Hillary's Vision, Or Barack's? - Ron Brownstein, Los Angeles Times

[Adelante]

Her vision or his?


Proposal by proposal, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are constructing policy agendas that present their party with mirror-image choices.

On domestic policy, Obama has shown a much greater willingness than Clinton to challenge liberal orthodoxy and the powerful Democratic interest groups that defend it. On national security, though, Clinton has pushed against the party's left-of-center consensus while Obama has embraced it. One candidate offers conformity at home and apostasy abroad; the other, the opposite.

Historical parallels are never exact, but with her tough-minded foreign policy, populist-tinged domestic agenda and electoral coalition centered on blue-collar voters, Clinton looks like a 21st century version of such classic New Deal Democrats as George Meany and Henry Jackson. By contrast, with his reformist domestic agenda, generally dovish foreign policy and appeal to voters with college degrees, Obama recalls brainy neoliberals such as Gary Hart who emerged in opposition to the New Deal vision three decades ago.

-snip

In all these ways, the candidates are targeting different Democratic parties. Clinton's bread-and-butter domestic agenda and muscular internationalism match the inclinations of the blue-collar voters and seniors at her coalition's core. Obama's collaborative foreign policy and somewhat nouvelle domestic policy capture the priorities of his base: voters with more education and fewer economic needs.

Ironically, Clinton is speaking primarily to the Democratic coalition that existed before her husband's presidency, while Obama is closer to the upscale new voters that Bill Clinton attracted to the party.

Democrats will need both sets of voters to recapture the White House--which means that, for all their tension today, if Obama or Clinton captures the nomination, the winner will need to learn from the loser before this marathon ends.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brownstein19oct19,0,3617376.column?coll=la-opinion-rightrail

[MethuenProgressive]

1. And therefore: Clinton/Obama wins all 50 states.

:kick:

[MGKrebs]

2. That's pretty interesting.

Thanks.

[flpoljunkie]

3. Intriguing. Hillary Clinton as George Meany/Henry Jackson and Barack Obama as Bill Clinton

I'll take "Bill Clinton."

[wyldwolf]

6. An Obama supporter taking Bill Clinton? So Obama IS the DLC candidate

[Colobo]

9. Obama is what we need, wyldie.

[papau]

7. Unless I read it incorrectly, its Obama trying to tear down FDR's legacy - that's not either Clinton

"tear down FDR's legacy" is a bit strong to be sure, but the pro- "clean" coal, proposing a non universal universal health, less government in any solution, tax cuts for business in the bills he co-sponsors with the GOP, reform Soc Security when it does not need "reform", all lead to the conclusion that on domestic issues he is less liberal/less "left" than she is, while more anti-war/more "left" on international issues than she is.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. You Nailed It

Henry Jackson and George Meany were traditionally liberal on domestic politics and in favor of a muscular foreign and defense policy.

I don't know if Hillary is an heir to that tradition...The nation and world are quite different than in those in two gentleman's time...

[depakid]

4. I see that Brownstein hasn't gained any insight from his absence

He's as equivocal and vacuous as ever....:eyes:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. The Old "Old Politics" Versus "New Politics" Dichotomy

Brownstein is spot on when he describes the two candidate's bases though...