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

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 Obam...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Social science quarterly 2012-12, Vol.93 (5), p.1251-1271
Main Author:	Smith, Rogers M.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	American philosophy Belief Careers Churches Conservatism Constitutionalism Constitutions Deliberative Democracy Democracy Egalitarianism Faith Leadership Liberalism Morality Obama and Institutional Relations Obama, Barack Philosophy Political leadership Political philosophy Pragmatics Pragmatism Presidency Presidents Social Justice Social Values Speeches Stress U.S.A Values
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Summary:	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 systems 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."
ISSN:	0038-4941 1540-6237