A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

In his view of history, in his respect for tradition, in his skepticism that the world can be changed any way but very, very slowly, Obama is deeply conservative. There are moments when he sounds almost Burkean. He distrusts abstractions, generalizations, extrapolations, projections. It's not just that he thinks revolutions are unlikely: he values continuity and stability for their own sake, sometimes even more than he values change for the good. Take health care, for example. "If you're starting from scratch," he says, "then a single-payer system"--a government-managed system like Canada's, which disconnects health insurance from employment--"would probably make sense. But we've got all these legacy systems in place, and managing the transition, as well as adjusting the culture to a different system, would be difficult to pull off. So we may need a system that's not so disruptive that people feel like suddenly what they've known for most of their lives is thrown by the wayside."

The concept of Obama-as-a-Burkean is a popular one these days . . . at least in the world of punditry. Much ink has been spilled and many pixels have been devoted to advancing this meme. It is a favorite of Andrew Sullivan's (that link is but one example, there are other examples to be found here), though, of course, it should come as no surprise to find that Andrew Sullivan is working to redefine conservatism to mean "stuff that Andrew Sullivan agrees with."

We will see a lot more of the Obama-as-a-Burkean meme if, as expected, the junior Senator from Illinois becomes the nominee. But there is a fundamental flaw in the characterization. It is nice and good to say that Obama "distrusts abstractions, generalizations, extrapolations, projections," but aren't his speeches filled with just that? Oh sure, he tells us that hope is not a whimsical thing or an expression of naïveté. He tells us that he knows how hard it will be to effect his plans and policies. But apart from the standard fare from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, he really doesn't offer much in terms of specifics regarding those plans and policies, now does he?

Far from it. When one's ambition exceeds one's resume, specifics are hard to come by, after all. But that's no excuse for not demanding more from Obama. We should tell him that if he really wants to be a Burkean, he ought to show that he can offer more than "abstractions, generalizations, extrapolations, projections." Words are pretty and Senator Obama's speeches are lovely. But they are not Burkean. We ought to demand proof that Obama "thinks revolutions are unlikely: he values continuity and stability for their own sake, sometimes even more than he values change for the good." We certainly don't get that impression from his speeches, which promise a new American governing majority and which aim to impress the listener with Obama's desire to create a transformation in society--one that will be far more amenable to Obama's theory of government than society currently is. Transformative language is pretty and Senator Obama's speeches are lovely. But they are not Burkean.

And until some big development comes along to prove me wrong, I am going to go out on a limb and proclaim that Barack Obama is no disciple of Edmund Burke. He has no obligation to be, of course. He can be as transformative and paradigm-changing as he wants to be. But he shouldn't camouflage his true stance by claiming--or by standing idly by while acolytes and the media (but I repeat myself)--claim that Barack Obama is a Burkean.

That argument does not pass the laugh test. And yes, we all know why it is being tried; so that Obama can attract independents and Republicans to his campaign. Tactically, one can understand this. Philosophically, one should have trouble accepting that this kind of project is on the level. To be sure, when conservatives proclaim that they are Burkeans, they are dismissed as being old and stodgy. When liberals do it--or have it done for them--they are praised for being refreshingly realistic. This further helps explain why Barack Obama may have an interest in being viewed as a Burkean. But again, it shouldn't excuse this shoddy intellectual sales job, or help hide all the reasons why no one even remotely familiar with Burkean political philosophy ought to buy into the meme of Obama-as-Burke.