I’ve probably discussed this several times, but Charles Peters takes a look at Obama’s passage of the bill to videotape confessions to murders.
This seemed likely to stop the beatings, but the bill itself aroused immediate opposition. There were Republicans who were automatically tough on crime and Democrats who feared being thought soft on crime. There were death penalty abolitionists, some of whom worried that Obama’s bill, by preventing the execution of innocents, would deprive them of their best argument. Vigorous opposition came from the police, too many of whom had become accustomed to using muscle to “solve” crimes. And the incoming governor, Rod Blagojevich, announced that he was against it.
Obama had his work cut out for him.
He responded with an all-out campaign of cajolery. It had not been easy for a Harvard man to become a regular guy to his colleagues. Obama had managed to do so by playing basketball and poker with them and, most of all, by listening to their concerns. Even Republicans came to respect him. One Republican state senator, Kirk Dillard, has said that “Barack had a way both intellectually and in demeanor that defused skeptics.”
The police proved to be Obama’s toughest opponent. Legislators tend to quail when cops say things like, “This means we won’t be able to protect your children.” The police tried to limit the videotaping to confessions, but Obama, knowing that the beatings were most likely to occur during questioning, fought — successfully — to keep interrogations included in the required videotaping.
By showing officers that he shared many of their concerns, even going so far as to help pass other legislation they wanted, he was able to quiet the fears of many.
Obama proved persuasive enough that the bill passed both houses of the legislature, the Senate by an incredible 35 to 0. Then he talked Blagojevich into signing the bill, making Illinois the first state to require such videotaping.
And he proved me wrong. The longest, most indepth post I wrote on this is lost in the archives of Political State Report, but I pretty much announced that after Ryan commuted all of the death sentences any chance for reform were dead because of the outrage that would follow.
I was wrong–very, very wrong and while other people like Tom Cross were positive forces for death penalty reform, Obama really put the reforms together and moved them forward. It was an amazing feat and one that really caught my attention as I observed it. I didn’t think it was possible and everytime a snag was hit, I thought it proved I was right and that while I am against the death penalty, the commutations were counter productive.
Obama pulled it off pulling along important constituencies and working hard. I had always been impressed with him before then, but it is what really sold me on him by the time the 2004 Senate race picked up.
There are a couple interesting takes on this with Kevin Drum quoting me and Atrios thinking maybe Obama does have more of a plan than most bloggers thought.
My point isn’t that he’s perfect, but that he’s a lot more talented than appears on the surface. That probably can be said about other candidates as well, but there’s this weirdly effective Zen that surrounds Obama that most reminds me of Phil Jackson of all the odd comparisons I can make.
The race for the nomination has a long ways to go and I don’t think it should be assumed he has a free ride in anyway, shape, or form. However, watching opponents either be co-opted or fall apart as the challenge him (other than Bobby Rush) there’s something about the way he leads and campaigns that involves a level of understated effectiveness that is very rare.
I can’t explain it, I can only offer the stages that I’ve observed over and over again as commmenter Tucker McElroy defined some time ago:
We’ve seen the stages before because we’re from here, but it’s fun to watch the national press go through it all over again.
1. Holy shit, you’ve got to hear this guy speak.
2. Holy shit, this guy was the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review. Everyone we talk to says he’s really smart.
3. Holy shit, in his book he talks about doing blow, this could hurt him big time.
4. Holy shit, the right is going bonkers (He’s not really black because he wasn’t decendant from slaves – Keyes, His middle name is Hussein – tv right, Holy shit he’s in our church – religious political right, He’s a false messiah and the anti-Christ – nutjob right)
5. Holy shit, everywhere you look people are wild about Barack Obama. Don’t they know he did blow and HIS MIDDLE NAME IS HUSSEIN?
6. Holy shit, he won huge.
7. Holy shit, I can’t believe I lost like that. But at the end of the day I can’t really be too upset about it because I like the guy. (Dan Hynes 2004, Hillary Clinton 2008)
My recollection about the video tape confession law was that it was part of the death penalty reform legislation. But I am old and my memory could be incorrect. Was it part of that reform or was it separate?
As I recall they packaged it together to make sure that the more controversial weren’t stripped. Another decent tactical move if I recall it correctly. And then they negotiated it as a package which alleviated some of the opposition.
Thanks for the background, and admirable of you to give credit where credit is due.
No, your point IS that he is perfect. I mean, seriously. Zero criticisms versus constant defense.