The Promise of America

[Mott the Hoople]

In just a few days President elect Obama will be inaugurated as President of the United States of America. Regardless of what his detractors may feel, this will be the most significant historical event of our nations history since Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.

People of my generation did not expect that an African American could or would become a US President in our life time. Many thought it not possible ever and that makes me think about The Promise of America. The promise that makes our nation so unique. The promise that we cherish and is our greatest strength. The tie that binds us all together as one.

That promise is that anyone can be anything they want to be to be. That anyone by his or her own talents, hard work, energy and character can make what they want of their life or as is often heard in school rooms "Anyone can grow up to be President."

There have been times where it has seemed that we have not lived up to this promise. The days of Jim Crow would be an example. But Jim Crow did not get consigned to the dust bins of history because of its brutality as brutality has always been part of the human experience. Jim Crow eventually died because it failed to live up to The Promise of America and we Americans, as a just people, could not tolerate this.

The Promise of America is an integral part of the American experience. It is a part of the fabric of our life that makes us who we are as a people. The great people of our history have often reminded us of this promise.

When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon and said "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." He was speaking about the promise of America.

When Abraham Lincoln reached out to a defeated Confederacy and said "With malice towards none and charity for all." he was speaking of the promise of America.

When Martin Luther King penned from his jail cell in Birmingham that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." He was writing about the promise of America.

But Thomas Jefferson defined The Promise of American most succinctly when he wrote "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

And so in a few days, in a historical moment, we will all experience The American Promise. I urge all of us to reach out to each other on this day. To reach out to those of different views, faiths, polities and culture and to share our common heritage. That for one shining moment on one glorious day we will see The American Promise realized and we will all know why it is good to be an American.

God Bless the USA!

 

[ib1yysguy]

The next FDR.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Who knows. Obama could end up as a failure as a President. Time and history will tell. That doesn't detract from the moment and it will be a great one that we can all be proud of.

 

[ib1yysguy]

Look, if Bush can make it though 8 years and still come out with people "debating" whether or not he was a failure, Obama is going to blow away expectations. The 25 percenters are going to be the only ones still upset with Obama after his first four years.

 

[Cancel 2018. 3]

while i think he is a schmuck, dishonest, possibly not eligible to be president, a socialist...i hope he does good things for this country. i have a feeling his ideology will change after being in office a few months. unless of course the terrorists, like ayers, sink their talons in and win...but hopefully he will see and experience things as president that will make him a better american, err kenyan

 

[Annie]

Who knows. Obama could end up as a failure as a President. Time and history will tell. That doesn't detract from the moment and it will be a great one that we can all be proud of.

I agree. It's a historical moment. The first black American president, who'd have thought? At the same time he stands to enter office with more on his plate than any president back to Lincoln. Granted that FDR took office in troubling times, but at the time no one really thought war was on the horizon.

No, we and he are faced with a very untested President, with two wars and a quickly sinking economy. He's not qualified, but may surprise all of us. I hope so.

 

[cawacko]

Look, if Bush can make it though 8 years and still come out with people "debating" whether or not he was a failure, Obama is going to blow away expectations. The 25 percenters are going to be the only ones still upset with Obama after his first four years.

If you say expectations are unprecented (i don't believe any President has had a 75% approval rating after 4 years in office) and that he will blow them away does that mean he'll end up in the 90% range and some of the '25 percenters' will also be supporting him? If so would probably make him the greatest President ever by a wide margain. Well no one will accuse you of not aiming high.

 

[uscitizen]

Look, if Bush can make it though 8 years and still come out with people "debating" whether or not he was a failure, Obama is going to blow away expectations. The 25 percenters are going to be the only ones still upset with Obama after his first four years.

Apples and oranges.
You cannot compare Bush to Obama at this point.
imho Obama's populatrity will decrease the more hard decisions he makes to truely help this country in the correct direction for the longer term.

 

[cawacko]

hey uscitizen, i thought we had an agreement that you would not stalk me and post after me. Even more so now that you freakin LIE and try and claim I somehow PM you and hit on you???? Whatever dude.

Look here man, my aunt lives on a farm in Amish country in Ohio so I know how that works. People on farms in Kentucky might be the only folk in America more inbred than the Amish. Please sir stop posting after me on this board. And stop LYING that I PM you when I never have! Freakin liar!!! Keep your inbred ass to yourself sir.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

I agree. It's a historical moment. The first black American president, who'd have thought? At the same time he stands to enter office with more on his plate than any president back to Lincoln. Granted that FDR took office in troubling times, but at the time no one really thought war was on the horizon.

No, we and he are faced with a very untested President, with two wars and a quickly sinking economy. He's not qualified, but may surprise all of us. I hope so.

You need to study your history more. Our present conditions are not even remotely comparable to the disaster that was the great depression and you can thank you're lucky stars for the institutions and legacy of FDR that have prevented our present mess from becoming a catastrophe of the magnitude of the Great Depression. Obama's plate may be full....but it aint that full.

As for the historical moment it's not just that Obama is "The First Black American President". It's so much more than that and I'm not sure your understanding what I mean by "The Promise of America.".

Where else on earth can a biracial child, form a poor working class family, have the opportunity to arise to this level? This is the promise that I'm talking about. No where else in the world could this happen.

Not qualified? Not qualified? I don't mean this as an ad hominin attack as I'm really trying to reach out to you but I really question the credibility of that comment. Obama did not come from an old money, blue blooded, aristocratic family of the political class. He didn't get into Columbia as a legacy. He had to struggle, work and compete for that oppurtunity. He wasn't invited into prestigeous social networks, like skull and bones, as he did not have a patrician pedigree like a Bush or a Kennedy. He had to work to earn those social connections. The fact that he was not only able to get accepted into one of the most demanding graduate programs of law at Harvard and graduate magna cum laude is not just indicitive of his talent and ability but it indicates a man who can roll up his sleeves and work hard with determined focus and energy. My point being, our current President never had these experiences of having to struggle and overcome adversity by applying his God given talents and by working and competing and the scars of being overwhelmed by his job show on President Bush and that is mostly due to not having these life experiences. In many respects Obama is vastly more qualified for this job than President Bush was.

When Bush first ran for the Presidency I, as a Republican, was concerned that since he had never faced adversity in his life that if adversity would occur, it would over whelm him and he would perform poorly. That is why I supported McCain in 2000. In retrospect, Bush exceeded my worst fears and more than 70% of the people of this nation now realize this too. When Obama has failed to the historical degree of the Bush presidency then you may make that argument. Personally, I don't fear that happening to the degree I feared that with Bush as Obama is much more qualified to deal with adversity than Bush is as Obama has had to overcome adversity all his life. So in the future, you should probably refrain from making silly comments about Obama's qualifications to be President as, quite frankly, you make your self look silly, like you've been listening to Rush Limbaugh instead of thinking critically and you don't want to be viewed in the same light as a Spurt, Bravo or WRL do you?

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Apples and oranges.
You cannot compare Bush to Obama at this point.
imho Obama's populatrity will decrease the more hard decisions he makes to truely help this country in the correct direction for the longer term.

Yea, no modern President was as popular at the end of his term as at the beginning.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

hey uscitizen, i thought we had an agreement that you would not stalk me and post after me. Even more so now that you freakin LIE and try and claim I somehow PM you and hit on you???? Whatever dude.

Look here man, my aunt lives on a farm in Amish country in Ohio so I know how that works. People on farms in Kentucky might be the only folk in America more inbred than the Amish. Please sir stop posting after me on this board. And stop LYING that I PM you when I never have! Freakin liar!!! Keep your inbred ass to yourself sir.

What part of Ohio? Plain City?

 

[cawacko]

What part of Ohio? Plain City?

i believe it is in Howard. That's about an hour north of Columbus correct? and I think Kenyon College is nearby? When I was young my grandfather (who lived his whole life in Columbus) would send me Kenyon sports schedules he would pick up on the way to my Aunt's farm. Always made me laugh.

Sorry, random here. I've been to my Aunt's farm twice. I remember her Amish neighbors would come over and use her phone and put food in her refrigerator. I also met one who had their leg broken under a piece of farm machinery but would not go to the doctor. So it was like a year later but his leg was still completely a disaster.

 

[evince]

I agree. It's a historical moment. The first black American president, who'd have thought? At the same time he stands to enter office with more on his plate than any president back to Lincoln. Granted that FDR took office in troubling times, but at the time no one really thought war was on the horizon.

No, we and he are faced with a very untested President, with two wars and a quickly sinking economy. He's not qualified, but may surprise all of us. I hope so.

Not qualified?

He is qualified.

Period

 

[evince]

In just a few days President elect Obama will be inaugurated as President of the United States of America. Regardless of what his detractors may feel, this will be the most significant historical event of our nations history since Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.

People of my generation did not expect that an African American could or would become a US President in our life time. Many thought it not possible ever and that makes me think about The Promise of America. The promise that makes our nation so unique. The promise that we cherish and is our greatest strength. The tie that binds us all together as one.

That promise is that anyone can be anything they want to be to be. That anyone by his or her own talents, hard work, energy and character can make what they want of their life or as is often heard in school rooms "Anyone can grow up to be President."

There have been times where it has seemed that we have not lived up to this promise. The days of Jim Crow would be an example. But Jim Crow did not get consigned to the dust bins of history because of its brutality as brutality has always been part of the human experience. Jim Crow eventually died because it failed to live up to The Promise of America and we Americans, as a just people, could not tolerate this.

The Promise of America is an integral part of the American experience. It is a part of the fabric of our life that makes us who we are as a people. The great people of our history have often reminded us of this promise.

When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon and said "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." He was speaking about the promise of America.

When Abraham Lincoln reached out to a defeated Confederacy and said "With malice towards none and charity for all." he was speaking of the promise of America.

When Martin Luther King penned from his jail cell in Birmingham that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." He was writing about the promise of America.

But Thomas Jefferson defined The Promise of American most succinctly when he wrote "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

And so in a few days, in a historical moment, we will all experience The American Promise. I urge all of us to reach out to each other on this day. To reach out to those of different views, faiths, polities and culture and to share our common heritage. That for one shining moment on one glorious day we will see The American Promise realized and we will all know why it is good to be an American.

God Bless the USA!

Beautifully said.

 

[blackascoal]

In just a few days President elect Obama will be inaugurated as President of the United States of America. Regardless of what his detractors may feel, this will be the most significant historical event of our nations history since Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.

People of my generation did not expect that an African American could or would become a US President in our life time. Many thought it not possible ever and that makes me think about The Promise of America. The promise that makes our nation so unique. The promise that we cherish and is our greatest strength. The tie that binds us all together as one.

That promise is that anyone can be anything they want to be to be. That anyone by his or her own talents, hard work, energy and character can make what they want of their life or as is often heard in school rooms "Anyone can grow up to be President."

There have been times where it has seemed that we have not lived up to this promise. The days of Jim Crow would be an example. But Jim Crow did not get consigned to the dust bins of history because of its brutality as brutality has always been part of the human experience. Jim Crow eventually died because it failed to live up to The Promise of America and we Americans, as a just people, could not tolerate this.

The Promise of America is an integral part of the American experience. It is a part of the fabric of our life that makes us who we are as a people. The great people of our history have often reminded us of this promise.

When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon and said "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." He was speaking about the promise of America.

When Abraham Lincoln reached out to a defeated Confederacy and said "With malice towards none and charity for all." he was speaking of the promise of America.

When Martin Luther King penned from his jail cell in Birmingham that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." He was writing about the promise of America.

But Thomas Jefferson defined The Promise of American most succinctly when he wrote "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

And so in a few days, in a historical moment, we will all experience The American Promise. I urge all of us to reach out to each other on this day. To reach out to those of different views, faiths, polities and culture and to share our common heritage. That for one shining moment on one glorious day we will see The American Promise realized and we will all know why it is good to be an American.

God Bless the USA!

I agree with you if you're talking about symbolism, but not much more. African-Americans don't need symbolism, they need politics of substance, which is not what you're going to get from Barack Obama.

We need a just police, court, and criminal system. That is NOT going to come from Barack Obama.

We need police officers to stop shooting unarmed black people .. but you won't hear a peep about this from Barack Obama.

The war on drugs is a war on black people and we need that war to stop .. but only a fool would expect that from Barack Obama.

I could go on .. but the point is that America will look in the mirror and feel all proud of itself about how far we've come in race relations .. and at the same time look away when racism rears its ugly head.

We've been waiting 400 years for the promise of equality in America and it ain't (eb) here yet.

Looks good on paper though.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

i believe it is in Howard. That's about an hour north of Columbus correct? and I think Kenyon College is nearby? When I was young my grandfather (who lived his whole life in Columbus) would send me Kenyon sports schedules he would pick up on the way to my Aunt's farm. Always made me laugh.

Sorry, random here. I've been to my Aunt's farm twice. I remember her Amish neighbors would come over and use her phone and put food in her refrigerator. I also met one who had their leg broken under a piece of farm machinery but would not go to the doctor. So it was like a year later but his leg was still completely a disaster.

I'm familiar with Howard. It's in Knox county near Kenyon and Coshocton. I used to live not far from there in Delaware, Ohio.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Beautifully said.

Thank you.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

I agree with you if you're talking about symbolism, but not much more. African-Americans don't need symbolism, they need politics of substance, which is not what you're going to get from Barack Obama.

We need a just police, court, and criminal system. That is NOT going to come from Barack Obama.

We need police officers to stop shooting unarmed black people .. but you won't hear a peep about this from Barack Obama.

The war on drugs is a war on black people and we need that war to stop .. but only a fool would expect that from Barack Obama.

I could go on .. but the point is that America will look in the mirror and feel all proud of itself about how far we've come in race relations .. and at the same time look away when racism rears its ugly head.

We've been waiting 400 years for the promise of equality in America and it ain't (eb) here yet.

Looks good on paper though.

I couldn't agree more. Right now Obama is symbol who's importance to many cannot be understated but the problems of race in America won't vanish just because Obama was elected. It's a long road that needs to be walked.......but this is certainly one big step in the right direction and it doesn't change the fact that Tuesday will be a great day to be an American.

 

[Minister of Truth]

If you're a Boomer Mottley, then not thinking a black man would be president is just another thing your generation fucked up on. Your generation sux.