The image of the American Liberal as a "bleeding heart liberal" is a pure invention of the reactionary Republicans (and was initially used as a strategy to replace the likes of Liberal Republican Jacob Javitz with ideologically pure Alphonse D'Amato).
Far more pernicious than the 'tax and spend' label placed on Democrats, this description paints liberalism as idealistic and sadly out of touch with reality; Liberals are suckers who would appeal to the better angels of criminals rather than punish them; appease our enemies rather than defend our interests; reward lazy workers rather than their employers; and worst of all, enmesh hard-working and effective business people in a maze of well-intentioned but dangerously counter-productive restraints.
President Obama may not be the most obvious champion of Liberalism, but his embrace of pragmatism is a signal that liberals aren't bleeding hearts, and that progressive political philosophy since the days of Robert LaFollette is actually characterized by a rational and long-term view of our national interest.
It assumes, among other things, that large private organizations can't be trusted to police themselves (any more than large nations can be trusted to abide by treaties without verification mechanisms) and that a cadre of professional and objective bureaucrats can help maintain an even playing field.
As John Judis notes in The New Republic, Obama has reinvigorated various regulatory agencies left to molder in budget marshlands and organizational limbo by a succession of hostile Administrations.
Obama has staffed agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the FDA, FEMA and other agencies with effective and competent leaders rather than partisan hacks, allowing those bodies to do what Progressives created them to do:
smooth out the rough edges (the “externalities,” in economic jargon) of modern capitalism--from dirty air to dangerous workplaces to defective merchandise to financial corruption... [and] that the agencies, staffed by experts schooled in social and natural science and employing the scientific method in their decision-making, could rise above partisanship and interest-group pressure.
Indeed, one reason Obama can compromise much of what he wanted in terms of emissions controls from a bill on renewable energy is that those goals can be achieved by the EPA.
Meanwhile, his Administration is deftly repositioning the Liberal position as a commonsensical approach that promotes America's interests more effectively than the tub-thumping Reactionary way.
Obama noted in his State of the Union that other countries are investing in their economic futures, much in the way a Republican might argue for an arms build-up. But rather than arguing for massive defense spending (much of which goes into the pockets of a handful of companies), Obama argues for spending that will be felt across a wider spectrum of American economic life (health care, education, and science).
Meanwhile, China is not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany is not waiting. India is not waiting. These nations aren't standing still. These nations aren't playing for second place. They're putting more emphasis on math and science. They're rebuilding their infrastructure. They're making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs."
Now, Joe Biden has taken to the stump, and while the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne thinks Biden accidentally went off-message, the reality is that Biden was slyly reinforcing the Administration's new message of strong Liberal realism.
We will continue to be the most significant and dominant influence in the world as long as our economy is strong, growing and responsive to 21st-century needs. And they relate to education, they relate to energy, and they relate to health care.
This more muscular approach is a welcome to change for liberals who have been on the defensive for too long.
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