Public Office: Visionaries vs. Analytical Thinkers [View All]

"Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not."

Robert F. Kennedy



(hypothetical) "I see things as they are and say 'OK, what can I do with this?'"

Barack H. Obama


It's an interesting contrast. I think it's at the root of the divergent opinions of the President here on DU. I'm not saying either version is "better." Sometimes one is better, sometimes the other. Both may be rooted in a desire for positive change. Both may be powerful ways to bring about change, and both may be ineffective and damaging.

I loved Kennedy and would have voted for him had he lived to complete his run for President. I often fantasize a little wistfully about the might-have-been, but I know that there is no way of knowing how it would really have turned out. I get impatient with the President sometimes when his style appears to compromise things I believe should NEVER be compromised. Yet I cannot deny that he has accomplished many things in a short time, and that some of what he has accomplished holds the potential for long-term change in a direction I like.

It's just fascinating to watch the styles of highly intelligent, caring, thoughtful and tough human beings as applied to human progress via U.S. Politics.

observantly,
Bright