The Constitutional Philosophy of Barack Obama: Democratic Pragmatism and Religious Commitment

Abstract

Objectives This article examines whether Barack Obama has a Constitutional philosophy and, if so, what those ideas are. Methods The article notes contrasting scholarly views on whether Obama's career exhibits consistent ideas and on the content of his ideas. It uses interpretive exposition of Obama's major writings, speeches, and presidential initiatives, based on all of Obama's writings and speeches through 2010, to identify Obama's ideas. Results Obama generally expresses and acts on views that accord with modern democratic pragmatist philosophic beliefs in deliberative democracy. It has not been fully recognized that Obama interprets the meaning of the U.S. Constitution as embodying these beliefs; that he blends this Constitutional view with egalitarian commitments that he identifies with black church social justice values; and that he sees the American Constitutional system's central goal as building greater public unity without effacing diversity. Conclusions Obama belongs to the modern democratic pragmatist tradition elaborated by American thinkers and political leaders since the Progressive era, but his distinctive Constitutional version of this outlook stresses deliberative democratic processes, black church social justice values, and the contention that the goal of the American Constitutional system is “e pluribus unum,” “out of many, one.”

Toward Progressive Narratives of American Identity

“…He tied it to his account of the Constitution as a structure of powers divided in order to compel deliberative forms of democracy, in which actors aim at greater harmony but not total victory, pursued through discussions that lead all to unite in favor of pragmatic compromises. 31 However, in office, several limitations in Obama's Constitution-centered, "e pluribus unum" narrative of American peoplehood surfaced. The first was that in practice, the goal of achieving unity through democratic procedures and compromises proved not so inspiring an aim as fulfilling a providential moral plan, or even making America great again, as Nicole Mellow suggests in her symposium article.…”

Welcoming Their Hatred: Class Populism in Democratic Rhetoric in American Presidential Campaigns, 1932–2012

“…For example, studies of Bill Clinton's efforts to fashion a “new” Democratic Party have highlighted his focus on broadly popular themes of economic growth and human capital development rather than class‐based redistribution (e.g., Hale ; Baer ; Borrelli ). In similar fashion, most analyses of Obama's philosophy have underscored the consensual essence of his political thought, foregrounding the president's desire to bridge political, economic, racial, and religious divides (e.g., Kloppenberg ; Schultz ; Smith ). Critics have alleged that this consensus orientation has both reflected and further advanced Democrats’ increasing subservience to the rich.…”

Party Polarization and the Ascendance of Bipartisan Posturing as a Dominant Strategy in Presidential Rhetoric

“…To be sure, Obama's appeals for bipartisan conciliation during his first term in office were not entirely strategic. As scholars (Kloppenberg ; Smith ) have noted, there are indications that Obama truly believes in the need to overcome dogmatic partisanship—which threatens to stifle practical solutions to real‐world problems—in order to advance the common good. Some have argued that Obama's pleas for bipartisan cooperation were naïve given the intensity of partisan polarization in Congress (Edwards ).…”