Standing Fast

E. J. Dionne Jr. has a good tribute to Arthur Schlesinger Jr. over at the Washington Post.

Dionne quotes a very apt piece of Schlesinger's work

Schlesinger wrote this in 1960, but he might as well be talking about today. In fact, I would say that it is much more relevant and right on now than it was in 1960. In 1960, there was a mild dissatisfaction with the passivity and lack of idealism of the Eisenhower years, not to mention the emerging civil rights movement that had yet to fully align with either major party. But Eisenhower was pretty popular when he left office for pretty good reasons. No one knew where Vietnam was, most Americans felt that they had benefited from the prosperity and growth of the previous decade and they still had great trust in their leaders in Washington. I doubt Bush will be so fondly remembered in 2008 making the debate about where we are and where want to go even more intense than it was forty years ago.

This desire for a break with politics of old and a new idealism largely explains the immense popularity of Barack Obama, but as I wrote about yesterday the new primary calendar could strangle those looking for a new progressive idealism and change. We deserve better than poll tested postions that say nothing and try to offend no one. We deserve better than higher office going to the candidate with the best fundraisers. We deserve(and need) a new vision and direction.

We could use a new Schlesinger today who could combine his knowledge and understanding of American history with his sense of tempered hope and idealism in the future of liberalism and the US.