Barack Obama's Concession Speech: <i>Change is what's happening in America</i>
By Nicole Belle Tuesday Jan 08, 2008 1:28pm
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t Bill W.)
Barack Obama's concession speech in New Hampshire last night stands out in sharp relief from John McCain's fumbling attempt. And don't even get me started on the contrast from the last seven years of "Is our children learning?" from Bush. Even the punditocracy at MSNBC was blown away; Tom Brokaw lauded his oratory skills and Brian Williams called him "contrite and authentic."
No matter what your feelings are for the respective candidates, it's clear this is going to be one exciting primary season. And Barack has tapped into a great soundbyte for those despairing if we can ever get this country back from the darkness of Bush & Cheney years: Yes, we can.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people. Yes we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights. Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can.
Full transcript below the fold:
I want to congratulate Senator Clinton on a hard-fought victory here in New Hampshire.
A few weeks ago, no one imagined that we'd have accomplished what we did here tonight. For most of this campaign, we were far behind, and we always knew our climb would be steep.
But in record numbers, you came out and spoke up for change. And with your voices and your votes, you made it clear that at this moment - in this election - there is something happening in America.
There is something happening when men and women in Des Moines and Davenport; in Lebanon and Concord come out in the snows of January to wait in lines that stretch block after block because they believe in what this country can be.
There is something happening when Americans who are young in age and in spirit - who have never before participated in politics - turn out in numbers we've never seen because they know in their hearts that this time must be different.
There is something happening when people vote not just for the party they belong to but the hopes they hold in common - that whether we are rich or poor; black or white; Latino or Asian; whether we hail from Iowa or New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina, we are ready to take this country in a fundamentally new direction. That is what's happening in America right now. Change is what's happening in America.
You can be the new majority who can lead this nation out of a long political darkness - Democrats, Independents and Republicans who are tired of the division and distraction that has clouded Washington; who know that we can disagree without being disagreeable; who understand that if we mobilize our voices to challenge the money and influence
that's stood in our way and challenge ourselves to reach for something better, there's no problem we can't solve - no destiny we cannot fulfill.
Our new American majority can end the outrage of unaffordable, unavailable health care in our time. We can bring doctors and patients; workers and businesses, Democrats and Republicans together; and we can tell the drug and insurance industry that while they'll get a seat at the table, they don't get to buy every chair. Not this time. Not now.
Our new majority can end the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it.
We can stop sending our children to schools with corridors of shame and start putting them on a pathway to success. We can stop talking about how great teachers are and start rewarding them for their greatness. We can do this with our new majority.
We can harness the ingenuity of farmers and scientists; citizens and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil and save our planet from a point of no return.
And when I am President, we will end this war in Iraq and bring our troops home; we will finish the job against al Qaeda in Afghanistan; we will care for our veterans; we will restore our moral standing in the world; and we will never use 9/11 as a way to scare up votes, because it is not a tactic to win an election, it is a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century: terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.
All of the candidates in this race share these goals. All have good ideas. And all are patriots who serve this country honorably.
But the reason our campaign has always been different is because it's not just about what I will do as President, it's also about what you, the people who love this country, can do to change it.
That's why tonight belongs to you. It belongs to the organizers and the volunteers and the staff who believed in our improbable journey and rallied so many others to join.
We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics who will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks to come. We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope. For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people.
Yes we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballot; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can.
And so tomorrow, as we take this campaign South and West; as we learn that the struggles of the textile worker in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas; that the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we
will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America's story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea - Yes. We. Can.
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Geez! I think I'm first.
I love Obama. I want him to win so bad. I believe in everything he talks about.
Go-Obama!!!!!
Fuck you..
Frist?
That f**king corporate [deleted-OTT} called Miss Brian Williams should not be allowed to even comment on Obama. He in cordinated efforts with Miss Russert, and Miss Matthews have [deleted OTT] Clinton for how long. All according the the GE agena. All three of them should be charged, tried and convicted of purposeful, criminal, fraud committed against the American people: frog marched out of the protection of their corporate studios and right into a prison cell ..........
Site Monitor: Dial it down, please.
Good speech writer, yet I remain unconvinced.
Odd. Wasn't there a baseball player who ran around saying "yes, we can" a few years back?
Blue Lensman @ 4:
Me too!
And every step of the way stood government and politicians, doing everything in their power to block the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans. Government is not a "change agent" but a fundamental obstacle to change. If the South hadn't seceded African Americans might still be slaves today [exaggeration]. Only through resistance and protest does any change occur.
Obama talks about change, but is as utterly co-opted by the American corporate political machine as the other "major" candidates. If Americans want real change they'll have to do it themselves.
I am disappointed that NO news outlet has pointed out the obvious.
Barack lost BECAUSE of those polls.
MANY outlets predicted that Obama's appeal to Independents would hurt McCain.
Then the opposite happened. I think because independents saw those polls where Obama had a huge lead and they decided to put their vote where they thought it would count more.
In the Republican race.
Those polls screwed Obama. They made the Hillary people come out in force and made the independents think they didn't have to come out for Obama. They went to the Republican side to pull it out for McCain.
Hopefully Obama will recover or Edwards will drop out. Because I feel strongly that it is important for the Dems nominate someone who will win in the general.
In November 2008: Barack who?
Rats! Oh well, on to my point. Why I don't get is why this is a "concession" speech. I guess he "lost" this primary (and it is indeed a good speech), but as losses go, his second was very, very close to victory and I think he earned the same amount of delegates. Am I wrong about this? Well anyone, forgive my rambling here. I think I am more irritated by what I read elsewhere. Someone in our lovely media has written that Obama is seeking a resurgence of his campaign in South Carolina and Nevada. Apparently have winning Iowa and coming in a close second in New Hampshire, the Obama campaign needs a resurgence. Our media is just weird! Anyway, maybe I just needed to vent here.
Good or bad, win or lose, I salute Obama for raising the level of political debate. Don't underestimate the power of words and ideas expressed well.
Sen. Harry Reid and Rep. Nancy Pelosi have announced in a press release that they have taken CHANGE off the table. Sorry folks, but it's back to business as usual.
Karike @ 1:
Be prepared Karike, the anti-Obama people will be here soon and based on what I have been reading here today, they are going to rip into him.
I have been away from my computer much of the day and so I came here to read posts and comments that happened while I was away. So much anger and meanness in some of the comments, that it's very sad. That speech Obama made was exactly what people in this country need to hear if we are ever going to get over all the anger and find a common cause for our country again, not just a cause but a positive cause. Like ending this never-ending war and working on repairing our country both here and abroad.
Seems like a really great speech...but talk is cheap. How's the PAC money treatin' ya Obama?
I think one reason that the media wants to exaggerate every primary win into a crowning achievement, and every primary loss into a call for seppuku, is because they want to scare away the money. They want to scare donors and investors into pulling their money from all but the number one candidates. Doing this will hamstring the non-dominant campaigns.
Each state primary is an inning of baseball, maybe even an at-bat, but each primary is not the whole ballgame.
Don't let yourself be scared off. If you like Edwards, support Edwards. If you like Clinton, support Clinton, and likewise for Obama. Don't let the media manipulate you to their ends.
TadAllagash @ 8:
I don't think we need to worry yet about Obama needing to recover. This is just New Hampshire. Maybe I am spinning, but his victory in Iowa and very close second to the Clinton machine in New Hampshire make me feel that Obama is in fine shape. Edwards is the one who needs to worry a bit.
"yes, we can" is not new, it's been the UFW's mantra for decades (only it's been in spanish...) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%AD_se_puede
Albatross @ 14:
Agreed!
Zippy the Pinhead @ 11:
Heh.
It's Hillary for me.
I've heard better speeches given by Alzheimer patients than the one given by John McCain.
I hope Obama gives his speechwriter a whopping raise for that speech alone. It was better than Hillary's victory shrill. I'm still pissed she resorted to crying in order to pull out this win. Nothing more and nothing less, except not to trust the polls.
Which might imply there were a lot of liars in the granite state saying they were going to pull the lever for Obama, and knowing damned well they were going to give the nod to the Borg Queen.
The only enjoyment I got was watching Tom Brokaw school Tweety and making me miss watching him on the Nightly News and why I miss him.
I think that he lost because so many people voted early by mail. I wonder what that count was. Was it enough to make the difference between Obama winning or losing? Probably.
meh.
It's just more of the same rainbows, butterflies and my little pony crap that Obama's been peddling for months. He sounds like a Ms. America contestant.
It would behoove Americans, especially those who consider themselves to be progressive, to look at this alleged agent of change, which just happens to be what just about all the other candidates claim to be. Obama is against the immediate withdrawal of the troops from that slaughterhouse in Iraq. Obama is for keeping the nuclear option on the table vis a vis Iran, meaning that he has not ruled out bombing and killing many thousands of innocent Iranian people. Obama has not supported Kucinich's proposal to impeach Cheney and Bush, an administration which certainly should be thrown out of office. Obama's health care plan would benefit the insurance companies, which would place profit over people. Obama has accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from big corporations and Wall Street, which would keep him beholden to the vested interests.
Obama's smooth talk and charisma cannot disguise the fact that he. like so many other politicians, embodies style over substance.
"But the reason our campaign has always been different is because it’s not just about what I will do as President, it’s also about what you, the people who love this country, can do to change it."
He left out. . . which means your going to be busting your asses to get us out of this jam, hard brutal work, yes whatever job you have to take, or two three, if you want anything out of this deal.
blue @ 3:
Why are you calling them Miss?
If you think Miss is an insult, I have one thing to say to you: Fuck you.
Excuse me, Mr Obama, but 'Change is what's happening....'? No sh*t!
I'll tell you what would be a BIG change. If you could STOP change. And that ain't gonna happen.
And all this good stuff you're gonna do. Could I ask a couple of Questions?
Like, 'When'?, 'What'? Where'?, 'How'?, 'Who'?
In other words, WTF are you talking about?
Awesome speech. Sounds like a victory speech to me.
Well you wanted it; every last dropping bit of it(.) and the tale of the ticker tells every last demograghic gaffe you thought you'd never see again.
Barack Obama's speech last night was awe inspiring. Just like Jesse Jackson, Barack can move a crowd to cheer and chant. His speech was about hope and unity and he said that all the candidates were true Americans. This is why he has a following. I noticed that Barack is starting to tailor his views to be more in line with both Bill Richardson and John Edwards. That's a positive thing unlike the "Decider-in-chief" who thinks he's always right and the only one with the answers. If Barack can learn from others and change his views because of that, then it will be easy for me to vote for him in November.
Albatross @ 14:
So true. I know I've said this before, but it seems relevant now. As Al Gore said when he was pressed, and pressed and pressed about whether or not he'd run again for president: the media is all about a horse race. They want to winnow it down to two people who they can use as symbols of "us vs. them" and then run "hard-hitting" factoid pieces and early-edition "cooking-with-the-candidate's spouse" pieces in order to boost their own ratings. They don't care about issues, or the role of government in solving problems, or even the truth. It's about entertainment and money.
Let's not turn against each other here. The media is trying to play it's game of "king/queen-maker;" but we don't need to rip each other apart and get caught in their narrative. Do what you think is right, remember that the larger goal is getting the hands of the neo-cons the fcku away from the controls, and don't let the media turn this into and "us vs. us" scenario.
My advice: turn off the TV--especially the so-called "news" channels.
Something happing here; what it is ain't exactly clear
And the speech writer left out "we're $20 trillion in debt, our infrastructure is falling to pieces, no one wants to do the unglamorous jobs, which are more important to keeping this country running smoothly then glamor work or no work at all. . . . etc. . . if it's a free ride your looking for, your voting for the wrong Candidate"
Maybe I am missing something here, but Obama is still technical in the lead, he has 14 delegates (9 from Iowa and 6 from New Hampshire) and Clinton has 13 delegates (8 from Iowa and 6 from New Hampshire) - doesn't this race have a ways to go still? what is it with people who think it's time to quit because of 6000ish votes. give me a break, as far as I can tell the race is still on.
The Political Junkie @ 20:
Yeah, that speech was a political masterpiece. Lotta excitement, lotta emotion, lotta heart-tugging, lotta patriotism-pulling, lotta words, no specifics, no substance. Or, as they say in Texas (Bush's psuedo-home, aproposly), 'All Hat, No Cattle'.
hilary is all about change! like changing her campaign strategy ;)
By and by, I defend Hillary Clinton--my first choice--rather vehemently and I suppose it can be forgotten that I do appreciate and respect Barack Obama as a candidate as well. He's my second choice, though tied with Edwards. And though he does buzzwords or rhetoric at times, no one delivers better speeches than he does when he's on the ball. And when he's on the ball, he can leave a person with literal goosebumps. That's what happened here with his concession speech.
If you're an agitating troll, then by all means, keep slamming one or another of the Democratic candidates. But if you're progressive or a Democrat, then try to control your feelings a bit. ONE of these candidates is going to be the nominee, and at that time we're all going to need to support them.
I'm not a Democrat, and I'm more progressive than ANY of the candidates ('cepting maybe Kucinich). And while I may consider Clinton and Obama 'more corporatist' than Edwards, I will support whatever candidate emerges from the process. Because our nation simply cannot afford another four (much less EIGHT) years of neocon buffoonery. We've got Supreme Court judges that need appointing, we've got governmental departments that need to be staffed, all sorts of infrastructural stuff that NEEDS to be turned over to competent management, rather than the incompetent ideological cronies who have been screwing them up for eight years.
I'm not confident that any Democratic candidate will get me everything I want: but I am confident that any Republican candidate will get me NOTHING I want.
*sighs*
i long for the days when a president or pres candidate could write their own speeches...
that said, he sure read a good speech.
pissed off patricia @ 12:
That seems like a really unfair characterization. Anti-Obama just means that we don't want him to win. Most of the comments that I've read (my own included) state exactly why we don't like him; he takes corporate money for his campaign so why would be any different from the rest of the Corporocracy?
In the same vein, why is being a great orator a prerequisite for being elected? In one of the earlier posts someone mentioned a breakdown of language use which characterized Obama as The Leader, HC as The Worker,a nd Edwards as The Manager...this is a bogus assessment because it's all in the voice of their speech writers. That why I don't buy into speeches so much.
Great speech, Dr. MLK, Jr. would be proud to know that Obama studied his oratory masterpieces.
DiggyG @ 22:
DiggyG, THANK YOU. Ditto on that sentiment. Too much Obama Kool Aid going around.
Samson- @ 38:
I thought I'd heard that Obama does write his own speeches. I don't know though, just heard that.
McCain read his speech word for word and it still stunk. It was embarrassing to watch him read it and painful to listen to him. He may well get the repub nomination. Just imagine him giving the state of the union speech.
can we?...yes
will we...doubt it!
he's a product just like clinton
a tool of the plutocracy
if he get's the office he will squander his chance at greatness or be killed for trying to be great
it's a lose lose situation
you should have voted for edwards NH
god you suck
Obama is channelling Kennedy and MLK. Nice speech, but about 40 years out of date. All surface and no substance. Come on, Obama. Give us some specifics. Take a stand. Pretty words just ain't enough today.
McCain sounded like he was hammered.A pathetic dithering meandering "speech".
yeah i'm not too fond of the career politician system. how many of the candidates are lawyers?
pissed off patricia @ 42:
Yeah: "M...M.Mh...My Fellow...fellow, AMERICANS...uh, the...uh, State of the state is....our union...uh, the state of our union...is, uh..."
it takes 4 score and 7 years to listen to this bozo give any speech...or maybe it just feels like it takes that long.
ShouldBeWorking @ 39:
When you are essentially the spokesperson for the Federal Government, being able to speak in public and inspire others should definitely be one of the qualifications of office. Kinda like how leaders should have leadership qualities.
YES, WE CAN!
Obama's national campaign co-chair, Jesse Jackson, Jr., was on MSNBC and appeared to question Hillary's tears, which he called "tears that melted the Granite State," adding that those tears "moved voters."
He also suggested that Hillary was crying about "her appearance."
All those people he spoke of .... did a lot more than hope.
Empty words.
Go Edwards
Gulf of Tonkin incident was faked
From Yahoo News....not some conspiracy site.
My wife has long been an Obama supporter and we have a sign in our yard that says Missourian for Obama. After hearing Obama speak after the Iowa Caucus and again last night I have decided that I will vote for him. My views are generally right-of-center and I do not agree with Obama on most issues but I am not inspired by any of the other candidates. When I listen to him I think that he is what we need right now. America is lost and none of the others have the energetic message Obama brings.
We need a fresh face. We need a new attitude. All the others are old hat, baby boomer and beyond, establishment types. The last thing we need right now is an ambulance chaser, a shrill, an old guy trying to come off as a young maverick, a bible beater, a slickster, or another old guy that was better off on TV.
The experience thing is bull. He will surround himself with experienced people. So I am not too concerned about that. The religion thing is also bull. There are people who think that he took the oath on the Koran. Wrong guy folks. My sister-in-law went to the Iowa Caucus and went for Obama and was told by an Edwards supporter that Obama was Muslim and she should not support Obama (true story). What a bunch of crap.
Besides, he can't possibly do any worse than what we have now.
Mr. Pelicano @ 7:
That may be the case in the USA, but Upper Canada outlawed slavery in 1809. It was debated by the public and then passed into law by our Governor General.
No protests, no civil war, nobody getting killed or lynched.
There was some disappointment noted at the time that we were beaten out by Denmark to be the first in the world to outlaw slavery.
Upper Canada was largely populated by Loyalists who fled from the warmongering traitors who overthrew the legitimate government in British North America because they did not want to pay their fair share of taxes.
Only the best persons left to come to Canada after the 1776 treason uprisings.
Coincidently, Britain started shipping criminals and mental defectives to Australia in the 1780s, maintaining a centuries old deportation practice that populated the colonies of Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia. Isn't that where many 'founding farters' came from?
:)
Albatross @ 37:
Right on.
pissed off patricia @ 42:
"God bless America. God bless my Fellow Americans. God bless me. God bless freedom. Thank you and good night."
Why do I keep getting images of "Bob the Builder"?
Albatross wrote: ’m not a Democrat, and I’m more progressive than ANY of the candidates (’cepting maybe Kucinich). And while I may consider Clinton and Obama ‘more corporatist’ than Edwards, I will support whatever candidate emerges from the process. Because our nation simply cannot afford another four (much less EIGHT) years of neocon buffoonery.
The problem is, and most fail to see it, is that neither of the major parties have the solutions to the ills our society face. The issues we face transcend political parties and neither one has the courage to truly address them. Sticking with the Democrats or Republicans is kind of like trying to decide which of two sinking ships you want to be on.
Terrible @ 41:
And Santa Claus lives on the North Pole.
And the Tooth Fairy leaves money underneath your pillow.
And every time a bell rings and angel earns its wings.
Papa Clinton was right, Obama is a fairy tale.
I was discussing the whole primary thing with some friends (all Canadian of various political leanings) and I stated that I would like edwards/obama '08. Some of my friends said no, a republican would be better because then America would really go into the toilet and it would serve them right after everything they had done to the rest of the world.
For a moment I agreed all the while knowing that if you guys tank, so do we. But then I realized taht it's not the American people I have an issue with (except for those who think we all live in igloos or that they can play better hockey then us...world jr's baby!) It's those who lead you that cause the rest of the world to despise and shudder when they hear USA.
Not sure if this was off topic, but I thought it was an interesting discussion from a country that is so close, yet so far away.
pissed off patricia @ 42:
"I like taquitos!"
This is fun and amusing to watch. It's the Obama fans vs the Clinton fans with a little Edwards thrown in for good measure. I'm a Richardson supporter and he isn't going anywhere with his campaign so I can look at the "big two" from an objective view. There are redeeming qualities in both candidates and there are limiting factors in both candidates. I've been complaining about the late primary in PA (3rd Tuesday in April), but if Barack and Hillary are running neck to neck after "super Tuesday", then PA may be a factor in who wins this race.
Jason B @ 50:
So your ready to get a job and become your parents?
Good for you.
Question Blog @ 44:
Is this a Haiku?
WOW! As an old man, I saw shades of Bob Kennedy. John Kennedy and Martin Luther King holding the cue cards for a real charismatic force which will have to be reckoned with before the end of this process
I agree with Cats r Flyfishn. It looks to me like the Democratic party could fracture. All the people I've spoken with regarding the election, of whatever persuasion, will not vote for Hillary. I'm sure they're are many in the Hillary camp that feel the same about Obama.
This fissure may hand the election to whomever the Republicans pick.
KCThinker @ 54:
Just as long as he doesn't put Wayne Cauthen on his staff he should be okay.
Albatross @ 38:
Hear hear!!
I'd rather see Edwards win, but a fucking trained monkey would do better than more of the same...
Lollimom @ 57:
He likes to say "my friend" and "my friends" too, so that'd have to be thrown in every other sentence or so. It creeps me out when he does that. And I used to respect the guy.
Erroll @ 24:
Nobama is all sizzle, no steak.
konchster @ 66:
Looks like another Kennedy style twist no doubt. That means another 60's could follow. Only this time I don't think it's going to be about Peace Love Dove with the shape our economy is in.
McCain must stop saying, "my friend" or "my friends". Those words are not required for beginning or ending every sentence. That and those strange laughs he laughs when he thinks he's been funny.
As for Obama, I have yet to hear him give a speech badly. If he were president and visited another country I wouldn't cringe for fear of what stupid thing he might say or do while he was there. I wouldn't fear that about any of the Dem candidates as a matter of fact. I was watching bush today in Israel. Each time he opened his mouth I wondered WTF? is he apt to say now.
Albatross @ 38:
Well said. I agree especially with your last sentance. May I quote you on that one?
toM @ 67:
i don't think so. people rallied behind kerry, despite a lot of people holding their noses.
and don't forget something: the GOP is on the verge of a bloody, civil war between the two opposing camps--the religious fundies and the market fundies. the dems walk in lock-step in comparison to the GOP right now.
what really sickens me to no end is the DLC/elite/corporate hold on the democratic party... if they could just be FOR THE PEOPLE, and not the corporations, they would garner so much more support and backing. it is what causes people to look for alternatives, or at least withhold any monetary contributions.
toM @ 59:
I agree. But the answer to "which of two sinking ships do you want to be on" is "the one that's closer to shore." The Democratic party is the sinking ship closer to where this country needs to go.
If we don't get the neocons out of power now, I'm not confident we ever will, and we truly will become the totalitarian police state that we seem to be working towards. Replacing Republicans with Democrats will, if nothing else, slow the decay as Republican appointees are replaced with Democratic appointees.
The only alternative I see is letting the whole nation collapse and then hoping somewhere down the line to build a better one on the ruins. Dramatic sounding, but inefficient.
Don't blame the candidate (not entirely)---blame the fools who bought into it.
Samson and SM - Obama does write his speeches. There's a good interview with his head "speechwriter" floating around the internet, who was an intern on Kerry's speechwriting staff.
How he describes the process is that he gets the speech from Obama, they talk about it, they make some tweaks, Obama goes and gives it.
Let's at least be honest - Obama does write his own speeches. You can disagree with his policies, but please don't lie about him. He is the real deal.
Cats r Flyfishn @ 74:
You're very kind and you're welcome to use it, but don't blame me if whoever I stole it from comes after you!
L.A. Confidential @ 64:
I am a professional filmmaker. The day I left college, I vowed to follow my dream and never give up. And now I celebrate 3 years of being in business for myself, blazing my own path.
Yes, I did.
Yes, we can.
Nobody here doubts that Mr. Obama has oratorical skills that will suit him very well should he ever decide to go into the ministry profession, but like priests and other religious leaders, he really has nothing concrete to offer in this life other than make people feel good with great speeches.
Jason B @ 78:
But he's not going to open his wallet, swipe a credit card and say, there, the $20 trillion debt is gone, no one has to work, now go do some Web Surfing.
Do young people realize this?
I have been saying for a very long time that I hope beyond hope that what Obama is saying about bringing people together and compromise with the Republicans to get things done is just feel good words. If he really thinks that he can get anything or any real change by working with Republicans he is not fit for President.
Oh, Obama's good. He's very good.
I hope there's an Edwards surge soon. I like what he says, and I think he could bring about at least as much "change" as Obama, though as I've said elsewhere I wish to God he would quit that "I'm so sincere" thing with his eyebrows. There's a perhaps shallow part of me that doesn't quite trust him purely based on how he presents himself. There's something about his personality that doesn't feel emotionally familiar and recognizable to me the way there is with Obama or even the supposedly cold Clinton.
All the repub candidates scare me, but Rudy and Old Fred give me nightmares. I'm afraid Rudy would strike Iran his first day in office, if cheney hadn't already done it for him. And god knows what damage Fred might do in between naps.
Three words would fix a lot of the mess in DC.. Congressional TERM LIMITS.. Until the lobbyist culture is reformed in Congress, Even the most ambitous, talented POTUS will have his hands tied.. But it is nice to have a credible alternative to Hillary(Bush Lite)
Guy Fawkes @ 81:
*Shrug* You know what? That's not nothing. Vision is important. Frankly I think there's more to him than that, but if all he did was make good speeches for four years, that would be good too. After all, what new thing has Martin Luther King done in the last forty years? Not much! And yet his words continue to inspire.
Jason B @ 80:
Cool. Excellent in fact. I appreciate the entrepreneurial spirit.
Jason B @ 78:
i don't know what i was Favreau'ing....
Jason B @ 80:
Good for you! My husband had a similar dream and he has been enjoying the results of attaining that dream for several years now. He had the dream, we both worked at getting there and now we're here and we're happy as little pigs in shit. We could and we did.
exit7a @ 86:
I disagree. I think term limits would be a mixed bag, not all bad, but not entirely good.
What we REALLY need, ASAP, is loophole-free public campaign financing. Once we can elect a Congress that isn't pwned by the corporations and the wealthy, THEN we have more than a snowball's chance in hell of passing legislation to control those corporations and wealthy. But until we get corporate money out of Congress, we will not be able to make any changes to the laws.
Albatross @ 38:
THANK YOU! You read my mind! I'm really sick of the hatred that spews from the readers of this site. Our goal is to beat back the neo-conservative wing of this country and get them out of power. In party fighting only HELPS the neocons in the long run so I refuse to do that. I don't care if it's a lawn chair that gets the Democratic nomination, I'm voting Democrat in November!
Bit NOLA @ 5:
Actually, it was Jim Fregosi, manager of the California Angels, during their 1979 successful run for the American League West title...
I'm bummed today about Obama, but I think there's no stopping the Billary Machine...gotta give 'em credit...they are excellent, winning Politicians...just not who I'd like running the Country.
Concerned Progressive @ 92:
Yep, and that lawn chair has my vote too if it's a Democrat.
L.A. Confidential @ 82:
You're right, and he repeatedly says the work is hard. But here's the thing - Clinton's approach is WORSE. She wants to fight. She wants to run in to the white house swinging at all the republicans in the congress who've stopped progress.
But that won't work. Because the republicans will be energised to fight back. Obama's approach is the right one. In Illinois, he managed to get legislation passed MANDATING videotaping for police interrogations. He faced opposition from the democrats, from the republicans, from the police. But he passed it.
How? He talked to them. He heard their complaints. He listened. EVery body wants to be heard, and that includes Republicans, conservatives and neocons. You can't just shut them off, or you become another 51% president (if you're lucky enough to get that).
He walked in to a Wall Street investors meeting and told them that using the fed to adjust business rates and using federal money to bail out failing companies isn't capitalism, and it isn't the way the free market works. He walked in to the teacher's union and stumped for merit-based pay increases. He went in to the conservative christians values union and stumped for separation of church and state.
He doesn't just tell people what they want to hear - he tells them what they need to know. He says the hard things, that's why he was against the war from the beginning (the only of all the major candidates who has consistently been against the war), and he came out about it. He isn't afraid of hard work, and neither are his supporters - that's why you see record numbers of them coming out and stumping for him in the cold, in the snow, with no sleep.
Young people KNOW there's hard work to do. We just want to get to that hard work instead of playing games before we can start fixing this country.
Bit NOLA @ 5:
it was the '79 angels slogan. "change" was a '92 clinton talking point. i guess everything old is new again.
Albatross @ 87:
At least, MLK, had something to back up his words.
That is the biiiiiiiig difference. Talk is cheap, walking the walk is what it is hard. MLK word's still resonate because he made quite the sacrifice, and thus one should pay attention.
Obama's main achievement up to now was that he was able to deliver an emotional speech during the Dem convention in 2004. He has been able to milk that for what it is worth. I am not interested in charlatans, which for the most part, is what most professional politicians are by definition.
Samson- @ 89:
Thanks for the name, now I remember. Here's the link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/84756/output/print
and here's the quote: "Favreau and Obama rapidly found a relatively direct way to work with each other. "What I do is to sit with him for half an hour," Favreau explains. "He talks and I type everything he says. I reshape it, I write. He writes, he reshapes it. That's how we get a
finished product.
"It's a great way to write speeches. A lot of times, you write something, you hand it in, it gets hacked by advisers, it gets to the candidate and then it gets sent back to you. This is a much more intimate way to work."
Some speeches are much more the product of the candidate himself. Obama e-mailed Favreau his draft of his announcement speech in Springfield, Ill., at 4 a.m. on the morning of the campaign launch last February."
Yes, Obama does write the speeches. Unless you want to say that technically Favreau puts the actual text on the paper, then we're arguing such nitpicking points that you have to be arguing disingenuously. Yes, he writes the speeches, that's what his speechwriter says, clear as day.
Concerned Progressive @ 92:
i read 'neocon' so much... and rightfully so, the neocons (see neofascists) are a dangerous bunch of monkeys. they deserve to be charged and imprisoned, imo.
buuuuuuuuuut--
what about neoliberalism? (it seems that i am the only one here who ever brings up neoliberalism. and, admittedly, i bring it up all the friggin' time)
the neolibs are just pig's pubic hair better than the neocons. instead of military imperialism they profess economic imperialism. neither work, both damage american interests, both should be ejected, rejected and dejected.
and, unfortunately, bill clinton was a neolib, and i fear the same of hillary. and maybe barak.
so, yes, neolibs are better than neocons. and earwax tastes better than toejam, but i don't like either. (insert joke here)
pissed off patricia @ 94:
Be careful what you wish for. Desperation is no way of searching for a solution...
MeMyselfAndI @ 97:
MeMyselfAndI @ 97:
I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Obama is responsible for www.usaspending.gov which is a HUGE win in government transperancy. You can see exactly where our tax dollars are going. He also passed a bill that mandates videotaped police confessions in Illinois, which has Chicago, one of the country's most corrupt police departments.
He is NOT a man of just talk. There is PLENTY of action there. http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
Please take a look.
Jason B @ 80:
Regarding following your heart: I saw this on another blog I subscribe to. It's for an entirely different audience -- Mac programmers -- but this post strikes a similar chord, and I took it to heart. It's not a new message by any means, but a timely one for me.
http://theocacao.com/document.page/541
If you give Americans a positive and mutually beneficial goal many of them will pull together and work for that goal. We need encouraging words, not frightening words. Our country is such a mess now that we are all going to have to do something extra if we are ever going to bring it back.
Kind of OT but I got keith Olberman's new book in the mail yesterday. I'm lovin' it. It has his special comments and what led up to his writing each of them.
Samson- @ 99:
Okay, so if a car is on one of those narrow switchback mountain trails, right? And it's about to veer off over the edge of the trail into the abyss? Well, yanking real hard on the steering wheel COULD cause the car to overcorrect and slam into the cliff face on the opposite side of the road...
Jason B @ 98:
and the part of the article you didn't quote....
"So it was Favreau who led the team that wrote Obama's victory speech in Des Moines last week—a moment that prompted the TV pundits to drop months of skepticism about Obama's candidacy to make breathless comparisons with the Kennedy era."
http://www.newsweek.com/id/84756/page/3
unless team is obama's nickname...
but, i will grant you that obama sometimes writes his own speeches.
Jason B @ 95:
Hillary won't fight the GOP, she has enabled Bush for what it is worth. However, if you need to make shit up just to make Obama somehow distinguishable from Clinton, congratulations... however don't expect intelligent and informed people to buy the load of crap which just wrote up there.
toM @ 67:
If you are paying attention, you will notice in NH and Iowa allow independants to vote for either a repub or dem in their caucus and primary. This is a good approximation of what may happen in a general election.
The independants regesterd out number the repubs and dems registered, while the registered dems and repubs are about equal in number. This is generally the case nation wide.
So far the turn out overall has been twice as many registered dems than repubs showing up to vote, as well as twice as many independents going with the dems than repubs.
If the dem party fractures, I am sure the indys will swing the dems into office.
SM@60 Papa Clinton? Did he have way with your mother? As one African American to another, let me put the Bill Clinton myth about how he loved us colored people soooo much. Bill Clinton didn't do SHIT for black people! The only difference between Clinton and many of his predecessors is that he didn't act uncomfortable around us, that's it!. But he didn't do shit, so stop drinking his kool-aid.
Jason B @ 102:
So let me see if I get this straight, in order to prove that Obama is not just talk, you send me to his campaign website to read his talking points?
The cognitive dissonance of some people can be frightening at best.
Great speech. As the grandson of immigrants I can relate to the hope that must have buoyed their spirits as they rode in the steerage compartment of a ship across the Atlantic to Ellis Island. The same hope enabled them to start a business, carry it successfully through the Great Depression, and raise a large family at the same time. More of that same hope carried them through WWII, when four of their sons enlisted in the armed forces.
George Bush has taken away that hope that was America, and replaced it with a new place called "Un-America". "Un-America", where for too many the housing is unaffordable. "Un-America", where the air and water is unclean because utilities and big business polluters are unregulated. "Un-America", where the infrastructure crumbles because maintenance is unfunded. "Un-America", where for too many children, quality education is unavailable. "Un-America", where due to slashed budgets and gutted Federal agencies , the food is unsafe to eat.
"Un-America", where a war costing the country over 500 billion dollars remains to this day, undeclared. "Un-America", where citizens' Constitutionally guaranteed rights to privacy are now unprotected. "Un-America", where the elected politicians and their appointees run rough-shod over everything this country ever stood for. They conspire and contrive to subvert the basic democratic structure of checks and balances which would normally prevent these actions, and demand at the same time that for these results, they be held unaccountable.
"Un-America" is unacceptable.
Explosive Charge by Edwards Campaign: Bank Teller Who Supports Hillary Refuses to ‘Make Change’
Erroll @ 24:
I did see that Obama changed his position in Iraq to immediate withdrawal, but I think you are accurate with the rest of your claims.
This is why I go for Edwards. I know he is a lawyer, and have no problem with him.
pissed off patricia @ 104:
So basically what you are saying is that Americans, on the average, have collectively been unable to advance past a 5th grade-level of development.
Sigh.
Edwards/Obama '08
[waves a little flag]
[walks off to meditate on the direction of the country should the voting populace "elect" a boob like McCain or Huckabee and the GOP win (steal) another presidency]
Mike @ 111:
You say "hope" the rest of the world says "desperation."
MeMyselfAndI @ 110:
I gave you a series of links and talked about action he has already taken
To which you respond that his website is just talking points. You haven't bothered to look at any of the links or research anything about him.
Listen, I can't make you look at the facts that are out there, you have to do that. Spend some time reading what he's done and take a look. I'm telling you it isn't just talk, and the actions have all been written about. I can't make you read them, but there's just a few links to start you out.
It's up to you to open your mind.
Samson- Obama is part of Favreau's "team" and they all work together on the speeches. With as much campaigning as he does, I don't expect him to write every single part of every single speech he makes. But he does write them, and far, far more of them than any of his competitors.
MeMyselfAndI @ 114:
If what's on the teevee were any indication? Yes. I mean, seriously: Deal or No Deal is not a show for people who want to be challenged.
;)
MeMyselfAndI @ 114:
Exhibit A: George Dubya......elected...twice
Exhibit B: Ronnie Raygun......senile, but still elected
Exhibit C: Occupation/War On Terror
Exhibit D..................ah.......you get the idea
When we are looking at the face of a Republican in the White House for the next 4-8 years at least we can reflect on what a great speaker Hussein was.
Mike @ 111:
YES, WE CAN
Don't let people sell you "false hope." Every big change in this country started with hope and it finished with action. The people that tell you "false hope" are status quo, establishment, AFRAID of change. And they'll do anything to prevent it. Can we beat the fear-mongering status quo?
YES, WE CAN
MeMyselfAndI @ 116:
Without desperation there can be no hope. ;)
Obama's economic advisers:
http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2008/01/09/obamas-economic-advisers/
ConcernedCanuck @ 119:
Exhibit E: Swallowed the Republican smear that a combat dodging drunk cokehead who went AWOL was better suited to protect and run the country than a decorated war hero.
MeMyselfAndI @ 107:
Crap? That stuff actually happened. You know what else happened? Hildog became a miserable failure at getting her health care plan passed because she doesn't possess that ability to make everyone feel welcome, the way Obama does. Or is that crap too? Am I thinking of someone else who failed terribly to pass the ONE thing she had decided to champion?
Thanks to booshco economics, I know I'm close to going to the streetcorner and begging for change.
MeMyselfAndI @ 110:
I'm sorry to interrupt, but what that person did is no closer to cognitive dissonance than the examples in the Morissette song are to irony.
"The perfect is the enemy of the good."
When a candidate starts blathering about "repairing the world" I head for the exit.
Much more classy than many of the other speeches.
I've been trying to "follow the money", but am having trouble navigating to the page I want on opensecrets.org; I've been reading alot from people saying that Obama is just another corporatist and is already tucked in peoples' pockets. Who's? Could someone provide me with a (non-biased)link that shows where Obama is getting his money from? Clinton and Edwards as well too I suppose.
Can Obama endorse Joe Liebermann over Ned Lamont, thus placing another pro-war vote in the senate? Yes He Can!
Can Obama have lobbyists for Lockheed Martin, Wal-Mart and British Petroleum on his campaign payroll? Yes He Can!
Can Obama have a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical and financial services industries as his campaign co-chair in NH? Yes He Can!
Can Obama have a registered federal lobbyist as his national co-chair? Yes He Can!
Can Obama be a hypocrite? Yes He Can!
TimeCheck @ 129:
Why?
What up with tacky Fox News sound effects? They just can't help themselves.
Moose @ 132:
Can You cite these? I don't know!
Not saying you are wrong or right, I'm just trying to learn as much as I can about the candidates, and I would be interested in reading about these from the source.
SM@60 Papa Clinton? Did he have way with your mother? As one African American to another, let me put the Bill Clinton myth about how he loved us colored people soooo much. Bill Clinton didn’t do SHIT for black people! The only difference between Clinton and many of his predecessors is that he didn’t act uncomfortable around us, that’s it!. But he didn’t do shit, so stop drinking his kool-aid.
Well said. Just because he likes fried chicken, slept with sistas and jammed with Arsenio on the Sax doesn't entitle Clinton to an honorary Negro card that his wife thought she could cash in on.
I'm remembering NAFTA, CAFTA and any other -AFTA trade agreements which sent mega jobs out of this country; I'm remembering the damage he did by not doing anything to challenge wingnut House Negroes like Ward Connerly going after the very Affirmative Action plans that fool benefitted from; and don't get me started on all the African-Americans and Latinos and women in his cabinet he slung under the bus because Newt Gingrich and Orrin Hatch whined to anyone who'd listen.
Even though I'm not on board with Obama, the fact that the Clintons are showing what they really think of Black people to the point they are offended because we're either considering Obama or even Edwards over the Borg Queen, has taken me to the point I want to petition to have Clinton's honorary Negro card revoked, just like Jay-Z did to Justin Timberlake when he hung Janet Jackson out to dry during the Super Bowl.
LBlock @ 125:
Hillary was the first lady then, not an elected politician. If you are going to use anything, you can use her record as a senator.
Anyway, both Hillary and Obama are two innefective moderate conservatives in whom I have no interest whatsoever.
Agent Provocateur @ 131:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.asp?id=N00009638&cycle=2008
Guy Fawkes @ 81:
What he is selling doesn't make me "feel good". I've heard all this tripe before. I don't even think they are particularly good speeches let alone "great".
Example: When Obama says," Democrats and Republicans together; and we can tell the drug and insurance industry that while they’ll get a seat at the table, they don’t get to buy every chair. Not this time. Not now."
I say, "horseshit".
First of all, when he says "democrats and republicans" it is pure pandering. Republicans aren't interested.
Doesn't he know that?
Secondly, why does he feel a need to give the drug and insurance industry a "seat at the table"?
The answer is that they bought and paid for it. Obama's presidential run has received more than $2 million from the health care sector and nearly $400,000 from the insurance industry through October of 2007 (Center for Responsive Politics 2007b). Obama received $708,000 from medical and insurance interests between 2001 and 2006 (Center for Responsive Politics 2007c). And this is only through October of last year.
Good night nurse!
I was surprised that Obama's concession speech was as good, if not better than his Victory speech.
The man is on the ascendency.
I originally backed Hillary (I'm Canadian so it don't really matter anyways), until I saw Sicko, and saw how much money the Pharmaceutical Companies give her. She was bought and paid for a long time ago.
Obama is the candidate for the 18-35 generation...in other words the candidate for the future. Hillary would make a good Veep.
Agent Provocateur @ 133:
When one promises something impossible as a deliverable, it is clear that person either does not know what he or she is talking about, or he or she is full of the proverbial cow excrement.
For all of you clowns dogging Obama for his speeches have you listened to Dubyah the last 8 years? No public official in American history has provided the comedy industry so much material. And Hillary is so boring and uninspiring I want to stick knitting needles in my ears.
Moose @ 132:
Obama endorse Lieberman
Lobbyists on Obama payroll
Obama NH Co-Chair
National Co-Chair
There you go Agent Provocateur.
Left&Left @ 142:
Being a great speaker is a definitely a good thing, however, alot of pretty words are just that. Words.
Throbbin @ 140:
So you don't like her as a president, but are OK with her as a vice president?
Barrett D @ 36:
lol
DiggyG Says: meh.
It’s just more of the same rainbows, butterflies and my little pony crap that Obama’s been peddling for months. He sounds like a Ms. America contestant.
Yes DiggyG, because the shit Bush has been peddling for years is better.
It is so nice to think we may actually have an eloquent speaker after years of embarrassment.
Iowa: A New Hope
New Hampshire: The Empire Strikes Back
MeMyselfAndI @ 137:
Crap? That stuff actually happened. You know what else happened? Hildog became a miserable failure at getting her health care plan passed because she doesn't possess that ability to make everyone feel welcome, the way Obama does. Or is that crap too? Am I thinking of someone else who failed terribly to pass the ONE thing she had decided to champion?
Hillary was the first lady then, not an elected politician. If you are going to use anything, you can use her record as a senator.
I don't believe that merely putting the title "President" in front of her name is going to make her any better at passing legislation, but okay.
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