Change and President Obama

President Barack Obama campaigned on the idea of change. But really what is it? In his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention, he used the word change 12 times. He defined change as progress. Progress is something that can be measured—-jobs created, mortgages paid, new businesses starting. It is also specific actions of government: ending dependence upon oil in 10 years, tax code changes to favor small business and business that created jobs here rather than shipping them abroad, ending programs that don’t work, enabling equal pay for equal work. “Change comes to Washington” when people demand it, not from Washington.

At his inaugural, the word change did not really come up except in a grander sense. “For the world has changed, and we must change with it.” Still the idea of change was there. It still can be measured in jobs and in eliminating programs that don’t work. Oddly now change is more ill defined because we are in a crisis. One would think a crisis would require even more concrete ideas But the crisis has caused “[l]ess measurable but no less profound”…a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

As in the change of his acceptance speech, the change of President Obama’s inaugural speech requires a change in the character of politics so people can disagree without character aspersions. This may be laudable, but that is not how politics work. We choose parties and our representatives because they have different views of the world. Disagreement and attacks are the stuff of politics, at least the public side. Within Congress it is surprising how many senators and representatives are friends despite conflicting opinions. And those conflicting opinions often are the backbone of compromise. I’ll give you this, if you give me that. And, in truth, many, many bills are passed with bi-partisan support.

Each president is faced with new difficulties that require new policies—that is change. President Obama is not unique in calling for change. The change he speaks of is a change that public administrators love, one that can be measured. At the same time, he recognizes that politics will play hand. That is people’s opinions, their feeling of confidence for the nation and his leadership will affect what he can do to rally Congress to implement new laws and changes in existing laws.

http://www.umaine.edu/pubadmin/faculty/ball.htm