Oy. The inaugural address reminded me it is going to be a long four (or eight) years. But it is probably political speech-making in general I dislike more than anything in particular about this one, which was well delivered.
Mark DeFrancisis
Tuesday, January 20, AD 2009 12:41pm
Very respectful post!
Anthony
Tuesday, January 20, AD 2009 1:56pm
Look at it this way: starting today reality sets in.
And besides… being in the opposition is always fun!
Phillip
Tuesday, January 20, AD 2009 2:55pm
Yes Anthony. Here’s to questioning authority!
Cheers
Phillip
Tuesday, January 20, AD 2009 3:41pm
Is the picture now bigger or has he already grown in office?
With apologies to John Henry, I clean up the posts that everyone posts. Meaning fixing fonts, paragraphs, but not the content. So I thought to get a better pic of President Obama.
Actually I liked much of the inaugural speech and I will do a post on it in the future. Portions of it could have been written by Ronald Reagan. I fear for the worst from this administration, but I certainly wish President Obama well in protecting this country from foreign foes, solving the financial crisis, and ending, as he promised to do, government programs that are not necessary. As for the rest, we shall see.
I think Douthat basically captures my vague unease with the speech, although I’ll admit it had some nice moments…
The speech, I thought, was a sometimes-dissonant, sometimes-successful attempt to marry expansiveness and sobriety. The language of realism was woven throughout – “our collective failure to make hard choices … the time has come to set aside childish things …the challenges we face … will not be met easily or in a short span of time” – and there was, as Maggie Gallagher put it, an “old-school Protestant” element to much of Obama’s rhetoric, from the calls to duty and responsibility, to the promise to marry “hope and virtue,” to the praise for the work ethic and criticisms of ” those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.” But time and again, Obama pivoted from this theme to the sort of begin-the-world-anew rhetoric that we’ve come to expect from all our presidents, liberal and conservative alike – promising that hard choices are really false choices, that pragmatism can overcome partisanship, that there’s no technological hurdle that Science can’t leap, and that all those nameless “cynics” who worry about hubris, overreach and decline don’t understand that in the brave new age of Obama, their pessimistic instincts “no longer apply.” His description of our straits was sometimes Carteresque, in other words – but his prognosis tilted, inevitably, toward a liberal version of Morning in America.
Donna V.
Tuesday, January 20, AD 2009 7:32pm
Although I did not vote for him, I wish President Obama the best. He has pleasantly surprised me in some areas and although I am worried, I am also cautiously optimistic.
And now that we are the loyal opposition, may we criticise Obama when he merits criticism and praise him when he does something praiseworthy, without sinking to the ugly and hate-filled depths Bush’s detractors sank to over the past 8 years. Now they are called upon to behave like adults for a change; we shall see how it goes.
Perhaps I’m a bit too prickly, but I thought I discerned some backhanded slaps at his predecessor which I considered unseemly. And if I were an Obama advisor, I would recommend not inviting Rev. Lowry back for any more public addresses.
And if I were an Obama advisor, I would recommend not inviting Rev. Lowry back for any more public addresses.
Why? Too much authentic Christianity for you?
S.B.
Tuesday, January 20, AD 2009 9:44pm
Right . . . Michael’s command of the New Testament is such that he probably really does think there’s a verse commanding “yellow” people to be “mellow.”
Hey Phillip – What the hell does Obama’s abortion policy have to do with Lowery’s speech?
Phillip
Wednesday, January 21, AD 2009 12:26pm
Hey Michael,
It has to do with the question of what is authentically Christian. What the hell do you think?
Phillip
Wednesday, January 21, AD 2009 12:27pm
Though I’d rather take a bit of non-Christian racism than a lot of non-Christian abortion of babies.
[Ed. Note: Please keep on topic. The point of the thread was to offer sincere congratulations to President Obama. I don’t mind occasional digressions, but his position on abortion does not need thorough treatment here.]
Phillip
Wednesday, January 21, AD 2009 12:34pm
Good enough. I apologize. I assure you I offer my congratulations to Mr. Obama. Have prayed quite thoroughly and yesterday attended Mass with him as my intention. Just responding to a digression.
[…] He’s Right, He’s Right By John Henry Continuing in the spirit of good will following the inauguration, I thought I would take this opportunity to emphasize a matter on which President Obama and I […]
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Oy. The inaugural address reminded me it is going to be a long four (or eight) years. But it is probably political speech-making in general I dislike more than anything in particular about this one, which was well delivered.
Very respectful post!
Look at it this way: starting today reality sets in.
And besides… being in the opposition is always fun!
Yes Anthony. Here’s to questioning authority!
Cheers
Is the picture now bigger or has he already grown in office?
Phillip,
With apologies to John Henry, I clean up the posts that everyone posts. Meaning fixing fonts, paragraphs, but not the content. So I thought to get a better pic of President Obama.
Thanks Tito.
“Here’s to questioning authority!”
It is my understanding that dissent is no longer the highest form of patriotism. 😉
John Henry,
It is my understanding that dissent is no longer the highest form of patriotism. 😉
I heard that too!
Matt
“It is my understanding that dissent is no longer the highest form of patriotism.”
Bummer dude! I guess I’ll have to inhale now.
Actually I liked much of the inaugural speech and I will do a post on it in the future. Portions of it could have been written by Ronald Reagan. I fear for the worst from this administration, but I certainly wish President Obama well in protecting this country from foreign foes, solving the financial crisis, and ending, as he promised to do, government programs that are not necessary. As for the rest, we shall see.
Portions of it could have been written by Ronald Reagan.
Yep, like the “We will not apologize for our way of life” part!
Have I been banned? Really?
I think Douthat basically captures my vague unease with the speech, although I’ll admit it had some nice moments…
Although I did not vote for him, I wish President Obama the best. He has pleasantly surprised me in some areas and although I am worried, I am also cautiously optimistic.
And now that we are the loyal opposition, may we criticise Obama when he merits criticism and praise him when he does something praiseworthy, without sinking to the ugly and hate-filled depths Bush’s detractors sank to over the past 8 years. Now they are called upon to behave like adults for a change; we shall see how it goes.
Perhaps I’m a bit too prickly, but I thought I discerned some backhanded slaps at his predecessor which I considered unseemly. And if I were an Obama advisor, I would recommend not inviting Rev. Lowry back for any more public addresses.
And if I were an Obama advisor, I would recommend not inviting Rev. Lowry back for any more public addresses.
Why? Too much authentic Christianity for you?
Right . . . Michael’s command of the New Testament is such that he probably really does think there’s a verse commanding “yellow” people to be “mellow.”
Hey Michael,
Is this authentically Christian?
http://lifenews.com/nat4763.html
Hey Phillip – What the hell does Obama’s abortion policy have to do with Lowery’s speech?
Hey Michael,
It has to do with the question of what is authentically Christian. What the hell do you think?
Though I’d rather take a bit of non-Christian racism than a lot of non-Christian abortion of babies.
[Ed. Note: Please keep on topic. The point of the thread was to offer sincere congratulations to President Obama. I don’t mind occasional digressions, but his position on abortion does not need thorough treatment here.]
Good enough. I apologize. I assure you I offer my congratulations to Mr. Obama. Have prayed quite thoroughly and yesterday attended Mass with him as my intention. Just responding to a digression.
No worries. Not a big deal.
[…] He’s Right, He’s Right By John Henry Continuing in the spirit of good will following the inauguration, I thought I would take this opportunity to emphasize a matter on which President Obama and I […]