Reflections on Obama and Options for Bridging the Partisan Divide

Discussions of political communication and conflict all too often focus on what's wrong with the process and the many ways in which political advertising and propaganda are leading to political decisions which do not serve the interests of our society or its citizens.

Yesterday, I was reminded that politicians also have the ability to inspire and genuinely call us to a higher purpose. The occasion was Colorado's moment in the spotlight of the national presidential primary campaign and a visit to the University of Denver by Barack Obama.

Having been persuaded to arrive really early by my political science student son, we were actually in the arena and avoided the fate of the many who were forced to listen to the speech at various overflow facilities.

What I heard, surprisingly, reminded me of Nelson Mandela. To a significant -- though thankfully lesser -- degree, the United States (like South Africa) has been torn asunder by a ruling elite that, from my democratic, liberal perspective, has attempted to dominate and ruthlessly exploit a large fraction of the population. While our travails have been nowhere near as horrific as those suffered under apartheid, those on the losing side of Bush administration policies have every reason to be furious and to demand that the crimes of the Bush administration be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

After all, this is an administration that has sought to bring about a permanent Republican majority by instituting a "pay-as-you-go" policy of institutionalized bribery, and by using a "starve the beast" strategy designed to prevent Democrats from providing government services to its constituents by bankrupting the government. This is also an administration that deceptively led the nation into a war from which its cronies are profiting handsomely, while the death count associated with the misadventure starts to rival that for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Like Mandela, who was uncompromising in his opposition to apartheid, Obama’s call for radical change represents a total repudiation of the policies of the Bush administration. What’s impressive is that, like Mandela, his focus is on the future rather than the past. Instead of simply settling for winning the partisan battle, he's calling for a bipartisan future that would reconcile past divisions and allow us to work together toward meeting a series of very daunting challenges.

The central issue of this political season is whether or not this is a realistic aspiration or whether it represents a naïve softness that will be ruthlessly attacked and ultimately defeated by the same partisan forces that have plagued the past two decades.

It's not enough to have an inspirational vision; one has to have a realistic plan for implementing that vision. This is the concern that Paul Krugman has so eloquently raised about Obamamania. (Click here for more.)

As someone who has spent a career studying intractable conflicts -- those situations that defy even the best efforts at reconciliation -- I recognize and appreciate the enormous challenge that Obama has undertaken. Still, as a result of the efforts of people like Mandela, who have worked to reconcile even more divided societies, we've learned a lot about what needs to be done and how to do it.

The time has come to put these ideas into play (and to develop new ideas for meeting unmet challenges). If this can be done, then it may be possible to transform a partisan political campaign for president into a national unity movement that focuses everyone on living up to our country's ideals.

There are certainly hints, from within the Republican campaigns, that such an initiative might be favorably received. Romney is running as an agent of change, McCain openly acknowledges the terrible mistakes that led to the tragedy of Iraq, and Huckabee articulates a set of Christian principles that are remarkably similar to the secular, humanitarian principles of the left.