Embracing a new kind of politics?

Barack Obama's campaign for president begins with a simple idea -- that American politics can be better than it is. More than any policy difference, this is what separates Obama and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

Clinton is the realist whose experience teaches her that politics will continue to be a bare-knuckles fight. Any other approach -- read Obama -- would be naive.

Obama argues that Americans can be inspired to believe again, to embrace what he calls "the audacity of hope" and to reject the nastiness and polarization that alienates tens of millions of voters.

His victories in Iowa and South Carolina were powered by young voters coming to politics for the first time and by independents long ago turned off by the old politics.

For new and reborn voters, there was something about Hillary and Bill Clinton's attempt to disparage Obama's success in South Carolina that reminded them of what they don't like about contemporary politics -- the calculation, the meanness.

If you think political insiders lose sleep over the public disaffection with politics, you would be wrong. So long as millions of moderate voters remain apathetic, the interest groups that dominate both political parties are free to pursue their narrow agendas. Apathy is their friend.

In that way, Obama's candidacy is a threat to the political establishment.

In Tuesday's presidential primaries, it is an over-simplification to say that Hillary Clinton represents the old order. Clinton, after all, could be the first woman to be elected president.

But it is no surprise that the vested interests inside the Democratic Party gravitated to Clinton. Like her, most of these political insiders are baby boomers who share the belief that politics must be tribal and incremental. Their political reflexes were shaped by the political and cultural wars that emerged from the 1960s.

On Wednesday, I spent more than an hour with a class of Sonoma State University political science students. If you want to get another view of conventional wisdom, you should try it.

Consider, for example, the assumption that former President Bill Clinton is the consummate politician.

A student not old enough to remember when Clinton first campaigned for a president had a different view. "He seems to let anything come out of his mouth," she said.

It turns out Obama has a secret weapon when it comes to appealing to young voters: He is interested in what they have to say. Imagine that.

"Political candidates don't reach out to young voters," another student observed, "and then they complain that young voters don't participate."

There was no doubt that this group of 20 students, members of David McCuan's class on research methods, is engaged. They are registered to vote, and they know chapter and verse about the differences among the candidates. More than you might expect are Republicans.

Some of their complaints involve the refrain often heard from young people -- their elders think they're young and don't matter, "Most of the candidates put off that vibe," a student explained.

Seeing the state of American politics, they are also less impressed by candidates who claim to have the most experience. To laughter, one observed, "One of the things that appeals to young people (about Obama) is that he hasn't been contaminated yet . . . "

Someone else I interviewed this week isn't of college age, but with an Obama sign in her front yard and a new role as precinct captain, Margaret Butler of Santa Rosa has returned to politics after an absence of 20 years.

"I have been one of those people viewed as apathetic because they were disillusioned," she told me. "I have been so disappointed in the Democrats for the past years. Obama could make a difference. Hillary's part of the system."

Butler compares Obama's ability to inspire people to John Kennedy. "I watch (Obama) speak, and I watch Hillary speak, and there's such a profound difference."

Butler represents all those who hope Obama represents a change in the political climate.

Finally, I talked to Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, who expressed admiration for Obama and for his ability to connect with young and independent voters: "He's a visionary, someone who brings some magic to the campaign."

But Thompson supports Clinton and says Obama's dream of a more collegial politics won't survive the push and shove of life in Washington.

Thompson recalled that Bill Clinton, as a candidate for president, embraced the idea of a more inclusive politics. "He hadn't even gotten into office before the short knives came out," Thompson said.

So, can Obama persuade voters to insist on a new kind of politics?

Or is it naive to believe that politics can be less confrontational and nasty?

The Public Policy Institute of California reported last week that there are now 3 million independent (declined-to-state) voters in California. In addition, more than 1.5 million Democrats and 1.3 million Republicans count themselves as political moderates. That's millions of people waiting to be persuaded that someone deserves their vote. (Note that declined to state voters can cast ballots in the Democratic Primary in California, but they must request a Democratic ballot.)

If young people, independents and moderates vote for him on Tuesday, Obama and his big idea can compete for the Democratic nomination. If not, the old order will win the day.Pete Golis is a columnist for The Press Democrat. E-mail him at petegolis@pressdemo.com.