Obama's Public Sphere

Perhaps those seeking more from Obama on the Iranian election might better understand his noninterventionist stance by considering his interview with reporters following his speech in Cairo on June 4:

"And my message to that young man or that young woman would be, it is possible for you to be true to your faith, true to your traditions, but instead of destroying, you can build. And if you see injustice, then the way to achieve the changes you seek is not through violence, but is through persuasion. And if I reach a few of those 20-year-olds, or I reach their parents and maybe they have a conversation and debate with those young men and women, then perhaps that can make a difference when somebody tries to recruit that person to join an extremist organization" (p. 9).

Obama seems to be supporting a liberal public sphere characterized by rational debate and discussion. From this perspective, encouraging the protesters might not be the kind of "persuasion" that he believes will bring change. I'm inclined to agree with him that, if we support democratic reforms, the best way to do that is not to intervene and oversee the efforts but to encourage open and fair dialogue between the two sides.

The Phantom Publog

The title is an homage to Walter Lippmann's book The Phantom Public. As a scholar and professor of rhetoric, I don't share his pessimism regarding the value of public deliberation but I do understand his frustration regarding the expectations of omnicompetent citizenship. This blog is my attempt to be less of a "phantom" and contribute something to the larger conversation. My guess is that few will read this blog but, as my graduate advisor might say, the manner in which I enact the blog is more important to democratic citizenship than the power and reach of the blog itself.