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The State of Obama's Union
"Yes we can" seems to have been replaced with "i need help." Obama's most important speech yet gives an offer of finanicial hope, of restoring pride and dignity to where it's been lost, a renewal of faith in U.S. activities beyond its borders. It will be interesting to see how many impatient Americans can tolerate his activities as the electoral fervour continues to dissipate.
The full speech, given today, contains the sales pitches for the President's various plans. This section of closing remarks best portrays the tone of the oratory.
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"In the end, it's our ideals, our values that built America -- values that allowed us to forge a nation made up of immigrants from every corner of the globe; values that drive our citizens still. Every day, Americans meet their responsibilities to their families and their employers. Time and again, they lend a hand to their neighbors and give back to their country. They take pride in their labor, and are generous in spirit. These aren't Republican values or Democratic values that they're living by; business values or labor values. They're American values.
Unfortunately, too many of our citizens have lost faith that our biggest institutions -– our corporations, our media, and, yes, our government –- still reflect these same values. Each of these institutions are full of honorable men and women doing important work that helps our country prosper. But each time a CEO rewards himself for failure, or a banker puts the rest of us at risk for his own selfish gain, people's doubts grow. Each time lobbyists game the system or politicians tear each other down instead of lifting this country up, we lose faith. The more that TV pundits reduce serious debates to silly arguments, big issues into sound bites, our citizens turn away.
No wonder there's so much cynicism out there. No wonder there's so much disappointment.
I campaigned on the promise of change –- change we can believe in, the slogan went. And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change –- or that I can deliver it.
But remember this –- I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I could do it alone. Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is.
Those of us in public office can respond to this reality by playing it safe and avoid telling hard truths and pointing fingers. We can do what's necessary to keep our poll numbers high, and get through the next election instead of doing what's best for the next generation.
But I also know this: If people had made that decision 50 years ago, or 100 years ago, or 200 years ago, we wouldn't be here tonight. The only reason we are here is because generations of Americans were unafraid to do what was hard; to do what was needed even when success was uncertain; to do what it took to keep the dream of this nation alive for their children and their grandchildren.
Our administration has had some political setbacks this year, and some of them were deserved. But I wake up every day knowing that they are nothing compared to the setbacks that families all across this country have faced this year. And what keeps me going -– what keeps me fighting -– is that despite all these setbacks, that spirit of determination and optimism, that fundamental decency that has always been at the core of the American people, that lives on. "
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Heard it all before.
Republicans use a symbolic elephant not the voters
Paul Walter"I thought Hansonism was weird, but we have nothing on what's going down in America, despite the discrediting of neo con/neo lib politics through the examples of Iraq and the 2007 GFM".
I believe the biggest problem with how many people view the world is they're working from a misplaced perception of how others see things. Many people, many of whom are very intelligent, see things in a context of debates. These debates resolve when there's a winner, a right and wrong. Unfortunately for this theory there isn't anyone to officially declare a winner, and people generally look forward not backward. The "debate" is therefore an ongoing process without an end.
If the quoted statement above was true; Republicans would never be voted for: take Nixon as an example. The Democrats would never be voted for: take Carter as an example. Obviously that's not how it works; hence, the term short memories.
People know what happened yesterday, what they really want to know is what's going to happen tomorrow. The past is one guide to what may happen tomorrow, it's not and never will be the only guide. Dealing in past to the detriment of the present and possible future is an easy trap to fall in. It's a trap all the same and one that will eventually have consequences.
There's dreams and there's reality
Paul Walter "Why is a competent health system something
"hard" to do?
Health reform is hard because everybody has an idea about what "reform" should be.
The health system certainly isn't "incompetent". In fact if one is willing to pay, they'll receive some of the best health care in the world. And many people are willing to pay.
One pays for food and water etc, one should expect to pay for quality health care, that's second to none. That's the world we live in, a world with limited resources and a system (monetary) that allocates those resources. If you have a better system you'd like to share, be my guest.
Btw one of the most successful attacks on this "health reform" was using the British system as an example of what can happen. Nobody that has something (especially something as important as health care) is willing to lose that quality. That's a simple selfish fact of life. People can either admit to it or not, it won't change the fact. And it won't change "their" secret vote.
Most people don't think "mutual obligation" is wrong - and that's causing Obama the problems.
Obama doled out American tax-payer funds (lots of them) to the "big end of town". And this "big end of town" has made merry with it. There's nothing now happening that wasn't warned about by large numbers of people from all walks of life. One must assume Obama knew exactly what he was doing. Thus he should wear the blame and anger that comes with it.
Mass isn't a red state, it was the bluest of blue - think Alabama voting Democrat as a counter weight.
The average "redneck" would probably be happy to see "existing rules" applied - of course rules and regulations are a grand thing only when applied. Sure, we could all have many more "rules and regulations", and they can be ignored also.
Obama talks a big game like bank taxes. Who do you think pays the bank taxes? The bank customer of course - aka mostly the little guy - aka the "redneck" community to name at least one sector.
If the "rednecks" are fighting this, they have much more clarity than you give them credit.
You pave Paradise, and you put up a Camelot
Three US Camelots are in my mind.: JFK's, of which the last bastion fell when the late Senotor Ted's seat passed to a Republican, was followed by what I like to call Dark Camelot, during which the local mounts ridden on a one knight stand were Litttle John and Lex Legless; now the New Camelot, represented by Good Knights Obama and Rudd has gathered enough tarnish to shine less brighlty in the sunrise; the implied armour of its champion beginning to seem to many as nothing more than a dodgy prophylactic in the War On Financial Crisis.
A call for a new Quest for the Holy Grail has arisen, and I wonder, given the GFC and the Copenhagen Fiasco, whether the latest hero of a New World Order is already beginning to resemble the Black Knight of the Monty Python movie.
The protagonists of this flick have been fairly quiet of late.
I have a sensation that a gambit has failed, and that the remedial manouvres might feel quite uncomfortable to many.
Beats me!!
Sorry, I don't get it.
Why is a competent health system something
"hard" to do?
Why is mutual obligation wrong when it affects the big end of town, yet ok for the masses?
Why are people like Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson afforded such gravitas for suggesting that the US denies help to Haiti, arguably one of the US's most obvious victims over thelast coupleof centuries, either because it is the "Lord's punishment" on the Haitian slaves for daring to resist slavery 200 years ago (Robertson), or because Obama might "steal it" (Limbaugh)?
It kills me that all the fundy troglodytes in the Red states grumble about Wall St, yet fight like dogs against introduction of any rules that keep these gangsters from parasiting off both the USA and the world at large?
I thought Hansonism was weird, but we have nothing on what's going down in America, despite the discrediting of neo con/neo lib politics through the examples of Iraq and the 2007 GFM.
What is the cause of this meltdown of brainpower in one the supposedly more literate, privileged and rational parts of the world.
The rednecks don't want America to live up to its global responsibilities as sole superpower, either. Obviously what America decides has a real impact across the world, the crackers do know it and are desperate to make sure the system does not make them pay- fair enough!
But why then, turn to the very people who created the global financial meltdown and wasted $trillions of their money on wars to benefit rent seekers in the oil, defence and finance sectors, against the interests of just about everyone else both within and outside Americas borders?
No.
I think the Brady bunch mid west part of the USA, with its crackpot religiosity, Foxtel and wilfully perverse crank "contrarianist" politics makes a herd of sheep look brave, thoughtful and unselfish, by comparison.
Not a genuine "spiritual" value in sight, beyond the raucus breastbeating and pious bleatings for show, of Sunday Southern Baptist "Christianity" reinforced by the noisy, selfish shills of Israel Lobby Zionism paradoxically and ironically juxtaposed to the consumerist Britney Spears fantasy world, since both are sides of the same coin.