<$BlogRSDURL$>

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Bubba Legacy Project

The Moose waxes nostalgic about Bubba.

The Moose never voted for Bill Clinton, and that will long be one of his great political regrets. Although President Clinton had his flaws, he earnestly attempted to heal the divisions in the country. He pioneered a new politics that attempted to bridge the divide between the left and the right. He transformed the welfare system and brought us peace and prosperity. Not bad at all.

The Moose is also struck by the similarity between the right's rage that was directed against Clinton and the right's enmity toward McCain. It can only be explained by the efforts of both Clinton and McCain to transcend the traditional left-right divide and reject wedge politics. The right saw them both as threats who had to be stopped.

The Moose was reminded of Bubba's strengths while listening to a radio interview with him Friday on NPR's Talk of the Nation.

In the interview, Clinton once again demonstrated his amazing ability to intelligently converse on a wide range of subjects. It makes one remember how we have lowered the bar over the past four and a half years. Bush is truly the victim of the soft bigotry of low expectations.

What was particularly impressive was Clinton's sensitivity to the concerns of religiously observant Americans. He was magnificent in explaining the attraction of mega-churches to their members. He explained how they provide a range of spiritual and social supports that are not available elsewhere.

Prompted by the interview, the Moose purchased the paperback edition of Clinton's autobiography that was just issued. There are a couple of pages in the book that detail Clinton's relationship with Pentecostals in Arkansas that are truly magnificent and should be must reading for all Democratic office holders. Clinton eloquently expressed that he had differences with them on abortion and other social issues, but that he appreciated their commitment to their faith and their willingness to walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

The Moose hopes that Clinton writes a book solely devoted to the issues of faith and culture. Most Democrats can't tell the difference between a pretzel and a Pentecostal. They need Bubba's insights.

One of the big surprises since the Moose has rejoined the Democratic side is the lack of appreciation of the Clinton legacy in the party. Contrast it to the way the GOP has enshrined the Reagan legacy.

Unfortunately, the Clinton transformation of the party was aborted by impeachment. For the Democrats to win the White House again, the transformation must be restarted.

The Moose is committed to the Clinton legacy project.
-- Posted at 10:04 AM | Link to this post | Email this post