Barack Obama and Grover Cleveland?
Over the past year or so we Americans have been subjected to a lot of hogwash about Barrack Obama being the new Abraham Lincoln.
This comparison of course is little more than media hype but Barrack Obama does resemble a 19th Century American President Grover Cleveland. Today, Cleveland is remembered mainly as the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms, 1885-1889 and 1893-1897, but Cleveland was the dominant political figure of his age, a symbol of change and a very influential and effective president.
The comparisons between Cleveland and Obama are rather interesting, like Obama, Cleveland rose fast in politics from Mayor of Buffalo, New York, in 1881 to Governor of New York State in 1882 to President of the United States in 1884. Like Obama, Cleveland was a reformer, he was elected on a ticket of good government centered on the boring issue of civil service reform and balanced budgets. Like Obama, Cleveland was seen as the symbol of a New Age the first Democrat elected president after the Civil War. Like Obama, Cleveland was perceived as a healer who would bring the country back together again and end its bloody divisions.
The reforms Cleveland ushered in were not so great, indeed they were simple but effective ones. He completed his first predecessor Chester Arthur’s work of building the Civil Service and laid the ground work for the US Navy. Teddy Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet of battleships was largely laid down under Cleveland. Economically Cleveland was a staunch free trader who stood up to all sorts of silly economic ideas like free silver and the tariff.
Cleveland was no radical or bringer of change, he was the symbol of a new dominant class in American life, small town merchants and lawyers. In person Cleveland was a genial type, a lawyer and politician who had gotten elected to office by being friendly. He could hoist a tankard of beer with the local Germans and carouse with the boys. There was little offensive or frightening about him, he was the President late 19th Century America wanted, a friendly small town shopkeeper in the White House.
Like Cleveland there is little threatening about Obama, he is beyond his skin color quite boring. He’s a family man who worked at a variety of jobs, he’s married, never done anything radical and the worst his critics can find out about him is that he attended a church where the pastor gave some radical sermons. There is no evidence that either Barrack Obama or his pastor Reverend Wright ever took action about those ideas. Reverend Wright spent the sixties serving as a US Marine in Vietnam and tending to President Lyndon Johnston as part of a special military detail. Barrack Obama’s radical background consisted of community work.
That is another parallel with Cleveland, Americans in the 1880s were fed up with radical politics and radical change they simply wanted to relax and enjoy the prosperity new technology was bringing them. Americans today are fed up with radical politics whether it be George W. Bush’s warmongering, the Hate America crowd on the left or the Bible thumpers. They want a government and a president that won’t rock the boat and that’s exactly what Barrack Obama promises. Look at his foreign policy, get out of Iraq, start no more wars and engage in diplomacy nothing radical there.
So who does Obama represent? He represents the new American middle or upper class that of educated largely white middle class people who live a comfortable existence but are nervous about the future. Those David Brooks would call Bobos, the software engineers, lawyers, financial analysts and others who’ve achieved the American dream. The people who live in Barrack’s Chicago neighborhood of Observatory Park. Just as Grover Cleveland represented the shop owners and lawyers on Main Street who were fed up with both the robber barons and the radical labor unions of late 19th Century America. Cleveland used the army to crush a number of strikes. Barrack represents the software engineers who are fed up with Rush Limbaugh, Noam Chomsky, Newt Gingrich, Jesse Jackson, Paris Hilton and Ken Lay.
What will President Obama be like? A lot like President Cleveland, his administration will be one of restraint, limited government, measured reform (probably national healthcare and railroad building) and a dedication to keeping things quiet. Just the way the folks back in Observatory Park like them.
This comparison of course is little more than media hype but Barrack Obama does resemble a 19th Century American President Grover Cleveland. Today, Cleveland is remembered mainly as the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms, 1885-1889 and 1893-1897, but Cleveland was the dominant political figure of his age, a symbol of change and a very influential and effective president.
The comparisons between Cleveland and Obama are rather interesting, like Obama, Cleveland rose fast in politics from Mayor of Buffalo, New York, in 1881 to Governor of New York State in 1882 to President of the United States in 1884. Like Obama, Cleveland was a reformer, he was elected on a ticket of good government centered on the boring issue of civil service reform and balanced budgets. Like Obama, Cleveland was seen as the symbol of a New Age the first Democrat elected president after the Civil War. Like Obama, Cleveland was perceived as a healer who would bring the country back together again and end its bloody divisions.
The reforms Cleveland ushered in were not so great, indeed they were simple but effective ones. He completed his first predecessor Chester Arthur’s work of building the Civil Service and laid the ground work for the US Navy. Teddy Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet of battleships was largely laid down under Cleveland. Economically Cleveland was a staunch free trader who stood up to all sorts of silly economic ideas like free silver and the tariff.
Cleveland was no radical or bringer of change, he was the symbol of a new dominant class in American life, small town merchants and lawyers. In person Cleveland was a genial type, a lawyer and politician who had gotten elected to office by being friendly. He could hoist a tankard of beer with the local Germans and carouse with the boys. There was little offensive or frightening about him, he was the President late 19th Century America wanted, a friendly small town shopkeeper in the White House.
Like Cleveland there is little threatening about Obama, he is beyond his skin color quite boring. He’s a family man who worked at a variety of jobs, he’s married, never done anything radical and the worst his critics can find out about him is that he attended a church where the pastor gave some radical sermons. There is no evidence that either Barrack Obama or his pastor Reverend Wright ever took action about those ideas. Reverend Wright spent the sixties serving as a US Marine in Vietnam and tending to President Lyndon Johnston as part of a special military detail. Barrack Obama’s radical background consisted of community work.
That is another parallel with Cleveland, Americans in the 1880s were fed up with radical politics and radical change they simply wanted to relax and enjoy the prosperity new technology was bringing them. Americans today are fed up with radical politics whether it be George W. Bush’s warmongering, the Hate America crowd on the left or the Bible thumpers. They want a government and a president that won’t rock the boat and that’s exactly what Barrack Obama promises. Look at his foreign policy, get out of Iraq, start no more wars and engage in diplomacy nothing radical there.
So who does Obama represent? He represents the new American middle or upper class that of educated largely white middle class people who live a comfortable existence but are nervous about the future. Those David Brooks would call Bobos, the software engineers, lawyers, financial analysts and others who’ve achieved the American dream. The people who live in Barrack’s Chicago neighborhood of Observatory Park. Just as Grover Cleveland represented the shop owners and lawyers on Main Street who were fed up with both the robber barons and the radical labor unions of late 19th Century America. Cleveland used the army to crush a number of strikes. Barrack represents the software engineers who are fed up with Rush Limbaugh, Noam Chomsky, Newt Gingrich, Jesse Jackson, Paris Hilton and Ken Lay.
What will President Obama be like? A lot like President Cleveland, his administration will be one of restraint, limited government, measured reform (probably national healthcare and railroad building) and a dedication to keeping things quiet. Just the way the folks back in Observatory Park like them.
posted by great one at 4:27 PM
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