The latest Commentary magazine includes Laurence Cooper’s take on the differences between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama. Cooper calls McCain a candidate of honor and Obama a candidate of reconciliation:
McCain?s confrontational approach arises from his view that the
basic sources of injustice are inherent in human nature, but that
injustice can be overcome by men and women of honor performing acts of
heroism that will change the world for the better. Obama?s belief in
?soft power? arises from his contrasting view that the sources of
international conflict, though tenacious, can be overcome by an appeal
to something even deeper in human nature?if not quite natural goodness,
then something like a hunger for respect that turns violent only when
we refuse to satisfy it.The implications for domestic policy are no less pronounced. To
start this time with Obama, his conception of unity is grounded in the
view that one?s true self-interest lies in community. As he said in his
convention speech in August: ?Individual responsibility and mutual
responsibility; that?s the essence of America?s promise.? In pursuit of
that promise of mutual responsibility, he possesses an unyielding
belief in the redeeming power of political action, not just as a useful
instrument but as an end in itself. That belief would likely lead to
increased governmental scope, a penchant for redistributionist
economics, an activist judiciary giving voice to an evolving public
ethos, and the advancement of social liberalism.McCain?s philosophical disposition would be less apt to lead to such
sweeping ambitions in domestic affairs. Rather, we might expect two
kinds of moral crusades: first, as we?ve already seen in his various
campaigns against the Big, efforts to combat perceived unfairness and
abuses of power; second, an attempt to overcome the cowardice (as he
might view it) that has kept the country from taking on looming
structural problems like entitlement and immigration reform. Neither of
these crusades is ideological, and there can be little doubt that
solutions to the structural problems would include much that would
stray from Republican-party orthodoxy.
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