The New Vision
On the 15th of July, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy accepted his party's presidential nomination at the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles. In his remarks, made at a moment of high tension in the cold war, Kennedy asserted that the United States was at "a turning point in history" and called on his listeners to be "pioneers" in a "New Frontier" of "uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered pockets of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus."Collaborating with Kennedy on the speech was a thirty-two-year-old aide named Theodore C. Sorensen, to whom Kennedy was known to refer as his "intellectual blood bank." With Sorensen's help, Kennedy would earn a reputation as one of American history's great orators and provide a bold new vision for the nation.
Today, we are at another moment of high tension, the result of a disastrous war abroad and division and drift at home. Like Kennedy, the next Democratic nominee, whoever he or she might be, will have a similar opportunity to form a new vision for America and to reestablish its moral leadership in the world. To encourage such boldness of thinking, we, too, tapped Kennedy's intellectual blood bank. We called Theodore C. Sorensen and asked him to write the speech he would most want the next Democratic nominee to give at the party convention in Denver in August 2008. We requested that he proceed with no candidate in mind and that he give no consideration to expediency or tactics-in other words, that he write the speech of his dreams. Here is the speech he sent us. Read on...
FRIST!
Amazing. Astounding. Goose bumps when I read it. If there is a God, and if he does bless America, then I pray for him to deliver us a person that will lead us in the manner described by this speech.
Well, it's nice to dream, aint it? Also, if you haven't read Glenn Greenwald's interview with Helen Thomas, do so, it's pretty good.
Thank you.
This speech shows courage, leadership, and intellect. I hope it becomes the framework for the platform.
The New Vision
That's only after I wash my glasses.
Some might say Obambam is Kennedyesque.
Would That New Vision Be The Old Vision That new Was Realized?
never
Yeah, and too bad George Bush Senior, Cord Meyer, David Atlee Phillips, E. Howard Hunt, Frank Sturgis, Clay Shaw, David Morales, and other intelligence assets were crawling all over Dallas on Assassination Day to make damn SURE the JFK Dream never came true.
as a musician, I feel that a great piece of music can be heard in your head simply by looking at the beauty of the music on the page. Reading this, I feel that same beauty, simplicty of message, truth, honor, patriotism, respect that are all attributes of art. This document should serve as a template for the truth that we all must admit, and use it to help whomever our candidate is, to accept as thier own message. And we must remember, as activists, our candidate must deliver OUR message. Not their own. It is OUR platform that they must adopt. And in my opinion, this speech if delivered outlines the essentials for recovery of the american ideal of moral leadership in the world. This read has made my day.
From Sorenson's lips to the gods' ears.
The world will ALWAYS have it's ruling elite class, and
even though they may seem defeated from time to time,
they always rear their ugly heads. With today's technology,
it'd be hard pressed to defeat these bastards who just want
to screw the world and get richer with more power.
In the end, I do beleive Truth will always win though.
Our current state of affairs is in dire straits, and seems that
mass non-violent civil disobedience is the only way to put
our country back on track. We out number those scum at least
one million to one. Let's get it going.
Beautiful-I grew up watching and listening to Kennedy.
Make no mistake, his assassination was the first step, by the corporate, neocon forces that continue to threaten the future to this day, to decapitate the reality-based voices that would have led us away from these policy's of endless, continuous war.
Nine eleven truth, ends the war.
takes the discussion to a whole different level...
i would like to see us become such a nation once again...
perhaps we could once again be respected...
not from fear but, rather, out of admiration...
one can hope. that is all that keeps us alive...
Sick to think that the scumbags who eventually took over, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove, and others are still running our government. We have basically had the Nixon administration from 80-92 and now 00-08.
Sounds absolutely wonderful, but the obese cynic in me - which has been force-fed bullshit and bananas for six years by Chimp in particular and DC in general – is laughing up a storm. Prove me wrong politicians!
A magnificent speech, and a bold vision. Strange that the goals listed in the speech would be considered bold, yet I can't honestly claim they are not bold and ambitious.
franklinS @ 14:
9/11 has been so driven into the dirt and covered with crap by the whackjobs that we'll never know the truth. I used to try to talk some sense into the 9/11 conspiracy nuts, it is hopeless. The whackjobs are still at their insanity, pushing even more crazy ideas about what happened that day.
Not too long ago, I tried to make the point on a different BBS that the Bush administration knew enough beforehand to know something was coming, that they should have done something yet did nothing. Even that idea couldn't get any traction as that too was lumped in with the crazy crackpot crap.
Jesus, what a freakin' great speech. Now who in the hell can we find who could deliver it with the strength it demands? I sure could see Russ Feingold giving it and I can see Al Gore giving it. I just can't see Hillary giving it. Maybe Obama. Of the ones we have now it's easiest for me to picture Obama saying those words.
Heads Up Watch The Seafood
The Food and Drug Administration today issued an alert challenging imports of five major types of farm-raised seafood from China, including shrimp and catfish, because testing found recurrent contamination from carcinogens and antibiotics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/business/29fish-web.html?ref=business
...And the president was shot 2 days later...
A little partisan in parts but otherwise not too bad.
Would need to be delivered by a progressive Democrat to be believable... not too many of those in the top two though. :sighs:
Smack_dab @ 19:
I've looked into the 9/11 truth and regardless of all the dozens of theories out there,
one thing is certain. 9/11 IS the achilles heel to this war on terror, our new century,
and the official story doens't add up "regardless" of anyone's theory.
The STATE will always create it's ENEMY in order to justify it's appetite for
rule. The USA is no different. It's been going on for centuries.
Fear is the number 1 tool used to get away with the crimes they commit.
We truly need a NEW VISION.
WOOOOOWW!!! Now that's the speech I want to hear!
The corporations and their lobbyists will be lining up to donate time, money & labor to this guy's opponent's campaign. Corporatists and evangelicals will unite like never before.
WOW, I mean WOW!!! I have tears in my eyes...This is exactly what I have wanted out of a candidate for decades. I just didn't realize that we really needed to go back to JFK!! Mr. hit the hammer dead on the nail. Now if we can just get a candidate who not only parrots the speech, but actually believes it and lives it. We can sell it, hell Americans will 'buy' anything. It is the action behind the words that will carry the weight for me.
f it all
sorenson for prez...
'nuff said
Talk is cheap.
"I intend to serve all the people, regardless of party, race, region, or religion."
But not regardless of gender. Nothing in the speech about one of the simplest ways to reduce poverty: a woman's right to choose.
Oh well. Maybe the next generation will do better.
Well now, Vinny's got a point.
Qualified people with the right motivations don't seem to apply for the job very often. As a matter of fact, it seems like exactly the wrong kind of people are increasingly attracted to the office as time goes on.
To put it another way, will Al Gore run?
Very moving and on point. I hope that we will hear this from our next president.
We need words like these to exist. Even if all that is described by them never come about. The fact that they exist gives us something to shoot for.
The bedrock of all our security as a nation and a people is the Constitution. The restoration of Constitutional protections, regard for Constitutional law, liberites and Human Rights would have been the highest priority, were it me writing or giving that speech. Included with that priority would have been a promise to make a mighty effort to repeal all laws, regulations and executive orders of recent years, including those that predate the Bush regime, that have undermined or desecrated the power and influence of the Constitution. Included in this return to sanity would be an initiative to join the International Criminal Court. Also, believing that nothing else can restore our credibility or demonstrate our national resolve to make amends before the world and in order to begin the long work of re-attaining our once-held moral authority, I would support all legal efforts to bring applicable criminal charges against the miscreants who have so thoroughly violated our own and the international community's laws these last eight years. There must be justice visited upon the architects and executors of the crimes that have turned this once respected nation into a rogue. I do not believe the tarnish, disgrace and stench of evil can ever be effaced, especially in the eyes of all other nations, absent such a process of justice. This is the bedrock upon which all else must be built.
I would also include a promise to petition Congress to increase the number of sitting Supreme Court justices so that the votes of the current majority, a majority that demonstrates little regard for the Constitution, could be negated. If the Supreme Court is corrupted, as it is today, the Constitution loses its first and last line of defense. As the current majority has so amply demonstrated, when the Supreme Court turns to the dark side, Liberty and Human Rights in this Nation lose their greatest, erstwhile champion. Restoring the Supreme Court to integrity, would be a vital objective.
Other than that, I like this speech. I see only Al Gore, Russ Feingold, John Conyers, Debbie Wassermann, Henry Waxman, Maxine Waters or Dennis Kucinich as having the moral authority to be able to give such a speech.
It'll never happen. We'll get a corporatist who'll blow smoke up our butts and conduct business as usual.
How 'Bout The Original Vision with the added twist of including Everyone? If all people don't benefit, The Vision is a dream.
a great speech.
one way to help contribute to it's success, is to limit all our representatives to just two terms. the house, the senate and the presidency. a major part of the problems we are now facing is the unsurmountable hold the lobbyists have on OUR REPRESENTATIVES, not the special interests. if we limit the length of term for the house and senate like the presidency, then we can loosen the strangle on our rights and freedoms.
time to act is NOW
impeach shit-for-brains and darthfartwad cheney
Like many here have said I am pecking this out with a blur of tears in my eyes. Would that an American could stand and make that very speech mean it and implement it. God if you are there please give us such a person in our time of need
Sorensen says:
"During these last several years, our nation has been bitterly divided and deceived by illicit actions in high places, by violations of federal, constitutional, and international law. I do not favor further widening the nation’s wounds, now or next year, through continuous investigations, indictments, and impeachments. I am confident that history will hold these malefactors accountable for their deeds, and the country will move on."
Half of me COMPLETELY agrees with this. Investigations, indictments, and impeachments will provide plenty for partisans to bitch about and absolutely further divide the country. Obviously, division is a HUGE obstacle in moving forward with getting our country back on track and i('d like to think that i) wouldn't want to waste time and money turning these arrogant jackasses into martyrs in the whole "us versus them" thing. Politics is polarizing enough!
On the other hand, leaving it up to history to "hold these malefactors accountable" just doesn't make any sense to me from the standpoint of justice. If we really are a nation of laws, then enforcement should be paramount. If those in our own government aren't held accountable i can't see things ever getting any better with regard to what elected officials feel they can do. If it's possible/probable that somebody broke the law in an egregious way; then why *shouldn't* it be investigated?
I don't think i'll ever stop vacillating on the whole indictment and/or impeachment issues.
At the end of last century (late 1990's), you could see a glimmer of hope in US that we might be able to make some serious changes on a multicultural level, in terms of (ie., economic, social, political).
Well, that realization scared a lot of the people in charge of things in US, and they proceeded with plans to help them stay in charge. They are prepared to sacrifice us to do so. These people come in a variety of flavors (repubs, dems).
I say this because this new vision is being depicted as one person leading us. One Person can not undo the damage and put true progress in motion. The world is different now. A single rallying cry is no longer sufficient. It must be a chorus.
Great speech. It actually made me aware of how cynical I have become, and I felt my cynicism start to lift as I read it.
There hasn't been a great inaugural address since JFK's in 1960. When I bought my Mac, JFK's speech and ML King's "I have a dream" address were included with iTunes. I listen to them from time to time. They express the best of America, what the world loves about the USA. I get mixed feelings when I hear them, because public discourse has been so badly degraded since the 60s.
It's almost too much to hope for, but wouldn't it be fantastic if the Bush/Cheney disaster were followed by a true awakening of conscience, commitment and caring, as this speech enunciates?
A beautifully written speech by Sorensen.. Not too crazy about the paragraph whereby the unknown candidate infers that there will be no impeachment... But overall, excellent prose.. Oh if only it could come true... If only it would be our coming reality... But I fear this is just a pacebo offered up to us long suffering serfs with no real connection to reality... I hope some good intentioned pol from the Dem side can prove me wrong on that..JD
Paul @ 34:
Paul -
I agree wholeheartedly with what you say about restoring the Constitution. It amazes me that most Americans, especially people who call themselves traditionalists and conservatives, haven't stood up and demanded that Bush and Cheney conform to their oaths and respect the US Constitution. Isn't it ironic how all those 'strict constructionists', who demand that judges adhere closely to the Constitution, seem to have no problem with presidential signing statements, domestic spying, doing away with Habeus Corpus, curtailment of separation of powers, joining church and state, and other blatant violations of the US Constitution?
As for who has the moral authority to give this speech, I would add a name to your list: Jim Webb.
Hope springs~
The cynic in me has gone home for the day, and that's o-fukin-k with me.
Damn that was refreshing to read.
Smack_dab @ 19:
Brilliant-you've just cemented your position as one of the 'whackjobs'.
After a fast year, I can only conclude that the words and ideas -- the idealism -- of what Sorensen has to say will not be able to penetrate the minds and hearts of those we humorously call "candidates" these days. Needless to say, nor the thugs now in power, holding our government hostage.
On finding a path for the world not based on violence . . . I agree that it is the only way forward; indeed, the only way for humanity to survive.
On "terrorism" and new attacks, I disagree if his presumption is that 9/11 was anything but something put in motion by Bush and the neocons. Of course they knew -- !!!
And, I can only see the Anthrax attack on Daschle and other liberals as a threat to those who might investigate 9/11 -- and it came at a time when the neocons would have found it most opportune to shut down Congress for weeks -- and even now letters are still being irradiated and drived out for three weeks before delivery.
Like the coup on JFK . . . too many intellectuals like Sorensen also are part of the establishment and very averse to acknowledging the reality of 40 years of political violence in America which is what has brought us this corporate-fascism and the reign of criminals in our White House.
Not to mention the criminals now in charge of our Supreme Court - !!!
We cannot have liberty and democracy by ignoring criminal behavior of politicians nor our history of assassination of liberal leaders.
I can't agree with the 2nd and 3rd sentence of this.
You can't deal with criminals by saying that history will say bad things about them. Heck, they've stolen enough money to have histories written that totally obsolve them. They have to be investigated, their ill-gotten gains recovered, and the victims made whole. The only verdict I'm interested is the verdict handed down by an honest judge. If we can't get it here, then we'll have to go to the International Criminal Court.
While the crooks are in power - investigate, impeach and convict. But if we get to the election and replace them with a President who can honestly give this speech, then let the crooks go. Let them fade into obscurity, with history to make its judgements.
This masterful speech encourages us to look and move forward. We cannot heal the wounds inflicted by this band of crooks by continuing to focus on them. We will not be well served by revenge.
While there was a lot to agree with, the accounting of those who have been wronged in the recent past and pledges to do better was at least one short.
A group that has been demonized and whose lives and very existance have been used as a wedge to polarize the country and drive election strategies.
If this is a fantasy speech, why isn't there even so much as a wink to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their families who have been getting the stuffing beaten out of them so relentlessly during the Bush years.
I call it A Myopic "New Vision".
~GC
The speech is great, but I've heard too many grand speeches by politicians who then did whatever the hell they wanted to afterwards to be moved.
We need to get rid of this shadow government, of black projects, of all unaccounted secret projects like that which allowed "certain national tragedies" to happen or else you'll just be pulling out the stems of the weed and leaving the roots to grow another day. You have to dig to the bottom and find out what happened and why or else there's no true reform and future abuses will inevitably occur. There must be complete transparency in the present and past for people to be given any real reason to trust their government.
Brilliant and inspirational.
Al Gore is the only one I can see giving this speech in a manner that it deserves and really meaning it, as well as having the moral authority and distinction to make it happen.
What makes me almost weep is that no candidate, none, not John Edwards not Barack Obama not Hilary Clinton would ever make a speech this bold. Not one. Never.
I always thought whackjobs were those that hired men to donate at sperm banks.
This speech should be presented to all of the candidates (Republicans too) as a challenge.
BTW, I think Kucinich has been giving speeches of this ilk...
mark @ 22:
Exactly what I thought Mark exactly!!
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