
And while I don't think we need to steer clear of factual negative arguments regarding the candidates (the Republicans will bring them all up and more whichever candidate is the nominee so we're not somehow saving ourselves by avoiding the subject), bashing the supporters and, in effect, calling them stupid for their choice, makes it less likely that one group will turn out for the eventual nominee if they've been attacked like that.
More Morra-initiated thoughts
I used your post here as a springboard Morra and the comment thread is pretty fiesty. You might also be interested in this post - I took a Plain Dealer writer to task for implying that they didn't endorse Hillary Clinton because "nobody likes a smarty pants."
Jill
Writes Like She Talks
Don't ever stop looking at yourself in the
mirror, morra
Don't let yourself be talked into feeling like a pill, or anti change, or the party pooper in the corner who goes home early to watch jane austin on masterpiece theatre. I agree with Rita, I will proudly vote for Hillary or Obama on election day, but in my heart of hearts, I'm hoping for Hillary. I'm a total pill, and proud of it.
Maria it's not about the cult meme.
And I would never intimate that Obama supporters are "stupid." It's that the Obama campaign benefits from the massive enthusiasm but I don't think the candidate lives up to it. He's just not that different than what we've seen before... I do think there is some groupthink happening with Obama. Now, John Edwards had new ideas, a powerful message to my ears. But he wasn't the right fit for the audience.
When I hear Obama give his stump speech, I want to hear more detail. For me, he'd have to be MUCH MORE RADICAL ON IRAQ than just saying he was against the war from the start. His Senate record doesn't support that. He's not brave to me. What's been brave about his positions? Rhetoric don't cut it. Not up against McCain.
Maybe I'm just not his kind of voter. I will be, if he wins. As I've said before, I feel joyous that we Dems. have two incredible candidates.
And I'm going to stop arguing about Hillary v. Obama. As you say it's divisive and what does it do? We'll be in great shape either way, with Obama or Clinton.
Totally fair, Morra
I don't think you were trying to intimate that Obama supporters are stupid and I know you don't think that. But the cumulative effect on both sides of hearing arguments that question support of a candidate makes you feel like that's what you are being told. I know I feel that way and was struck by this quote from Erin's Open Thread today:
And your critique of Obama on Iraq is totally fair and very good. That's what I'm looking for. Yes Obama spoke out against the war and Clinton voted for it but Obama was not in the Senate so it is totally fair to ask if he would have had the same courage had he have been faced with the vote and and up for re-election like those Senators who did vote for the resolution. And, again, totally fair to look at his votes for continued funding as evidence that he might have done just as Clinton in her position. And totally agree that Clinton might have the edge with voters vs. McCain on this issue in the general election.
Samantha Power
I'm so glad Mark mentioned Samantha Power, as I wanted to respond to the comment about Morra made: "When I hear Obama give his stump speech, I want to hear more detail. "
Yes, that'd be great. But let's face it, there's a reason Bush is president and Kerry isn't... why JFK did so much better than Nixon in the television debates. Hilary knows better not to give too much detail, too. I'm just happy that we don't have to rely on speeches and debates (and conglomerate news, for that matter) to get our information anymore. Websites are where the information lies. Speeches are where the magic happens. You get too much into detail, and people get bored. Call it rampant ADD. Thank goodness for the Web.
All this to say Samantha Power is his speechwriter. She does a lot of work with the nonprofit I work for and is an amazing, articulate woman with progressive ideals and a heart of gold. I've been able to see her speak a few times (you can see her on youtube), and have been blown away by her intellect. The fact that someone so passionate and knowledgeable about global human rights is supporting him goes an incredibly long way in both my head and my heart.
Native Americans for Obama
On my blog, Tiyospayenow I take a look at the Clinton administration from the point of view of tribes. It is a very different view. I also wrote about being mixed-blood in a growing multi-racial country--and what being raised post-Civil Rights, means to the presidency of this country. I think what is overlooked by Clinton supporters is how much of the history of this couple's achievements are a series of disappointments. How many times did they break our hearts? By signing the Relocation Act and making traditional Navajo grandmothers leave their lands for uranium-contaminated lands, I cannot say that President Clinton cared about my vote one bit. When Senator Clinton supported the war and clusterbombing villages with small children, I cannot say she valued my vote either. She was thinking about how it would play to what Nixon called "the silent majority".
What appeals to me about Senator Obama (and I got to vote for him in Illinois when I lived there and saw him speak and was impressed) is that he reminds me so much of others of my generation (Generation X). Raised post-Civil Rights and with multi-racial heritages our take on America is crucial today and to the face we present to the world. I am an Ivy-League educated Native American woman who went out and pursued a career serving her people in the field, in the grassroots. He did the same thing. I have been privileged to know so many people of our generation like him and his wife Michelle. Do I think we can lead this country? Emphatically, yes.
Jackie Keeler
Navajo and Yankton Dakota Sioux
A quick mention...
someone just posted a pic (on a feminism board) of a tee shirt being sold bysome Obama fans. The shirt says 'bros before hoes.'
One can find idiots in all political persuasions.
nelle
Obama's Education Advisor
Education is my field and I write a very progressive column on education for the Marin Independent Journal.
Linda Darling-Hammond is one of the most brilliant genuinely progressive people in the whole field. She is to education what Samantha Powers is to foreign policy as an Obama team member.
Obama couldn't have made a better choice in terms of values, perceptiveness and knowledgeability.
Mark