Many commentators have discussed the “pragmatism” of Obama, sometimes
with praise and other times with a critical edge. What many have
missed however is the “utopian” dimension of the Obama campaign this
fall. Berkeley Green Gabriel Hetland will be discussing the
utopianism of the Obama campaign. In particular, Gabriel will look at
how this utopian dimension functions in two contradictory ways: 1) as
a legitimation for the campaign’s instrumental politics (which have
been quite on display in the first several weeks of the Obama
administration) ; and 2) as a means of inspiring and bringing in a new
generation to politics, with possibilities that may spill beyond the
bounds of what the Obama campaign itself may consider acceptable.
Gabriel will also discuss how this relates to Alameda County Green
Party, and what potential this offers for radical politics in America.