Obama compares himself to Dr. King, Thomas Jefferson, and FDR.

[MethuenProgressive]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ffwY74XbS4
"Don't tell me words don't matter. 'I have a dream.' Just words. 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' Just words. 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself.' Just words."
-----------
Hubris, thy name is Obama.
Barack, those were men of Deeds. When you've done 1/1000th of what they did for our Nation, perhaps then you can start to compare yourself to men of their stature.

[Medusa]

1. He was not.

And you know it. If this is all the Clintonistas have, they're pretty hard up.

[MethuenProgressive]

19. He's saying His words equal their words. As though all they did was give speeches.

Lofty rhetoric can be inspirational, but it will never surpass, nor even equal, action and deed.

[chimpymustgo]

21. NO. He was using DEVAL PATRiCK'S words to say his words equal their words.

Ya gotta follow along closely with this guy. He's a slippery one.

[RaleighNCDUer]

29. And of course, Rev King never gave any inspirational speeches

before he became the leader of the movement - and Jefferson never said anything of note before he wrote the Declaration, and we all know that FDR had been president for two terms before he said anything that anyone took notice of.

That is the most tortured logic I've ever heard - if you want to back up your theses you need to be finding pretty speeches by people who never did anything, to prove that words count for nothing.

Those leaders were inspiring people with speech and written word long before they became the finished heroes they were. They weren't making inspiring speeches because they were important - they were important because they could inspire people to take on entrenched racism, an overpowering empire and a double threat of economic collapse and fascist aggression.

The inspiration is what creates the public will to accomplish great things. We've had some brilliant politicians who accoomplished very little because they couldn't insire anyone to care. We've also had some very inspiring politicians who accomplished very little because they were all hot air - Bill Clinton comes to mind, engendering great loyalty while selling out the country to the DLC and the Republicans.

Are you really afraid that Obama will be another Bill?

[Bitwit1234]

20. I think Jesus and God are coming up next....

that is if the head doesn't explode first.

[dkf]

2. Don't worry...he will.

He's going to do wonderful things for our country.

[tekisui]

3. I hope you didn't hurt yourself on that stretch.

He never compared himself to them. He illustrated the power that words have on the course of history, something Hillary thinks is naive.

To Hillary, words have no historical importance, only financial benefit as Bill rakes in $40 million for his.

[liberalnurse]

4. Wait, wait, wait now.... you forgot Messiah!

[Nitrogenica]

5. A post of half truths on DU? WTF?

It's Swiftboat DU-ers for Truth now, is it?

[Maribelle]

6. And let's not forget that ad of his: JFK morphing into Obama

And Teddy screaming it out on national television

[LulaMay]

31. What? Is that a joke?

[Tennessee Gal]

7. I disagree and I support Hillary.

He was talking about words. Not comparing himself to those men.

The real issue is that he used statements already made by Deval Patrick. And the words were almost identical, if not completely identical.

[dkf]

9. They were both quoting great speeches.

We only have so many of those. How many can we quote from really?

[Tennessee Gal]

11. I saw the videos.

It was plagarism.

[Bicoastal]

8. Hoboy...

...this really is straw-grasping time, isn't?

I suppose, in the eyes of the biased Hillary fan, that quoting other great men in a speech automatically makes the speaker consider him (or herself) to be at their level.

Let me break it down for you. The subject at hand was words. The thesis of this part of the speech--"Do words themselves matter, or are they merely window dressing for substance and policy?" Obama attempted to prove that words themselves did indeed have the power to inspire, thus proving the fallacy inherent within his rival's criticisms. (Less speechifying, more debating, is the true test of presidential material.) It was well done, but not really such an unusual step in the game of politics.

Honestly, what is going on around here? Are these actually real objections?

[Tennessee Gal]

14. You should see the videos.

It is plagarism.

[Bicoastal]

16. Honey > Vinegar.

[liberal N proud]

10. Oh, I am so glad that I have not decided who to support yet

Because these threads are sure helping....






















































































not!

[floridablue]

12. I thought he was JFK or RFK ?

[cd3dem]

22. He also claimed to be Wellstone in MN

[floridablue]

27. Has he been George Washington yet ??

[MethuenProgressive]

28. His teeth are too nice.

But he'll try soon, of that we can be sure.

[MethuenProgressive]

35. Ha!

:dem:

[cd3dem]

32. He is just like Lincoln too!!!!

when the Obamanites found out JFK actually has experience and was in the congress and senate for 14 years.. they quickly decided he was a Lincoln...

[floridablue]

36. Log cabins in Illinois cost 1.65 mil these days ? wow

However I think the closest anyone in that campaign has been to a log cabin is to attend log cabin republican meetings.

[cd3dem]

38. maybe Rezco could help him get a deal on a log-cabin too!

[izzie]

13. Well yes he is. Some people come out at the right time

Not that all are good people but history is full of people who grab on to what the people want and run with it. FDR did it, Cornwall did it, Lenin did it. One can take From that what ever they wish. Even Queen Elizabeth the first had the feel for what her people wanted. I have been saying for a year the Obama is the right man for the time. This is not things he thought up but it is what people feel and he is running with it. Same way with King. These feeling are all under ground and just waiting to go. Same with our Revolution. 30 men did not do that but the country wanted it. I am with him on this. The words are just pulling it together.

[boston bean]

15. Thank you for putting this into words. It is exactly how I felt watching it. nt

[RBInMaine]

17. OK, here are some Obama DEEDS for you.

"Obama is long on rhetoric and short on action," I DON'T THINK SO ! Here is a sample of the excellent Obama record. (And up front I'll add another DEED: Unlike Clinton, Obama takes NO corporate PAC money whereas she takes more than many or most Republicans.)

1) A community organizer with a Chicago church-based organization to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment.

2) First African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Soon after, instead of going to make millions on Wall Street, he returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law.

3) His advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate, where he served for eight years. In 2004, he became only the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

4) In the Illinois State Senate he worked with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state.

5) He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education.

6) After a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

7) Passed a U.S. Senate measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent.

8) He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.

9) As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan.

10) Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world.

11) Knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.

12) Whether it's the poverty exposed by Katrina, the genocide in Darfur, or the role of faith in our politics, Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. But above all his accomplishments and experiences, he is most proud and grateful for his family. His wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.

IF I HAD A FEW MORE HOURS, I COULD GIVE YOU THE REST.

[rodeodance]

18. He likes Political good 'catchy phases"--I notice he many times has to stop to think which

one will sound good when he talks--the pauses.

[LulaMay]

23. Thank you....thank you!

[TheDoorbellRang]

24. These were the words these men said that inspired action

And all those words were "just words" said by men who dared to dream of a brighter future for America -- their great deeds followed.

[MethuenProgressive]

26. "their great deeds followed." Don't know much about history do you?

That's pretty common with DUbamas.

[TheDoorbellRang]

30. Well, let's flesh it out for you

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal"
from the Declaration of Independence, which were "just words" until the Revolutionary War was won. Back then, there were also quite a few (about 30% of the populace -- sound familiar?) who wished Jefferson and his ilk would just STFU.

The "I have a dream" speech was spoken by MLK in August 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, helping to usher in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I believe at the time there were many who thought MLK was "uppity," but his "just words" were able to inspire the majority of Americans to do the right thing.

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Said by the unproven FDR in his inaugural speech during the Depression. How'd that work out for him?

In all these cases, actions followed inspirational words, not the other way around. What part of that is hard to grasp?

[MethuenProgressive]

33. thin flesh

Before writing the Declaration, Jefferson did nothing?
Before "I have a Dream" MLK did nothing?
Before "Nothing but fear itself" FDR did nothing?
You know very little about our history.

[TheDoorbellRang]

37. Of course not, but their words inspired others

to help them accomplish the deeds that are held in such esteem now. These men are honored today for the deeds that sprang from their words of inspiration -- their accomplishments beforehand would be minor footnotes in history if we had not won the Revolution, if we had not won WWII, if we had not passed Civil Rights and Voting Rights legislation. History is still written by the winners.

[route66left]

25. This Obama is the Messiah thing is typical of a dumb electorate.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

34. Then what's all the silly straw men typical of?

Desperation? Dishonesty?

[MethuenProgressive]

39. Kicking this because the DUbamas are still claiming BO never said what he said.

There's video of him comparing himself to Jefferson, to Dr King, to FDR.
And the DUbamas deny it.
And wonder why they're called a cult...

[AX10]

40. He's mearly copying their words to get the press to make the...

comparison for him.
Still, it makes him a fraud.

[MethuenProgressive]

41. I understand that logic. You're probably right.

[Raffi Ella]

42. "Hubris, thy name is Obama." to say the least!

I think this is appropriate as well:


When pride comes, then comes shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.

Prov 11:2


Ya' know not even Jesus Christ himself could live up to the hype Obama has created around himself.

[MethuenProgressive]

43. "Hype," not Hope.

there seems to be a typo on all those Obama signs.