"I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter.” –Newscaster Howard Beale, played by Peter Finch, speaking Paddy Chayefsky’s words in “Network.” (1976)
It is time for us, as Americans, to get our act together. I am tired of the moaning and hand wringing about the task awaiting President-elect Obama. Since I am doing some of that wailing myself, I’m going to dial that back starting now.
Government has never been the answer to our problems, but there are things that government can do awfully well. Not at a profit, not cheaply, but well.
We’re coming out of a time of cynicism and indulgence, based on the assumption that nothing’s worth believing in, just get yours while you can, and if there’s a problem, just turn on the t.v., a bigger t.v., a flat screen, and soak your consciousness away.
It’s time for us to look in the mirror, and look at each other, and start to have faith in each other. If you’re an optimist, that will be easy. If you’re a pessimist, let me assure you—we have no other choice.
Barack Obama, his advisors, the Congress, people of every political stripe are going to hunker down now, and focus on making progress. As of January 20th, 2009, what ever happened before is over. Loosen our grip on those quarrels from before. And we have to look at each other with hope and open hearts.
If you worked long and hard on this campaign, and you wish this historic first African-American President didn’t have so many crises on his plate, foreign and domestic, let me give you a gentle reminder.
Take a look at our money; sneak a peak at Mount Rushmore. Lincoln and Washington; Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt. You don’t become a great American President by taking over when things are quiet and leaving things as they are. .250 hitters don't make the Hall of Fame.
Barack Obama is already in the history books, no matter what he does. The only question is, will he be remembered only as our first African-American President, or as a great President?
He’s going to have some difficult decisions to make. And we’re going to have to work together, hope together, fail together and ultimately succeed together, to make the Change and the Hope he campaigned for, take shape, take root, and rejeuvenate this country we love.
It is time for us, as Americans, to get our act together. I am tired of the moaning and hand wringing about the task awaiting President-elect Obama. Since I am doing some of that wailing myself, I’m going to dial that back starting now.
Government has never been the answer to our problems, but there are things that government can do awfully well. Not at a profit, not cheaply, but well.
We’re coming out of a time of cynicism and indulgence, based on the assumption that nothing’s worth believing in, just get yours while you can, and if there’s a problem, just turn on the t.v., a bigger t.v., a flat screen, and soak your consciousness away.
It’s time for us to look in the mirror, and look at each other, and start to have faith in each other. If you’re an optimist, that will be easy. If you’re a pessimist, let me assure you—we have no other choice.
Barack Obama, his advisors, the Congress, people of every political stripe are going to hunker down now, and focus on making progress. As of January 20th, 2009, what ever happened before is over. Loosen our grip on those quarrels from before. And we have to look at each other with hope and open hearts.
If you worked long and hard on this campaign, and you wish this historic first African-American President didn’t have so many crises on his plate, foreign and domestic, let me give you a gentle reminder.
Take a look at our money; sneak a peak at Mount Rushmore. Lincoln and Washington; Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt. You don’t become a great American President by taking over when things are quiet and leaving things as they are. .250 hitters don't make the Hall of Fame.
Barack Obama is already in the history books, no matter what he does. The only question is, will he be remembered only as our first African-American President, or as a great President?
He’s going to have some difficult decisions to make. And we’re going to have to work together, hope together, fail together and ultimately succeed together, to make the Change and the Hope he campaigned for, take shape, take root, and rejeuvenate this country we love.
All right, people! Forward we march, voluntarily and energetically together. Eyes front and upward, hearts open, we roll up our sleeves and get ready, comforted by the knowledge that we chose well.
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