I listened to the whole 40 minute speech to rest my ears from editing. I doubt there are many people out there who will listen, least of all the sort of people who send out nonsense like this, claiming Obama is a radical Muslim sympathizer. Now there goes a tiny, tiny little mind. Dumb like that must grow on trees.
Conservative, in democratic politics, is synonymous with Religious. Likewise Progressive with mumbleatheistagnosticliberalheathencommiemumblemumble. Conservatives are Republicans and Progressives are Democrats. That’s just how the language breaks down for us these days when we’re talking about politics in America.
So it’s very refreshing, and somewhat eye-opening, to realize, because of this speech of Obama’s, that you can go to church and still possess an agile enough mind to grasp that your church is not everyone’s church. The values you grew up with may not be everyone’s values. It is the responsibility of Government to find common ground, rules that everyone can live by. It is NOT the role of a democratic Government to impose the morality of a specific religion on its citizenry. Or anyone else’s, for that matter. Which is an important note when we’re talking about foreign policy. Church and state do not mix, but it’s okay to bring some of those values with you to office, but on the other hand, he opposes abortion on religious grounds, but is fair minded enough to know that he cannot make a religious judgement for others. If his argument must include “the Bible says,” then he cannot make it policy in a country guaranteeing freedom of religion. So his political stance is pro-choice.
I really enjoyed Obama’s speech. I don’t agree with everything he said and I think he still plays the game a little. I believe some of his ideas are naive, though I have to allow that stating them may just be playing the game. Nevertheless, he really does understand that the social and economic problems with which his country is struggling do not stem from a single, sound-biteable source. He understand his country in historical context, and acknowledges that the greatest catalysts of change were not moderates or members of the majority, but vocal champions of the minority. I believe that in spite of that he still understands that good government must not cater to special interest groups. For the good of all. It’s a fine line. It really is.
It’s a given that if I were American, and willing to squander enough of my belief in true democratic process to take part in a bipartisan system, I would be a Democrat. I’m definitely not simple enough to believe that electing one person is going to change much, not when the bipartisan system in the States requires most decision making to be made by unified party voting- representatives must vote with the party, whether or not they agree. That’s hardly democracy. That said, if I were American, I would give Obama the nod. Voting Republican is ridiculous, and Hillary is too far removed from the realities of her country’s social decay- refunding everybody a few hundred bucks is going to rescue the nation from recession? Come on! That may be the most Republican idea ever to come from a Democrat. Barack Obama, however, seems to get it.
I forget who said it, but just a few weeks ago I read somewhere that Americans are turning out in unprecedented numbers to vote in the primaries and this writer said, “Americans are realizing that who the president is matters.” If Bush has given the world nothing else, and he really hasn’t, we can thank him for that.
You probably won’t listen to the whole speech, but I did, and I really did walk away with a renewed faith in America.