tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post889567585968828910..comments2023-09-11T08:58:24.710-06:00Comments on Reach Upward: The Religion of Politics?Scott Hinrichshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11831447472339880148noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-21724234522351987182008-02-28T17:22:00.000-07:002008-02-28T17:22:00.000-07:00Lucidity, the NJ article also discusses Obama's 20...Lucidity, the NJ article also discusses Obama's 2006 record, which is less liberal than his 2007 record. Yes, it does depend on who is doing the ranking. Poole's criteria obviously differ from those of the NJ editors. But the NJ rankings are based on consistent criteria. The reason that the Democratic candidate is usually the most liberal is that they are usually positioning themselves to appeal to the base of the party in the year prior to the election.<BR/><BR/>Tom, I fully agree that perspective changes dramatically once in office, and that this is completely proper. However, it remains true that those that run for re-election often still pander to the voters, promising stuff they will never deliver. So I think some cynicism is completely appropriate when considering any politicians' campaign rhetoric.Scott Hinrichshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11831447472339880148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-45679714603649427312008-02-28T13:54:00.000-07:002008-02-28T13:54:00.000-07:00" Once in office, he or she will listen to the pub...<I>" Once in office, he or she will listen to the public rather than to principles. It happens every time."?</I><BR/><BR/>Partly, yes, but there's more to it than that. Once in office, one is exposed to a much broader range of discussion and much higher levels of information/data/research, and is responsible for a much broader range of consequences. This can (and should) cause political views to mature (shift).<BR/><BR/>It should further be understood that not every political decision comes down to principles, while other decisions cause principles to conflict. It's not that the principles have changed, but the understanding of impact may have increased.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10424035.post-78930185519945915842008-02-28T12:02:00.000-07:002008-02-28T12:02:00.000-07:00Isn’t Obama the U.S. Senate’s most liberal member?...<I>Isn’t Obama the U.S. Senate’s most liberal member?</I><BR/><BR/>Depends on who you ask. National Journal always ends up ranking the Democratic nominee as the "most liberal." That's quite the coincidence, isn't it? However, Keith Poole, an actual political scientist, ranks Feingold, Dodd, Sanders, Whitehouse, Kennedy, Boxer, Harkin, Brown, Reed, and Biden as more liberal than Obama. <BR/><BR/><I>In a democratic republic the public doesn’t let any chief executive get too far away from what the mainstream wants for very long.</I><BR/><BR/>That's true -- 4 years is the minimum we'll put up with.<BR/><BR/>--lucidityAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com