The Framing of the Democratic Nomination

There has been entirely too much framing of the nomination as that of an African American winning over a woman candidate. That frame seems to pander to our worst prejudices.

Polls reveal that the American public is very dissatisfied with the current administration and its policies. The Republicans as well as the Democrats seem to agree on this opinion.

There seems to be wide agreement that the next administration must move the nation in several directions simultaneously:

The Economy: We need overcome the current recession and put the nation on to a path of long term economic growth.

Security: We need to stop the casualties from the war in Iraq, rebuild the military to meet possible future challenges, and take care of those who have served in the war zones, while continuing to guard the nation.

Foreign Policy: We need to restore the prestige of the United States among the nations, and move ahead to work with other nations to solve those global problems of concern to the nation.

Equity: While there has been good economic growth in the United States, it is the wealthy who have most benefited. On the one hand, the benefits of growth should be shared more with the middle class and the poor. On the other hand, the rights to adequate health care and education should be extended to all.

The question faced by the Democrats was which candidate could best advance this agenda. Obama was the more charismatic, offering the chance for the more fundamental change in the way our government functions. Clinton, somewhat less charismatic, offered a team with more experience in the operation of government and a return to policies that had been more successful in several of these ways than those of the Bush administration. And of course, the Democrats were concerned not only with the likely progress of each candidate if elected, but also the likelihood of each candidate’s election to the office of president.

Now, one hopes that the November election will be framed in terms of the likely success of Obama versus McCain in leading the nation in the directions that its people desire.