Comments on: It’s unfortunate that Joe Biden … http://www.bloggernews.net/14295 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:25:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Noli Irritare Leones » Blog Archive » So articulate, the round up http://www.bloggernews.net/14295#comment-1456 Noli Irritare Leones » Blog Archive » So articulate, the round up Tue, 06 Feb 2007 14:29:07 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/14295#comment-1456 [...] Second in the “with friends like this, who needs enemies” department, we have Bob Felton Obama’s political views are waaaay left-of-center, [...] […] Second in the “with friends like this, who needs enemies” department, we have Bob Felton Obama’s political views are waaaay left-of-center, […]

]]> By: peterbroady http://www.bloggernews.net/14295#comment-1373 peterbroady Thu, 01 Feb 2007 21:27:16 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/14295#comment-1373 I commented to Robert vanBruggen in another post about the critique of Obama's views as being far-left, and out of the center, which is supposed to (and may well, I can't say) represent the polled opinion of the majority of Americans. Yet it is interesting how narrowly defined the spectrum is, here, that someone like Obama would be critiqued (not just pointed out rightly) as a far-left candidate. In terms of political philosophy and the history of political ideology, Obama is in many ways a moderate or conservative. If you consider his call for universal health-care, for instance, fanatical or dangerously left-leaning, you make this judgment on the basis of the cultural values of the richest and most powerful elements of our own society, not necessarily on any rational grounds. It is really hard to see how decent universal health care would not be the benefit of most Americans, especially those who are most in need of that benefit (this is the basic idea of justice). The only people it might not benefit are people who are wealthy and able to afford their own health care, and we hardly have an obligation to serve such people, who are doing fine on their own and really couldn't use the benefits of government help. We need to have, as a nation and thus in the realms of the elite media and the circles of the wealthy and powerful, a detailed and informed discussion of who the official ideology is intended to serve. Does it primarily serve the wealthy, those who are not in need of service to live decent and productive lives, or does it serve those who may for whatever reason need service to live minimally decent lives. I think the answer, when it comes to nearly all governments throughout history including ours, is clear enough: it serves the wealthy. Also, I think most supporters of Obama (among which I can't say I include myself yet) are aware of his 'leftist' ideas; he has made no secret of them. I commented to Robert vanBruggen in another post about the critique of Obama’s views as being far-left, and out of the center, which is supposed to (and may well, I can’t say) represent the polled opinion of the majority of Americans. Yet it is interesting how narrowly defined the spectrum is, here, that someone like Obama would be critiqued (not just pointed out rightly) as a far-left candidate. In terms of political philosophy and the history of political ideology, Obama is in many ways a moderate or conservative. If you consider his call for universal health-care, for instance, fanatical or dangerously left-leaning, you make this judgment on the basis of the cultural values of the richest and most powerful elements of our own society, not necessarily on any rational grounds. It is really hard to see how decent universal health care would not be the benefit of most Americans, especially those who are most in need of that benefit (this is the basic idea of justice). The only people it might not benefit are people who are wealthy and able to afford their own health care, and we hardly have an obligation to serve such people, who are doing fine on their own and really couldn’t use the benefits of government help. We need to have, as a nation and thus in the realms of the elite media and the circles of the wealthy and powerful, a detailed and informed discussion of who the official ideology is intended to serve. Does it primarily serve the wealthy, those who are not in need of service to live decent and productive lives, or does it serve those who may for whatever reason need service to live minimally decent lives. I think the answer, when it comes to nearly all governments throughout history including ours, is clear enough: it serves the wealthy.

Also, I think most supporters of Obama (among which I can’t say I include myself yet) are aware of his ‘leftist’ ideas; he has made no secret of them.

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