The dogmatic approach vs. the pragmatic approach

[WeDidIt]

In HCR, Dennis Kucinich took a dogmatic approach, demanding the entire liberal package with no room for compromise.

Barak Obama took a pragmatic approach knowing that he would have to convince people who were not sold on much of the liberal approach to HCR to vote for the bill.

Dennis Kucinich ranted, declared things to be corporatist and declared his approach was the only possible approach.

Barack Obama listened to everybody and put together a package that would get the required votes to pass.

Dennis Kucinich's bill died in committee.

Barack Obama signed his approach into law.

Which approach actually progressed liberal ideas and which approach didn't?

[grantcart]

1. I remember in graduate school the Professor was hosting a discussion

on Bonhoffer (the German Luthern Pastor who was executed after participating in a failed assassination plot, while in Prison he wrote beautifully on the Cost of Discipleship)

We had to stay until he felt that we discovered the most relevent ethical point on the life and works of Bonhoffer.

After about 30 minutes of debate I raised my hand and said "He failed to kill Hitler" and the Professor picked up his books and left the room.

[quiet.american]

2. The HCR debate made me "grow up" in the way I view politics.

Before HCR, I was often angry with the approaches of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi in their "reaching across the aisle." And I posted an angry rant, here, too, about how angry I was with Obama for what appeared to be his quixotic quest for "bi-partisanship."

When the fog eventually cleared, it dawned on me maybe they might know what they were doing after all. :)

All I can say is, thanks to Obama's *pragmatic" approach, my little nephews have lives whose trajectories have been changed from possibly never having access to insurance/having to pay exhorbitant insurance rates because of pre-existing childhood conditions, to never, ever having to worry about that. And from having hugely burdensome future student loan debt, to having the opportunity to receive loans with affordable payment terms. That's a huge change.

Pragmatism can be a good thing.

[NJmaverick]

3. That pretty much sums it up in a nut shell

[WeDidIt]

4. Dogmatism is a Regressive value

You'll note that the following are dogmatic:

Teabaggers
Fundamentalists
Sarah Palin
J.D. Hayworth
Freerepublic.com
Osama bin Laden
Glenn Greenwald

Dogmatism is going to be the death of this world.