Lawrence Lessig is a vocal supporter of Obama. I have a high regard for Lessig’s opinion on politics, intellectual rights, privacy, and technology. So I’ve been waiting to hear from Lessig about his take on Obama’s shift (er, flips) in some of his policies (e.g. public funding, FISA). Here’s what Lessig has to say:
"I am not saying that Republicans are consistent and Democrats not. I
am saying something very different: that Republicans believe appearing
consistent/principled/different is the key to victory, where as
Democrats (apparently) do not.
The Obama self-Swiftboating comes from a month of decisions
that, while perhaps better tuning the policy positions of the campaign
to what is good, or true, or right, or even expedient, completely
undermine Obama’s signal virtue — that he’s different. We’ve handed
the other side a string of examples that they will now use to argue (as
Senator Graham did most effectively on Meet the Press)
that Obama is nothing different, he’s just another politician, and that
even if you believe that McCain too is just another politician, between
these two ordinary politicians, pick the one with the most experience.
The Obama campaign seems just blind to the fact that these flips eat
away at the most important asset Obama has. It seems oblivious to the
consequence of another election in which (many) Democrats aren’t deeply
motivated to vote (consequence: the GOP wins)."
…
"This is not the time for governing. It is the time for making clear
precisely what kind of President Obama will be. But in making that
clear, it is critical to keep a focus on how actions are perceived.
Will they signal a triangulator? Or will they signal a strong,
principled man who stands for what he believes."
Good points. This is an excellent example of constructive criticism. Team Obama would be very naive not to heed this warning.