Obama’s Rhetoric Strangles the Right

Several writers have parsed Obama’s address for specific policies. Robert Borosage probably did this best, overlaying the President’s soaring language onto the great issues that face our nation. Of course, that’s what we progressives want to know—exactly how we are going to fix our nation and our world.

Although it may seem strange to partisans like us, “persuadable” voters aren’t interested in our public policy laundry list. They’re not paying attention to the specifics. They just want to feel confident that the President will solve America’s problems by employing American values.

That’s what his speech was about, really. Barack Obama reassured non-political, nonpartisan Americans—the ones who decide all contested elections—that he understands his job is to uphold “the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.”

E.J. Dionne published a terrific column today analyzing “Obama’s stout defense of old-fashioned values” in the inaugural address. I applaud every sentence Dionne wrote except the first, which reads: “President Barack Obama intends to use conservative values for progressive ends.”

We progressives have got to stop thinking of freedom, responsibility, hard work, and sacrifice, as conservative values. They are not conservative values. In fact, there are no legitimate conservative values in our politics—there are only American values that have been appropriated by conservatives.

The heart of the inaugural address redefines the American values of equal opportunity and national security for progressive ends.

Obama urged that equal opportunity does not mean individuals are given the unrestrained ability to indulge greed and financial irresponsibility. In fact, that philosophy resulted in our current economic crisis. Equal opportunity means a society that “helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.” It means a country that has the “ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart.” In other words, equal opportunity means progressive economics.

And national security does not mean preemptive invasion, indiscriminate arrest, and cold-blooded torture. In fact, “we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.” National security means “sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.” It means that “our security emanates from the justness of our cause.” In other words, national security means progressive foreign policy.

The President is trying to lead progressives by example. Let us follow him. Let’s shout out our values. We’re the ones for freedom. We champion real responsibility. We’ll reshape markets to provide equal opportunity. Our policies will bring Americans greater security from terrorism.

This is what non-political Americans want to hear—and what our President told them—that we progressives will use our new political power in a way that remains “faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.”

The writer is a Senior Fellow at Campaign for America’s Future and author of the recent book, Framing the Future: How Progressive Values Can Win Elections and Influence People.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future