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SEIFFE:  Barack Takes Over

Sunday August 28, 2008 

By Ralf Seiffe

Last night’s “Triumph of the Bill” speech handed the Clinton’s position as the leaders of the Democratic Party to Barack Obama who now has to sell himself.  He will start that process, tonight, in an outdoor event that could have been choreographed by Leni Reifenstahl at the Invesco Field sportsplatz.  Beyond seeing the pageantry--which is an empty suit in a grand scale--I am interested in hearing how Senator Obama’s premise that “the American People are better than their government” will be remedied. 

Frankly, I am worried that the cure will be worse than the disease.

It’s hard to argue with Senator Obama’s premise.  Americans are better than their government which is why rational folks prefer less of it.  This notion that less government is better is the central idea of our Constitution and well-explained in The Federalist. Nevertheless, no president with the possible exception of Calvin Coolidge has been able to resist government’s expansionary nature.

So, it’s hard to understand, in fact, it’s illogical that Barack Obama will recommend much more government tonight, if the press reports are accurate.  If he really believes Americans are better than their government, then he should be the champion of a smaller one--so Americans could be better.  Yet, this intelligent candidate will call for a vastly expanded federal intrusion. 

This dichotomy is why Barack Obama scares me even as I assume he means his country well.  As a former constitutional law professor, I am sure he recognizes the danger of an ever-expanding federal establishment.  That his platform contradicts the notion of a limited government and ignores all lessons of history must mean he believes that he has some special talent or insight that eluded the founders. 

The fact is, he does not.  History is littered with politicians who believed they were special, that they were chosen to become great leaders but which brought their polities to disaster.  History recognizes such men as dangerous.  Those who glorify their ambitions and claim special insight at football stadiums are the ones history often curses.

Ralf Seiffe advises business start-ups and product launches from Chicago, Illinois and is a political analyst and columnist for the Illinois Leader and Illinois Review.

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