Thanks to you and to Michelle for having the courage to say what many feel they are (ludicrously enough) not allowed to say. I came of age in a conservative small town, where any efforts to engage in political or historical criticism regarding the U.S. were silenced by accusations of treason. I now live in Europe where American fear-based jingoism is seen as dangerously nationalistic by those here who see constant self-critique through the past and the present as a necessity. (Every German student must take 2-3 YEARS of Nazi studies, whereas the average American student spends 0 to 9 MINUTES learning about the Vietnam War in 4 years of high school.) The conventional wisdom here is that our failure to ever discuss our mistakes is why we still haven't learned from them.
America-- Love It or Shove it
Oh, the shame of it. The ungrateful, unpatriotic, uncouth comment that shocked the sensibilities of real Americans everywhere: Michelle Obama, speaking in Milwaukee, says "Let me tell you, for the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country. Not just because Barack is doing well, but I think people are ready for change..."
Partisan pundits and bobble-head political spouses are quick to blanch and gasp, "Why, I'm always proud of my country!" They mean that thing, too. There hasn't been a moment--not a single one--that they haven't been 100% proud of America. America, right or wrong. The disinformation campaign that launched a disastrous, deadly war for corporate gain in Iraq? Guantanamo? Abu Ghraib? Black sites? Illegal spying on U.S. citizens and the outing of a CIA operative? Where's the shame in that? None of it matters. A real American is an unfailingly proud American.
Clearly, Ms. Obama has a problem. Or somebody's going to make her one.
No matter that what she's proud of is a dynamic this nation has not seen in decades: Citizens, by the millions, are shrugging off the cloak of apathy, getting energized, engaging in the political process, registering to vote. Caucusing for change. Voting for better government.
But she said those words... heavy, hot-button words which, out of context and leached of intent, can mean whatever partisan politicos want them to mean. So they matter. And, for those who've been carping about "only words" and "empty words" and "words without work," the about-face is stunning, indeed.
Words have always mattered. The mighty pen and the sword thing, you know? Michelle Obama's words inadvertantly touched a raw American nerve and everything old is new again.
"Adult life," for those of her generation, came to full flower in the mid-eighties. The nation had suffered through the long, bloody quagmire that was Vietnam, an ill-advised war begun without understanding the culture of the country or the enemy we faced. The United States was bitterly divided for years--the dirty, anti-war, sex-and-drug-crazed, protesting hippies squared off against the mainstream, morally superior, my-country-right-or-wrong establishment. The words du jour? Bumper stickers everywhere, shouting "America--Love It or Leave It!" The first Golden Era of "Either you're with us or you're with the enemy" politics was upon us and there was precious little middle ground.
The combination of an endless bad war, bad leadership and bad public policy was lethal to optimism and activism. Politics turned deadly dishonest. Watergate exploded, the Nixon administration imploded and the American public lost faith in good government, turned off and dropped out.
The aftermath of war and Watergate set the stage for the self-absorbed "Me Generation" seventies and the callous "Greed is good--poor folks wouldn't be poor folks if they were willing to work hard like I do" eighties. The nineties brought the man from Hope. A new, more idealisitc generation took the reins of power only to falter. All that promise wasted through vicious partisan politics and self-inflicted scandals.
Apathy, anger and disillusionment have characterized much of the last half-century, peaking under the Bush II administration. We're back to the bad war, bad leadership, bad public policy quagmire, laced with arrogance, scandal and criminal behavior on the part of leaders who promised us the restoration of honor and dignity and a "faith-based" renaissance of relief for America's poor.
Now is no time for a new "America--Love It or Shove It!" mentality to take root again. Ms. Obama spoke to her pride in the American peoples' willingness to re-engage, to rise above fear, prejudice, disillusionment and apathy. She referred to her pride in their willingness to rise to the challenge for fundamental positive change in governance, and rightfully so. It's been a long time coming. The American voter is finally about the business of overturning the tyranny of ideas which effectively censored critical thinking, muzzled the voices of those who would say "Whoa! I love my country, but this is wrong..."
She's not alone in feeling proud of--and a little awed by-- this groundswell of public political re-engagement. Who knew we still had it in us? We're surprising ourselves.
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I'm afraid that Obamamania hasn't impressed me as a political event as much as it appears to be a Looky-Loo event in our history. Let's go see the hip, slick. cool Obama.
That is the problem. And that is why Hillary's campaign could point out laboriously the vast gap between his talk and his walk, and it wouldn't make a difference.
He's a media event. The hot spot to be. And voting for him makes people feel gushy and warm and like they took a pot of chicken soup to a sick friend.
I fail to see why viewing the presidency as a way to heal the racial sickness is wise or has a damn thing to do with what people need.
But the message of "change" is deliberately vague so you, voter, get to fill in the blanks.
I think, personally, it's a very old and cheap trick that he executed very well.
REminds me of Vegas shows.
You can't have it both ways. You can't decry the Obamas' lack of gushy and warm patriotism and, at the same time, find his gushy and warm appeals to the better angels of our nature to be calculated and cynical.
Hillary Clinton embodies the candidacy of the calculated and cynical, and many people seem to grasp her lack of sincerity and honesty.
One of her deceptions and manipulations for which she is responsible has been perpetuating this myth that Obama is without a substantive record and meaningful experience because she knows that several of his supporters are voting for him for other reasons, including eliminating Bush-Clinton politics. But, the record is there, and he actually has more experience than she in sponsoring legislation and holding public office. From loose nuclear weapons to sweeping ethics reform, Obama's Senate record dwarfs such efforts as Clinton's disgusting and calculated ban on flag-burning.
Moreover, Obama's policy positions and plans (available at www.BarackObama.com/issues ) are wiser and more judicious than those very similar proposals Clinton, herself, has. But, perhaps, the best reason to vote for Barack Obama is the demonstration of his better judgment. Hillary Clinton and John McCain have been among those responsible for the greatest foreign-policy mistake in our history, while Senator Obama was courageously speaking out in 2002 against what he called at the time a "dumb war." More than five years ago, he was able to predict all the chaos that ensued.
All of these things make Obama the most electable candidate. Have Democrats forgotten how they lost the 2004 election? Hillary Clinton, who supported the war until it became politically inconvenient to do so, is the "flip-flopper" of 2008.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633
This wise woman did a lot of homework comparing the actual accomplishments of the two Senators.
My candidate is Kucinich, but the corporate media war profiteers wouldn't even let him debate. Yes, what's left is more of a wrestling match.
I too, find the rock star fans of Obama's early boring speeches, unfathomable.
So I went to his web site and researched his posistions. I research Obama's history and accomplishments, I listened to this video of Obama being interview by the SF newspaper board.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2008/01/20/EDIAUHASH.DTL&o=0
Obama's record and positions are better then Hillary's. Hillary was the Chair for the DLC.ORG centrist corporatists. Hillary was on the board of Walmart. Hillary voted for the Iraq invasion.
Don't be like those fans of Obama who love him without knowing anything about him, Check him out before you condemn him.
In listening to "... for the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country," I found myself agreeing with Michelle Obama. I'm not terribly old, but being truly proud of the United States was something that I felt as a schoolchild learning American history and civics. Growing older, however, I started to lose some of that idealism as I learned more about the way our government really works and about the way our democracy has been marginalized in recent years.
Michelle Obama, like many of the rest of us, is not immune to this world-weariness. She sees the failings of our government, and she knows that many Americans have, in turn, lost hope that the government can ever be changed. But, for the first time in a long while, she's seen Americans believe again in the ideals upon which this country was founded. And, that fact has renewed her own faith in America.
In reality, Barack has merely unlocked that faith for us. He's reminded us of what it means to be Americans. He's reminded us of the reasons we were once as proud as we used to be when we were children and we dreamed and imagined and learned America.
That gift, which Barack has, is very special. And, the fact that so many Americans have chosen to believe again should make all of us proud. I thank both he and Michelle for undertaking this journey, and I'm glad to do my part in seeing America's promise fulfilled and the dreams of our forefathers restored.
The remarks that Michelle Obama has made during this campaign is what alot of women find unacceptable about the Obamas. I do not hear gratefulness, thankfulness, respect, honor. I hear arrogance and self pride. I think the Obamas miss the point. They are to make all of us more proud. Not because the king is rising - but because Americans can overcome the selfishness of others to serve one another. I do not think the Obamas are good examples of what they preach.
There are some ignorant people in the world. There are even some evil people around. Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between them in politics, for the evil ones are always on the alert to take something out of context, twist it, distort its meaning and broadcast it ad naseam.
This old white -- but not totally stupid -- person agrees completely with what Mrs. Obama said. I also despise the KKK class mentality that is making an issue of it. I think America too good for the likes of such.
And I'll be a lot prouder of America when that spoiled frat boy is out of my White House. I hope never to see the shameful likes of him in the Oval Office again.
Ande the lady who tried to make political hay of this is just another of the type. I'd hate to see such a bigot polluting the place.
Patriotism is truly the last refuge of the scoundrel. Anyone who pretends that this country doesn't have some things to be ashamed of hasn't been paying attention. Let's see, in my lifetime - murder of civilians in Korea so our troops could retreat faster - My Lai massacre in Vietnam partially covered up by a guy who eventually became Secretary of State (where he lied bold-faced to the United Nations) and could have been elected President - Abu Grahib and the other atrocities in Iraq - not to mention the fact that for the last twenty years the Neocons have been destroying the safety net for the weak and aged that had been patiently strung together by people of conscience. Yeah, lots of things to be ashamed of, and I just scratched the surface.
There are some ignorant people in the world. There are even some evil people around. Sometimes it is hard to differentiate between them in politics, for the evil ones are always on the alert to take something out of context, twist it, distort its meaning and broadcast it ad naseam.
This old white -- but not totally stupid -- person agrees completely with what Mrs. Obama said. I also despise the KKK class mentality that is making an issue of it. I think America too good for the likes of such.
And I'll be a lot prouder of America when that spoiled frat boy is out of my White House. I hope never to see the shameful likes of him in the Oval Office again.
Ande the lady who tried to make political hay of this is just another of the type. I'd hate to see such a bigot polluting the place.
First of all, Michelle didn't say anything wrong. Michelle's words:
"What we've learned over this year is that hope is making a come-back.
It is making a come-back, and let me tell you something, for the first
time in my adult lifetime I'm really proud of my country, and not just
because Barack has done well, but because, I think, people are hungry
for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that
direction, and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and
disappointment. I've seen people who are hungry to be unified around
some basic common issues and it's made me proud. And I feel privileged
to be a part of even witnessing this, traveling around states all over
this country and being reminded that there is more that unites us than
divides us. That the struggles of a farmer in Iowa are no different
than what's happening on the south side of Chicago. That people are
feeling the same pain and wanting the same things for their families."
To put her statement and her words "first time in adult life" into context, if she is in her forties, then she is essentially talking about the first time in the past 20-25 yrs, during the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. These were the years of "trickle down" Reagonomics that never reached even the middle class, Iran-Contra Affair, Desert Storm, high-deficit spending/high unemployment, ethic cleansing in Bosnia, presidential impeachment of Bill Clinton, NAFTA, Swift boating of Max Cleland, John Kerry and John McCain, Patriot Act, Abu-Ghairub, tax cuts for the rich/40 million in poverty/no health insurance, 9 trillion dollar national debt, and the Iraq war.
I would ask Cindy McCain and the media who have reported Michelle"s words if these events made us proud as a country?
All of the things you listed have to do with government and politics. Michelle did not qualify her statement as being only about those aspects of America. I wonder how her statement made all the Americans that have done great and courageous things for 25 years feel. She couldn't be proud of them because the government was messing some stuff up? She made that speech twice, once in Milwaukee and again in Madison, Wisconsin. If she didn't reflect on it in between maybe one of the campaign people should have discussed it with her. Moreover, her speeches are almost entirely griping about a whole laundry list of things and she just repeats these criticisms in speech after speech. She says that if I vote for Barack parents will turn off the TV and help their kids with their homework. I hope she's right but she was dead wrong on the other issue. America has had many things to be proud and not proud of in the last two decades. Michelle either has tunnel vision or she's fear mongering. Vote for Barack or America will never have anything to be proud of.
Ah, so nice to see the shoe on the other foot.
And listen to the whining!
Of course, when Shuster called Chealsea's efforts being "pimped out," that was just the ranting of crazy feminists.
This....oh, so different.
This is the racism of everyone but the Obamamaniacs.
We know. You've got the answer.
The rest of us are racists.
I was going to go with "morons", but the two are certainly not mutually exclusive.
She also said she might not vote for Hillary if she is the nom...now imagine the scandal if Bill said that about Obama. Not an acceptable remark at all. Disloyal to dems if she doesn't get her way is not a position the first family of the party should be espousing. She is devisive at best and not a loyal dem at worst.
Do you have such little faith in Hillary Clinton as a candidate that you feel you must spread lies and distortions about the Obamas in order for Clinton to win?
Here is a video of the full interview you are referring to:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4237864
Here is the salient part:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABC: Could you see YOURSELF WORKING to support Hillary Clinton if she gets the nomination?
Michelle: I'd have to think about that. I'd have to think about her policies, her approach, her tone.
ABC: So that's not a given?
Michelle: You know, everyone in this party is going to work hard for whoever the nominee is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why are you spreading lies and distortions about a fellow Democrat? Is that what being a "loyal Democrat" means to you?
As soon as I heard Michelle utter her words you've quoted, I did the math. Michelle's "adult life" began in 1982. I thought of all the take-home messages our country not only failed to heed, but completely ignored.
The OPEC gas lines (no change in CAFE standards or alternative fuels), pulling the plug on mental health care (increased crime and homelessness), underfunding the VA system (more homelessness and substandard healthcare for Vets), government chiseling away at environmental standards and boundaries, skyrocketing military spending while simultaneously lowering public education funding, ignoring and/or condemning AIDS suffers for twenty years. Geeze - I thought Michelle had summarized it politely.
Finally, our change constipation becomes a healthy civic movement. I expect Michelle's loudest critics to be the largest criminals in charge.
You've got it, Butterfly! Is there anyone here who believes America a better place now because of those administrations Michelle has spent her adulthood under?
Was one that presided over the greastest transfer of wealth in the history of any nation -- from the poor to the rich -- one to brag about?
Was one with a president who correctly identified "VooDoo Economics" and then practiced it one to be proud of? Was the one who gave us NAFTA and Zippergate an exaqmple for our kids? Was this little cheerleader --- who prissed gleefully from his primp session to the announcement of his attack on Iraq with his thumbs in the air like a kid in a Hollywood film, saying, "Feels good!" --- that fine example of manhood we should praise to the skies?
If those make you proud, vote for whomever you please, but if you are a thoughtful American who loves your ccountry and want its government to be worthy of its old --now devalued -- tradition and ideals, vote for the American whose presidency has the best chance of making us proud!
And that isn't Mr. Toady McCrawl.
Yes- it's not hubris to show pride- don't let the neocons attack her- they wrap themselves in theocratic platitudes while at the same time doing the opposite and then they have the nerve to call anyone who disagrees with their neocon hypocracies -unpatriotic--- Mrs. Obama was taken out of context- she used a superlative- she means we all could be prouder for the first time since 1968; civic outpour- by our young, middle-aged, and elderly population- it's a groundswell- and she has every reason to be proud- afterall- she's not yet 50- and it's been a long, hard political road- if we want to restore our image abroad- we need to get out of the Clintonian, Bush foreign policies- and try new approaches to regain our prestige with the international communities...
Oh that she had said the appropriate thing, like you did when you used the word proud"er". She did not say I have never been "so" proud of my country, you know like any normal person. She said "for the first time in my adult life". She did this speech twice in Wisconsin so she could have corrected the second one if she meant something else. She didn't. This wasn't a casual conversation or even an impromptu interview, it was a campaign speech. Remember, she's auditioning for the position of "first lady".
The problem is that this is not the first time Michelle Obama has used unwise words which were either conceived of by her or others in the campaign. Michelle, like Barack, has received a pass from the media, such as you in this article. Somehow nothing they say is analyzed, criticized, or scrutinized. Did it ever occur to you that the groundswell occurred because they have never been challenged, while Clinton has been completely vilified by the press and the pundits?
Did it ever occur to you and the rest of the folks who continue to claim "Obama/Michele getting a free pass" -- that JUST PERHAPS they've not be criticized because there has been nothing to criticize them for????? And this recent crap is as pity as it gets. Bill and Hillary only need look in the mirror to see who to blame for the negative press got and are getting.
Brava, Linda!
I have travelled all over the world and remember when you could be proud to show an American passport.
In recent years comedians joke about saying they are Candaian when they travel abroad. That to me is very sad
We WANT to have that same pride back and be respected in the world again. That is clearly what Michelle meant.
For the people who just didn't get it, maybe you should do some more travelling and find out for yourself.
LOL*....That's cute.
She was really talking about our standing in the foreign opinion world, eh?
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Posted February 21, 2008 | 02:49 PM (EST)