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Pragmatism They Can Believe In?
Ross Douthat —
Chris Hayes critiques the Obama-as-pragmatist meme from the left ...
The chief failure of Bushism, according to Sunstein, is not its content but its form. Not the substance of ideology but the fact that he was too wedded to it, too rigid and dogmatic. It's a view widely held in Washington. Many, like Sunstein, have drawn a lesson from the past eight years that is not about the failure of conservatism - neo or otherwise - or the dangers of the particularly toxic ideological disposition of the Bush administration ... No, through a kind of collective category ...
Pragmatist-In-Chief
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan —
By Patrick Appel Chris Hayes questions the sudden surge of pragmatism in DC: Indeed, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, "pragmatists" of all stripes--Alan Dershowitz, Richard Posner--lined up to offer tips and strategies on how best to implement a practical and effective torture regime; but ideologues said no torture, no exceptions. Same goes for the Iraq War, which many "pragmatic" lawmakers--Hillary
Clinton, Arlen Specter--voted for and which ideologues across the
political ...
Pragmatism, Viewed Pragmatically
Opinionator —
Any number of leftists have reflexively complained about the pragmatic approach Barack Obama has taken in his transition rhetoric and cabinet appointments. The Nation’s Stephen Hayes, on the other hand, has given the issue a great deal of thought . “Fair enough,” writes. “We get it. He’s a pragmatist. But just what does that mean?” Hayes continues: It can’t simply be that he’s comfortable with compromise, willing to maneuver in the world as it is. That goes without saying. The man was just elected president of the United States. Head-in-the-clouds idealists do not, as a rule, ...
Right On, Lefty
N/A —
... Whatever you do, don’t point out some things are just wrong. What is a progressive to do but hail The Ascendant Pragmatic? Did somebody say pragmatist? ...
12/15: A Big Deal Or Not?
Blogometer —
... 's Ross Douthat comments on Chris Hayes ' widely-discussed article about Obama's self-described "pragmatism": "...Chris's 'optimistic' scenario strikes me as reasonably plausible: After all, a regnant ideological liberalism that cloaks its ideological assumptions in the insistence that it's really pragmatic, results-oriented, and anti-ideological was the default setting for American politics for an awfully long time, and indeed remained the default setting for the political establishment on a great many questions even during the post- [Ronald] Reagan conservative ...
John V. Santore: Pragmatism vs. Ideology: A False Choice
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... The Nation's Not too long ago, Christopher Hayes of The Nation wrote a very thought-provoking piece about the concept of "pragmatism," which is heard constantly these days in reference to Obama's governing style. Much like the "team of rivals" concept, it has become common wisdom, repeated endlessly. ...
Omid Memarian: Obama Is Ready To Lead, But How?
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... to Obama's pragmatism, thus, enhancing the role of the Untied Nations, relying on regional arrangements which contribute to building trust and security as well as distinguishing the causes of issues from the ones that are the byproducts of wrong policies. ...
