Archive for July 13, 2009

Justice Sotomayor (Day 1): Activism Cuts Both Ways

Congratulations to the Democrats for making this important point:

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, quoted CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin’s statement that “in every major case since he became the nation’s seventeenth chief justice, Roberts has sided with the prosecution over the defendant, the state over the condemned, the executive branch over the legislative, and the corporate defendant over the individual plaintiff.”

“And is it a coincidence that this pattern, to continue Toobin’s quote, has served the interests and reflected the values of the contemporary Republican Party?” Whitehouse said. “Some coincidence.”

It’s about damn time. For context on this point, turn to our series on the real meaning of judicial activism and Judge Sotomayor.

Melting the Tripods: How to Build an Image Programme for Obama as President

Much has been said here, and elsewhere, of then-Senator Obama’s skillfulness in capitalizing upon the zeitgeist prevailing last fall – “Change,” indeed. We have yet to examine, however, President Obama’s skill at the same. There’s reason to be concerned. For one, as a sitting President, Obama is now “The Establishment.” “Change” is hardly a good campaign slogan for the Establishment, and Obama’s enemies know it. It’s time for the President to establish a coherent image programme, one to define and defend his administration and its values.

The transition from candidate to leader is at least as old as the Roman Empire. During the tumultuous years following the death of the first Caesar (C. Iulius), Caesar’s adopted son C. Octavius waged unceasing war against Caesar’s old friend, M. Antonius, for the right to control the remains of the Roman Republic. During it, Augustus engaged in the first (recorded) instance of the heavy-handed P.R. war, minting coins & building gold statues capitalizing on his relationship with the deceased & deified Caesar (“DIVI·FILIVS” – “Son of the God”), and his unity with the Roman past, while casting his opponent as a “foreigner” wedded to Egyptian interests. Antony didn’t help his cause by… ummm… marrying an Egyptian queen, and Octavian carried the day. Once in power, Octavian (now “Augustus”) moved quickly to melt all images of him as a God, recasting them into votive gifts to the Roman Gods. Quite literally, he reforged himself, into the pious steady-state figure history knows today (cf. Res Gestae Divi Augusti).

Obama’s reinvention will, necessarily, be several degrees of magnitude smaller, and less heavy handed (nothing need be melted or burned). But there are direct lessons to be learned. Augustus built his image as princeps (first-citizen — leader) on an abandonment of his self to the state. Just so, in this process, as Obama’s staff, I would scrupulously avoid personal images. The ubiquitous “O” worked for the campaign, and perhaps it still has its place in Democratic campaign material. But Mr. Obama is now – and has been, for some time – the sitting President. In such places of power the office merges with the man, and the change ought to be reflected in his imagery. For example, when we begin talking about re-election, the campaign is not “Obama for America.” It’s “the Committee to Re-Elect the President” (Leo McGarry approves). Continue reading »