Barack Obama promised during the 2008 campaign to end partisan politics. Although Obama as President has governed with staunch partisan vigor, he has continued to deplore the politicization of American politics as a terrible failure.
Underneath that sentiment, Uncommon Knowledge‘s latest guest John Podhoretz argues is a fundamental misunderstanding of the beauty of American democracy. Simply put, Obama believes that since he won the election that he is entitled to remake the world in his image, with no frustrating arguments with people who disagree.
Podhoretz recently wrote in Commentary about The Purposes of Political Combat. On our show he said, “We’ve gotten to a point where politicians and pundits seem to detest politics. Politicians want to believe, particularly Barack Obama, that once an election is over politics ends and action begins.”
But in Podhoretz’s view, politics really begins when elections end. Every action that is taken should be a political battleground. Every argument needs to be won. Every policy needs to go through a public process. Our system is built to retard the ability of politicians to act.
Like all episodes of Uncommon Knowledge, the topics are wide ranging. Other issues addressed include the latest on the tensions between Israel and Iran and why Jews are overwhelmingly liberal.
Watch the full show below. Also, consider joining our new Facebook Page or following us on Twitter.
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