Barack Obama has a Nelson "Mandela-like temperament"

[ClarkUSA]

Published today: Mandela's Way: Fifteen Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage by Richard Stengel.

"It is impossible to write about Nelson Mandela these days and not compare him to another potentially transformational black leader, Barack Obama. The parallels are many. I went to see Mandela during the Democratic presidential primaries last year and asked him whom he preferred, Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. He smiled and then waved a finger at me in the universal gesture of, You're trying to get me in trouble. He would not answer. His restraint was characteristic. That self-control, that omnipresent filter, is something the two men share. And while it took twenty-seven years in prison to mold the Nelson Mandela we know, the forty-eight-year-old American president seems to have achieved a Mandela-like temperament without the long years of sacrifice. Obama's self-discipline, his willingness to listen and to share credit, his inclusion of his rivals in his administration, and his belief that people want things explained, all seem like a twenty-first century version of Mandela's values and persona."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/03/30/mandelas_way.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PoliticalWire+%28Political+Wire%29

Biographer and subject share a close personal relationship. Nelson Mandela is godfather to Richard Stengel's son.

[Cha]

1. It is quite remarkable..

the calmness of President Obama. Thank you for this piece by Richard Stengel, Clark.

[ClarkUSA]

15. You're welcome, Cha.

Hope you come back soon... we miss ya! :hi:

[babylonsister]

2. Very high praise indeed. nt

[gleaner]

3. You're kidding, right? n/t

[Bodhi BloodWave]

7. got any actuall critique rather then a one liner? n/t

[4lbs]

16. 6 days later.... evidently not.

;)

[lamp_shade]

4. Excellent article. K&R

[ClarkUSA]

5. *kick* for the weekend crowd

:kick:

[Mika]

6. On some things.

---

[freddie mertz]

8. Too bad he has DLC-type politics.

I admire his temperament and his personal qualities.

It is his backsliding into ConservaDem policies that I take issue with.

[denimgirly]

9. +10,000

agreed.

[jefferson_dem]

10. DLC?

Still recycling that tired, worn-out talking point? It's 2010. Time to wake up.

[freddie mertz]

11. If one thing is "tired and worn out," it is those rotten old DLC policies

Which is why so many of us would like to see them go away.

[ClarkUSA]

13. What's really "rotten" is the "Obama = DLC" polemic because it has no basis in reality. n/t

[ClarkUSA]

12. Yeah, that's why every "ConservaDem" were so incredibly enthusiastic about voting for HCR.

:sarcasm:

[polly7]

14. No commentary on the article really, I just wanted to

share this link one more time : - ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGS7SpI7obY (can't get enough of it)

I hope Obama can be as awesome during his role as this man.

[IndianaGreen]

17. Obama is NOT a transformational leader!

We thought he could have been, but once elected, he turned out to be just another politician.

Mandela was a transformational leader, as was Jomo Kenyatta, and our own FDR (speaking of political leaders only).

[Peacetrain]

18. Seriously.. "we"?

"We thought he could have been, but once elected, he turned out to be just another politician."

At no point in time pre or post election have I ever read anything that you were supportive of the President with.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Well, you do some research first before you spout this nonsense!

I supported Obama and I even predicted he would win Indiana primary.

[Peacetrain]

20. All I have to go on is what I have read the last couple of years..

[IndianaGreen]

21. Really? Perhaps you missed all of my posts about Obama during the primaries

or perhaps you are just blowing hot air without any facts.

[Peacetrain]

22. Stating what I know.. I have never ever ever

seen one pro President post from you. Just a fact

[IndianaGreen]

23. Now you are rephrasing your original statement, from pro-Obama to pro-President

from pre-election, to post-election.

Shall we begin with Hillary v. Obama for the nomination period? Shall we discuss the Fall campaign? Shall we continue with Rick Warren for the post election?

Pro-Obama for the former. Pro-Obama for the middle one. Totally discouraged and upset by the latter.

[Peacetrain]

24. Obama is the President.. (stating the obvious) so I use the words interchangeably.

But again, I have never seen any positive posts from you about the President aka Barack H. Obama. So when you used the word "we" in your original post, I have to admit you stumped me.

[IndianaGreen]

25. 'At no point in time pre or post election have I ever read anything that you were supportive...'

Your post:

At no point in time pre or post election have I ever read anything that you were supportive of the President with.

[Peacetrain]

26. Yes.. that is what I said.. referring to the President.. aka B. Obama.

No he was not President pre election, but he is now, so when I say President I am talking about B.H.Obama... Is that better?

[IndianaGreen]

27. No, you referred to pre-election specifically and I am calling you on it

Assuming you are capable of admitting error on your part.

[Peacetrain]

28. Do you need my phone number? You can call me anytime after 5 PM

[IndianaGreen]

29. I guess this means there is no retraction forthcoming from you

I'll skip the part about your phone number.

Adios!

[Peacetrain]

30. Oh Indiana don't go.. I am just teasing you..

[Peacetrain]

31. I am sorry, I thought we were having a funny back and forth..

[treestar]

32. At any rate, you have never supported him on anything

Since around when the health care debate. You might have and I missed it, but whenever I see you, it's anti-Obama time.

I usually don't disagree with him on what to do, so I can't really talk. I don't think this country will go very far left for quite a while. So I'm against the POTUS taking a leftist stand on things and thus causing a stand still.

[IndianaGreen]

34. I wanted single payer. I settled for public option. I accepted Medicare buy-in.

We got none of those, and you expect me to be happy about the massive transfer of wealth from the working class into the pockets of the for-profit health insurance industry and Big Pharma. Can anyone defend Obama's telling Congress to kill the bill that would have allowed the importation of cheaper drugs from Canada and elsewhere, just because he wanted to protect his deal with Big Pharma?

[treestar]

35. I want single payer too

I just don't see how Obama can realistically get a bill for it to sign this year.

He couldn't even get the public option. I don't blame him for this, and I wanted the President to respect the Constitution. If Congress doesn't want single payer or a public option, we can't have it now. The President respects the other branches.

[shellgame26]

37. I just don't understand

why some people feel they have to agree with EVERYTHING he does in order to support him. Is it realistic to have an all or nothing attitude? I mean all these folks spouting this Nader nonsense..do they really believe they would agree with everything Nader would do if he was president?
I just find it incredibly naive and VERY authoritarian. Oh well. Guess it doesn't only apply to the right-wing.

[ClarkUSA]

36. Who is "we"? Are you a royal now?

:rofl:


We thought he could have been, but once elected, he turned out to be just another politician. Mandela was a transformational leader... and our own FDR (speaking of political leaders only).

Gimme a break... anyone with a smidgin of political sense knows that FDR was a master politican of the first order. The biographer knows far more of what he speaks, being a close friend of Mandela's. Anyone who thinks that they know differently is sadly deluded.

[treestar]

33. He is definitely very Zen

The "no-drama" thing is just what this country needs. The US is full of drama queens and people who let the media fire them up over nothing and next to nothing.

[political_Dem]

38. You'd need a Mandela-like temperment to deal with all the crap the RNC throws Mr. Obama's way.

Mr. Obama's attitude will win out in the end because his demeanor constantly shows how infantile the RNC portrays itself during this most historical era in the U.S. history.