The Conservative Left. Obama is trying to seize conservatism from Republicans [View all]

[DonViejo]

I'm interested in reading thoughtful DU'ers comments about this! DV

The Conservative Left

Obama is trying to seize conservatism from Republicans. Should they become the new reformers?

By William Saletan|Posted Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013, at 1:19 PM ET

The reviews are in. Left and right agree: The hallmark of President Obama’s second inaugural address was his push for a liberal agenda.

I disagree. I think the president’s speech will be remembered for its reframing of history. Obama isn’t just trying to shape the future. He’s trying to reshape the past. He’s challenging the foundations of conservatism. And conservatives, in turn, must rethink what they stand for.

Obama infuriated the right with his invocations of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Founding Fathers. But what made his account potent is that it didn’t end there:

Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together. Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce, schools and colleges to train our workers. Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play. Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.

This is the key to Obama’s story: History is progress, and progress is history. Ideas that were once progressive—regulation, entitlements, federal management of education and the economy—are now rooted in our past. They’re conservative.

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http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2013/01/obama_s_inaugural_address_stonewall_seneca_falls_and_american_history_as.html