The speech struck me as a campaign stump speech to a special interest group. He did throw in a couple of lines about personal responsibility, but mostly it was how bad it was and is for them, and promising them that the government was going to see that they got a lot more financial help and how corporate America and Wall Street were going to be required to treat them right.
I have seen none of the speech, but I am struck by the news accounts that the crowd was offended. We all by now should know that the NAACP expects to be pandered to, that its members expects that a president will come to them pretending that the NAACP is still relevant. A gather that Obama refused. We all should know that blacks in general expect a democratic president to pander to them as Clinton did. I gather that Obama refused. And I think that Blacks have always felt that Obama is not black enough to talk to them as a full member of the black community, and I gather that he tried to speak as a black man anyways.
I'm hoping that the democrats in congress will make sure any health plan will also include cost cutting, and not give Obama everything he wants. Obama's confidence that this recession will be short-lived, and that tax revenue will improve enough to pay for all his social programs is the wrong direction for our country and economy. He must first show that our economy is on the mends with a reversal in job losses (net gain in jobs) before he institutes more social programs.
Quote:
Obama pushes healthcare reform, critics slam cost
Reuters
By Jackie Frank Jackie Frank " 2 hrs 55 mins ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) " President Barack Obama's far-reaching plan to guarantee all Americans healthcare ran into trouble on Friday over its more than $1 trillion price tag, forcing Democrats to look for ways to reduce costs as they moved the bill forward.
I'm hoping that the democrats in congress will make sure any health plan will also include cost cutting
there is not time in the program, nor any procedure, to get to reform of medicine. Obama supported the financial system without reforming it this assuring that we will have an even larger collapse in the near future. Obama has set in motion adding tens of millions of people to the health care insurance system without reforming medical delivery, which will insure run away costs if he is allowed to prevail. Over and over again Obama proves unwilling or unable to do the heavy lifting. This is what always happens when males are raised by women without men folk to teach them the ways of men. Before that we had Bush who is a dry drunk. Before that we had Clinton who was destroyed in youth by an abusive home. Why does America keep electing loser men?
White House and Democrats are struggling to bring a complex, controversial bill to remake the U.S. health care
system to a vote in both houses of Congress before lawmakers recess. A bill passed two key committees Friday.
"The health care overhauls released to date would increase, not reduce, the burgeoning long-term health costs facing the government"
0 Replies
aidan
2
Sat 18 Jul, 2009 09:11 am
@okie,
Is this the speech you're referencing? I thought it was well-written, well-presented, and sounded to me to be well-received.
He doesn't sound at all angry - he sounds like a leader.
And I'm not black or a member of the NAACP- but I think that's where the frustration, if he has some, might arise -when any Americans feel able to separate themselves from being the target audience of a speech that deals with problems that some in our country have had to overcome and are still working to overcome- but that did and do and will continue to affect all of us in one way or another.
spendius - you're more American than some Americans? Really? I read that chapter in DH Lawrence's book on classic American literature - about Nathaniel Hawthorne. Is that really indicative of your view of Americans? I think you should read it Foxfyre before you agree that he's more American than some Americans.
Not that you're not entitled to your opinion - certainly - but it doesn't indicate a lot of faith in American intellect or emotional maturity or enlightenment.
Maybe the way Obama presented seemed strange to you spendius, because he and the audience were engaged in call and response- a form of oratory and/or reciprocal communication that is unique to African Americans- and probably not how most people would expect a President to engage with citizens. But that's exactly why I liked it - it sounded to me like they were having church up in there- I loved it.
hawkeye, How do you know all that? The health plan hasn't even gotten past the committee stage. Did you see the final product? Where?
0 Replies
Foxfyre
-1
Sat 18 Jul, 2009 09:42 am
@hawkeye10,
hawkeye10 wrote:
I have seen none of the speech, but I am struck by the news accounts that the crowd was offended. We all by now should know that the NAACP expects to be pandered to, that its members expects that a president will come to them pretending that the NAACP is still relevant. A gather that Obama refused. We all should know that blacks in general expect a democratic president to pander to them as Clinton did. I gather that Obama refused. And I think that Blacks have always felt that Obama is not black enough to talk to them as a full member of the black community, and I gather that he tried to speak as a black man anyways.
I did not pick up that the crowd was offended. I finally found the transcript late last night as the video Okie posted only showed the first half of the speech--the second video I watched was apparently not the last half of the speech but WAS a campaign stump speech. This most current speech was not a speech that would offend a crowd like the NAACP. It was still filled with big government solutions. You would think that after many decades of big government solutions with steadily declining results, bright people would start rethinking that. More money is not the solution. A reordering of our value system and understanding the root of all real success is the solution.
Obama did touch on that by stating that the parents needed to be parenting. I wish he had focused his entire speech on that.
Did you notice the caricature he made with his hands on the word "church".
Anybody making a speech like that here and they would send for the men in white coats. But I suppose that deep, resonant timbre in his voice counts for a great deal. John Major tried a "back to basics" tack way back and everybody laughed. As well they might.
Blacks of the NAACP ilk have as long as I can remember always had their hands out, when ever a leader deals with them their attitude is "what are you going to do for me, and remember that my people were enslaved by your people, you owe me!!!". Obama by all accounts told them "do for yourself, you are responsible for yourself". That was offensive. These people are not used to being talked to like like, and they I am sure don't think that Obama is black enough to talk to them like that. He was supposed to get into power and use his power to hand out the goodies, and he comes to the NAACP not only empty handed but talking about personal responsibility!!. Now that is offensive.
0 Replies
snood
2
Sat 18 Jul, 2009 01:17 pm
Where did anyone see that the audience was offended by the speech? Or is that just a canard from between the ears of water-head or Okie?
He has already show his true colors and as a leader, he is worthless.
3.5 years and he's out of there.
0 Replies
hawkeye10
1
Sat 18 Jul, 2009 01:30 pm
@snood,
according the this report Obama did the requisite pandering, that the evening went according to format
Quote:
Expectations for Obama’s address ran high and political observers and members of the NAACP wanted him to not only talk about the legacy of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, but also to credit the organization with his own success, and to talk specifically about the “black agenda.”
NAACP CEO Benjamin Jealous said the speech was "pitch perfect."
Jealous praised Obama for affirming the value of the NAACP and for delivering a forthright speech on discrimination:
"He spoke to the crises that we face right now, crises in the schools, crises in the job market, crises in the justice system. It was a great speech. It was fabulous. It sends people from here with a great sense of hope."
And the group's chairman, veteran civil rights movement leader Julian Bond, who introduced Obama, said he spoke with the president briefly before the speech, and that he expected those conversations to continue. He added that that the organization would work on policies with the White House's new Office of Urban Affairs.
In his final line, Obama borrowed from the Negro National Anthem in talking about the future of black America.
“One hundred years from now, on the 200th anniversary of the NAACP, let it be said that this generation did its part; that we too ran the race; that full of the faith that our dark past has taught us, full of the hope that the present has brought us,” he said as the crowd members leapt to their feet.
“We faced, in our own lives and all across this nation, the rising sun of a new day begun.”
I would hope that in 100 years there would no longer be a purpose for the NAACP, that we would have by then risen above the victim culture that so hobbles us, but that is just me.
“One hundred years from now, on the 200th anniversary of the NAACP, let it be said that this generation did its part; that we too ran the race; that full of the faith that our dark past has taught us, full of the hope that the present has brought us,” he said as the crowd members leapt to their feet.
“We faced, in our own lives and all across this nation, the rising sun of a new day begun.”
What utter drivel. I would have leapt to my feet if I was subjected to that sort of mush. One can't make for the door without first leaping to one's feet.
What utter drivel. I would have leapt to my feet if I was subjected to that sort of mush. One can't make for the door without first leaping to one's feet.
we Americans not only love to have our ego stroked, we feel that we are entitled to demand that our ego's be stroked. It is a byproduct of the victim identity.
0 Replies
cicerone imposter
1
Sat 18 Jul, 2009 01:48 pm
@spendius,
spendi, Most people have the good sense that within our democracy, you can pretty much do whatever one pleases as long as it doesn't endanger anyone else.
BTW, how often have you ever "jumped up and left" any speech? Your pub doesn't count.
0 Replies
roger
1
Sat 18 Jul, 2009 01:54 pm
@cicerone imposter,
cicerone imposter wrote:
I'm hoping that the democrats in congress will make sure any health plan will also include cost cutting, and not give Obama everything he wants.
Right. One plan is to cut Medicare compensation for specialists and diagnostic imaging by 20%. If that ends up as part of the final bill, all will be well. Medicare will be on a sound basis - even if everyone facing those cuts opt out of the Medicare system. So, use an expanded Medicare as a public health care plan and everybody will have insurance as planned. Noone will accept it, but we will have health care.
I've done accounting for two small companies, and seen the numbers for several others. I do not believe there is a legal business in the U.S. that consistantly has a 20% net income. Heck, even Bernie Madoff didn't return over 10%.
