There is something you have to admire about a political figure who is willing to take on the big issues.
You know.
Ones that the insiders and pundits describe as ”important” but without any ”political upside.”
Where “important” is simply a polite way of being condescending.
Wondering why an elected official would be committed to a cause that may not help and could actually damage one’s chances for re-election.
But whether you like or dislike Jim Webb’s positions, it’s clear that he’s not reluctant to go against the conventional wisdom.
He opposed the war in Iraq when Democrats who were against it were voting for it. Remember John Kerry.
Webb adopted veterans’ issues long before it was popular for Democrats to do it.
He voiced populist concern about displaced workers when the high tech economy was actually booming.
And today, prison reform.
I’ve spent some time in the past few weeks listening to conservatives lament the absence of a strong intellectual leader on their side willing to take on the big fights, articulate clear principles and express their values consistently and compellingly.
It often sounds as if they want a Republican Jim Webb.
For a first term senator, Webb has been far more visible and more influential than one would normally expect.
I used to think that this was due to the fact that Webb’s political evolution was so irresistible to the media: how could you not give air time to a Democrat who was once a Republican and to a miltary leaders who opposed the Iraq War?
But I’ve had second thoughts.
I now believe that Webb’s vsibility is related to habits he developed when he was making a living as a writer and wasn’t thinking about electoral politics.
Webb studies issues deeply on his own. He reaches conclusions without much regard to the political battles of the moment. And he probably spends more time writing than any other senator since Pat Moynihan.
He is an introspective guy in an arena where the gregarious usually reap the largest rewards.
But, in the end, this is what make him distinctive. The public likes authenticity in politics, almost regardless of ideology.
I’m not convinced that Webb will ultmately win the battle on prison reform.
But I wouldn’t bet against him having an impact on the national dialogue.
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