I'm not sure if it's possible to win an election these days by describing how you'd like to govern the country -- John McCain, it would seem, doesn't think so. But Barack Obama seems to. Dull? Sure. But this is the stuff the election is about:
This is the debate we need to have.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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3 comments:
Wasn't this part of Gore's problem, too?
Wow, that’s the first substance I’ve heard from Senator Obama in two years; wait that’s not true, let’s see…went something like this “this is the day the oceans begin to recede and the earth begins to heal”. Now that is what we need to be debating: he really does think he’s Jesus.
I saw Hamilton had commented and before I opened it up, I said to myself: "Self, if he uses the word Messiah, you can treat yourself to a fancy lunch." I think "Jesus" counts for half.
Anyway, here's what Obama actually said:
Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that, generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless…
(APPLAUSE)
… this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal…
(APPLAUSE)
… this was the moment when we ended a war, and secured our nation, and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth.
In context, it's clear Obama talked about what society can accomplish if we all work together -- he wasn't attributing any magical qualities to himself. It's misleading to suggest otherwise.
And if those goals seem ambitious, well, "Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall" seemed like overreach to a lot of people at one time, too.
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