Now here [subscription required] is a must-read from Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic, who has hardly been a strong supporter of Sen. Obama. Looking at Sen. Obama's time in the Illinois legislature, Cohn highlights Sen. Obama's commitment to and success in moving Illinois towards universal health coverage, in part by undermining conservative arguments. While Cohn notes that despite Obama's best efforts, Illinois still does not have universal health coverage, he argues that Obama's inclusive politics---including engagement with health insurance companies and negotiation with Republicans--did accomplish many of the goals health reform advocates hoped for. Cohn sums up the broader point well: "it would...be foolish to suspect that Obama equates compromise with capitulation." And John Bouman of the Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law in Chicago, warns naysayers:
"Do not conclude that he does not have firm principled bottom lines--he does...He doesn't compromise for the sake of it or because he's beaten. The talent is to achieve consensus on a good compromise and then push it through."
That sounds to me like a prescription for an ailing political system in need of bold progressive reforms.
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