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• Wednesday, January 23, 2008 04:28 PM

  Wow -- what a mis-reading!

  I'm really amazed Joan thinks this. Obama didn't say he liked Reagan's ideas; he said they were transformational and that Reagan was effective at changing the terms of the political debate.

  Every Democrat I know has been asking, Why can't Democrats set the terms of the discussion, the way GWB? That doesn't mean -- by a long shot -- they want Democrats to pursue his policies, just that they'd like the Dems to stand up and fight for what they believe in.

  I saw the video of Obama's comments soon after he made them, and my first reaction was that he was speaking to the frustration all Democrats have: in a field of Democratic leaders who triangulate and compromise with people who don't give an inch in return, we've all been asking, where's our transformational leader? The one who won't let the Republicans frame the debate, but will transcend it, re-shape it, and own the national stage?

  Obama is right: Bill Clinton was effective. But he wasn't transformational -- like Reagan was.

  We need a leader as transformational as Reagan, only ours will actually have good ideas.

  Is that so hard to understand? Is it controversial?

  Joan, go back and watch the video again -- and try to imagine that it's even plausible that Obama, a liberal community organizer from the South Side of Chicago, "admires" Reagan's policies.

  This whole dust-up seems so manufactured. Joan, think about it: Do you really believe Obama "admires" Reagan's policies? Really?

  —democrat Read democrat's other letters
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