Pres Obama's speech- Democratic Values are American Values plus some personal narrative.

[Pirate Smile]

These values aren't Democratic or Republican. They aren't conservative or liberal values. They're American values. As Democrats, we take pride in what our party has accomplished over the last century: Social Security and the minimum wage; the GI Bill and Medicare; Civil Rights and worker's rights and women's rights. But we also recognize that throughout history, there has been a noble Republican vision as well, of what this country can be. It was the vision of Abraham Lincoln, who set up the first land grant colleges and launched the transcontinental railroad; the vision of Teddy Roosevelt, who used the power of government to break up monopolies; the vision of Dwight Eisenhower, who helped build the Interstate Highway System. And yes, the vision of Ronald Reagan, who despite his aversion to government, was willing to help save Social Security for future generations.

These were serious leaders for serious times. They were great politicians, but they didn't spend all their time playing games or scoring points. They didn't always prey on people's fears and anxieties. They made mistakes, but they did what they thought was in the best interest of their country and its people.

That's what the American people expect of us today - Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. That's the debate they deserve. That's the leadership we owe them.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2010/09/obama_cleveland_jobs_speech_tr.html

I thought this was a very effective part of President Obama's speech. This is the part Tweety, Fineman & Shrum are getting all dreamy about because it goes back to what Obama was very good at during the campaign.


I wish the press would start going after Republicans for not being "serious". It would be nice if they would pick up on this theme re needing "serious leaders for serious times" which the current batch of Republicans made a concerted decision to NOT do for purely political reasons.

edit to add - Here is some of the personal narrative that Tweety, Fineman & Shrum liked:

I ran for President because I believed that this kind of economy was unsustainable - for the middle-class and for our nation's future. I ran because I had a different idea about how America was built - an idea rooted in my own family's story.

You see, Michelle and I are where we are today because even though our families didn't have much, they worked tirelessly - without complaint - so that we might have a better life. My grandfather marched off to Europe in World War II and my grandmother worked in factories on the home front. I had a single mom who put herself through school, and would wake before dawn to make sure I got a decent education. Michelle can still remember her father heading out to his job as a city worker long after Multiple Sclerosis had made it impossible for him to walk without crutches.

Yes, our families believed in the American values of self-reliance and individual responsibility, and they instilled those values in their children. But they also believed in a country that rewards responsibility. A country that rewards hard work. A country built upon the promise of opportunity and upward mobility.

They believed in an America that gave my grandfather the chance to go to college because of the GI Bill. An America that gave my grandparents the chance to buy a home because of the Federal Housing Authority. An America that gave their children and grandchildren the chance to fulfill our dreams thanks to college loans and college scholarships.

It was an America where you didn't buy things you couldn't afford; where we didn't just think about today - we thought about tomorrow. An America that took pride in the goods it made, not just in the things it consumed. An America where a rising tide really did lift all boats, from the company CEO to the guy on the assembly line.

That's the America I believe in. That's what led me to work in the shadow of a shuttered steel plant on the South Side of Chicago when I was a community organizer. It's what led me to fight for factory workers at manufacturing plants that were closing across Illinois when I was a Senator. It's what led me to run for President - because I don't believe we can have a strong and growing economy without a strong and growing middle-class.

edit to add II: I also liked that he described the economy before the financial crash and said it gave "the illusion of prosperity".

[monmouth]

1. I remember my parents being shocked, shocked I tell ya, that

Adlai Stevenson was referred to as an "egg head." They found that slur to be "distasteful and arrogant." Haha, they'd pass out in a faint if they were around today. People were more considerate I think back then, and far more mature and serious...

[pnorman]

3. I cast my first ballot in 1952, for Stevenson (D, IL)

I well recall that "egg-head" reference. I also recall this petulant question: "Do you want a DIVORCED MAN in the White House?". Does anyone here recall WHO first broke that barrier?

[monmouth]

4. Andrew Jackson??..n/t

[Pirate Smile]

5. Reagan

[pnorman]

6. Reagan was whom I had in mind, but the other responder made me hit Wiki.

"Shortly after Jackson first arrived in Nashville in 1788, he lived as a boarder with Rachel Stockley Donelson, the widow of John Donelson. Here Jackson became acquainted with their daughter, Rachel Donelson Robards. At the time, Rachel Robards was in an unhappy marriage with Captain Lewis Robards, a man subject to irrational fits of jealous rage. Due to Lewis Robards' temperament, the two were separated in 1790. According to Jackson, he married Rachel after hearing that Robards had obtained a divorce. However, the divorce had never been completed, making Rachel's marriage to Jackson technically bigamous and therefore invalid. After the divorce was officially completed, Rachel and Jackson remarried in 1794.<51> However, there is evidence that Donelson had been living with Jackson and referred to herself as Mrs. Jackson before the petition for divorce was ever made.<52> It was not uncommon on the frontier for relationships to be formed and dissolved unofficially, as long as they were recognized by the community."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson

"Technically bigamous", but not divorced.

[Pirate Smile]

7. I remember talk about that when Jon Meacham's Andrew Jackson book came out and that

Rachel died before he was sworn in and he blamed it on his political opponents who said all kinds of terrible things about her which related to this story.

[pnorman]

8. I have that bok on Audible.com format.

But it was almost a year ago when I listened to it, so I had to check it out on the web. I LOVE Audible.com books, and have close to 90 titles so far. But you can't "riffle" through one like a hard copy!

[Change Happens]

10. Amazing how he was the one who brought all the family values folks into the fold for the GOP.

[Change Happens]

2. Thank you for posting - By far, the most moving part of the speech today!

"It was the vision of Abraham Lincoln, who set up the first land grant colleges and launched the transcontinental railroad; the vision of Teddy Roosevelt, who used the power of government to break up monopolies; the vision of Dwight Eisenhower, who helped build the Interstate Highway System. And yes, the vision of Ronald Reagan, who despite his aversion to government, was willing to help save Social Security for future generations.

These were serious leaders for serious times."

I love that last part about serious leadership...!!!

I expect to see more of this going forward, they will know that Monday and today worked!

[Pirate Smile]

9. kick