So who are the "we"?

[question everything]

As in "our time has come?"

In 1992, after Pat Buchanan declared a "culture war," some of us were discussing the elections and someone commented: The Republican party wants white, protestant males. I am a white Jewish woman, and thus do not meet two of the three "requirements."

I was reminded of that comment when I've observed Obama saying again and again: "our time has come." "Now it is our turn."

Is he talking about African Americans? About non-boomers?

During the campaign both he and Michelle trashed the Bill Clinton presidency. Obama praised Reagan while denigrated the baby boomers "the bad 60s." (Never mind that the 60s gave us the Civil Rights movement). One of his adoring fans - Newsweek's Jonathan Alter - came out about how all his life he felt like a "step generation" - being born in the mid 50s, saying that the baby boomers did not contribute anything to our society (I had a discussion about this early in the year).

Thus, for those of us who were born shortly after the end of WWII, who still are grateful for Bill Clinton - who turned a deficit into surplus, who reigned over an economic expansion across all income levels, who nominated two Supreme Court Justices that makes talking about taking back the Supreme Court even a possibility - are we still part of the Democratic Party? Is Obama caring about us? Or are we going to be the biggest drag on the economy with our pending demand on Social Security and Medicare, our pending withdrawal of million of dollars from our IRAs and 401Ks?

[anonymous171]

1. He means Americans.

[2rth2pwr]

3. It's American's time now? Whose time was it before?

[bunnies]

6. Nice subtle slap in the face to Obama supporters in your sig line.

Are you never going to stop?

[2rth2pwr]

22. The sig line is honoring all the people who see Obama as an Overlight teacher.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/06/06/notes060608.DTL

"...Many spiritually advanced people I know (not coweringly religious, mind you, but deeply spiritual) identify Obama as a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who has the ability to lead us not merely to new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet, of relating and connecting and engaging with this bizarre earthly experiment. These kinds of people actually help us evolve. They are philosophers and peacemakers of a very high order, and they speak not just to reason or emotion, but to the soul..."

[bunnies]

48. Riiiiiight. No snarkyness from you at all.

You've had an epiphany. :eyes:

[RoseMead]

28. July 11, 2008 Noon. n/t

[Zenmaster]

9. A select few who profit from the GOP

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

14. Republicans.

Sorry, your time is over.

[hfojvt]

15. Clearly it was England's

It's time we replaced Greenwich Mean Time with the kinder and gentler Central Time. The times demand it!!!1

[anonymous171]

17. If you think America has been run by the people, then you are very much mistaken.

[FrenchieCat]

20. It was corporate profits before........remember?

doh! :crazy:

[dsomuah]

26. Political insiders, lobbyists, and the corporations that pay for them

Corporate America practically handpicked the last two supreme court nominees.

[LSK]

33. Corporations

[galledgoblin]

36. sure as hell wasn't mine (n/t)

[Gore1FL]

59. The fascists

evidently

[Igel]

56. Nope.

Unless you've just defined all those opposed to Obama to be non-Americans.

* is American. Saying that "his time has come" if Obama wins has an ominous ring to it.

Most US corporations have Americans at their helm and as their Board. When Obama wins, will it be there time, finally?

See the problem?

So we can rule out "Americans", or at least "all Americans". He undoubtedly means "some Americans", but then we're back to the question--what subset?

[cliffordu]

2. How about people instead of corporations??

[mrreowwr_kittty]

4. I hear that Obama is going to turn Baby Boomers into fertilizer

It's part of his New Green Economy. Good thing I'm a Gen Xer.

[cliffordu]

5. cool. we deserve it. Complete fuck-ups as a generation

[1Hippiechick]

8. Speak for yourself......

[cliffordu]

52. Name one way we have left this world a better place....

[Lilith Velkor]

54. Ending conscription in the U.S.

Since you asked.

[cliffordu]

55. The citizen soldier....hmm...

we will have to disagree.

Everyone should serve. Everyone.

A tour of duty for every able bodied young adult- If you cannot stand the military, then a stint in the conservation corps, the peace corps or 'invest in your country corps...." but EVERYONE should invest a little of themselves in this country and world.

It would make everyone a little more empathetic with others.....

[1Hippiechick]

58. "A tour of duty for every able bodied young adult- If you cannot stand the military, then a stint "

in the conservation corps, the peace corps or 'invest in your country corps...." but EVERYONE should invest a little of themselves in this country and world."

There's quite a bit of difference in investing oneself by going to war versus Peace Corps, don't you think? Yes, there are lots of ways to get involved without committing murder.

[cliffordu]

61. That's right, there are many ways to serve....

I just think it should be a right of passage. And everyone should share that right.

Could be we'd be a better nation for it.


I did my service. Did you?

[1Hippiechick]

65. "I did my service. Did you?"

What exactly did you do? I come from a long history of military service where the MEN served in wartime. We have tintypes (sp) of my husband's great-great grandfather in his civil war uniform, and his great-great grandfather on the other side of his family was murdered for refusing to participate in the Klan. Our fathers served in WWII. Most recently my husband was in the Marines, and our younger son was 82nd Airborne. Me? I have been an activist since the 60s, and currently my focus is GOTV. Also, my husband and I are a 2-person disaster response team locally and respond to local disasters which are usually house fires. We work at the local homeless shelter, and have delivered Meals on Wheels until employment out of town ended that. I went with the Red Cross to the Gulf after Katrina struck and interviewed victims in order to issue vouchers; did damage assessment, and combed the more rural areas to see that people who were due assistance were seeking assistance and if not, interviewed and issued vouchers on the spot. I'm working locally to ensure that we have democratic representatives at each precinct in November, and that all the rules and regs are being followed to ensure that the ratio of voting booths to # of registered voters in each precinct is being met, and that the layout of the precinct--according to state guidelines that I obtained from the State Board of Election--ensures voting in secrecy. IMHO, I serve my country, but more on a local, personal level.

:hi:

[1Hippiechick]

57. We left it a better place by refusing to drink the Kool Aid that past generations had!

Our generation questioned authority, and I am PROUD to have been part of that generation that refused to drink the Koo-lAid and questioned authority. Does "the emperor has no clothes" resonate? The turmoil or revolution of the 60s was necessary to move our country forward! I saw the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Did you know that these basic rights were not even legislated until the 60s?

Is your question even serious? Do you even remember the 60s or did you only ready about it? Are you a millennial raised by a boomer, by chance? I saw the assassinations of President Kennedy, Malcolm X, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., to name a few, and with them, hopes and dreams for a better society, a more equal society. I watched the draft send friends to VietNam, never to return. I watched on television as black students under armed guard attended previously all-white schools during desegregation. Peaceful demonstrators were not treated so peacefully during that time. On television I saw college peaceful protesters killed at Kent State. I saw innocent people killed because of the fight for civil rights. I live a few miles down the road from Greensboro where 4 black college students staged their sit-in at a previously "whites only" Woolworth's lunch counter. Can you even imagine growing up during a time when public water fountains, public restrooms, restaurants, etc., etc., had "white only" signs posted? Or grown black men being called "boy" by whites? Or, their not being "allowed" to sit at the front of a bus, rather being relegated to the rear? My generation realized that all people were not treated equally, and that we all had and have a responsibility to see that they are--then as well as now. I'm tired of all the inequality and racism that still exists in this country, but not too tired to keep fighting against it.

[cliffordu]

62. self delete

[Connie_Corleone]

19. Some will be reserved for soylent green production.

Long live Gen Xers!!

[question everything]

25. Soylent Green, anyone? (nt)

[Zenmaster]

7. "we" are everybody that is being ignored.

You are missing the point, if you are thinking of "we" in an exclusive way, rather than an inclusive way.

"We" refers to anybody that wants to have a say in government, wants things to change from the direction that "we" have let them go down over the past 7 years.

[BOSSHOG]

10. I don't see how we will be a drag on the economy

I've put into social security for 35 years, and I'm looking forward to my two cents worth. No doubt baby boomers have billions in IRA's and adding to them everyday. Said withdrawals will be good for the economy. I chuckle at the notion that boomers are bad or a drag. Why is it so terrible that we will be withdrawing from Social Security but it wasn't a problem when "we" have been adding to it for decades? And since there are so many of us haven't we contributed the most? But I digress.

[cottonseed]

47. You do realize that SS is not a fund?

There's no actual SS fund, there's nothing to "add to". So there's no such thing as "contributing the most". The drag is that there will be many more boomers drawing from SS than workers to pay for it.

[BOSSHOG]

64. Pay for what??

If there won't be enough "workers to pay for it" now does it not compute that there were more workers "baby boomers" paying for "it" in the past when there were less people "dragging?"

If there is no "contributing the most" then how could there possibly be not enough workers to contribute now?

Once again why the "drag" since those doing the dragging have been "contributing" the most? And if there is no fund how could there possibly be a drag?

There is not a fund? Pray tell what was that item on my pay stub for all these years?

[hfojvt]

11. so many questions

Do you have to question everything?

Why don't you question the Clinton administration?

"Our time has come" was the repeated refrain from Jesse Jackson's speech in 1984. You claim to be old enough to remember that. In that speech Jesse mentioned many groups (which I cannot remember clearly, although there is a link to the speech in my journal, where so many other answers can be found :o :eyes:) but it was basically the poor, the working class, and social outcasts. You know, the people who are usually excluded from the Reindeer games :cry:

[Recursion]

People more interested in a functioning government...

...than scoring points on either side of the Culture Wars.

[Blue_Roses]

12. Where did he say it is "our turn"?

link please

It is our time--meaning--time for the republicans to take note that they can no longer pillage the "kitty" and strip hard-working Americans of their right to have equal health care and job opportunities.

[Symarip]

13. "We" meaning...

"Only those who believe in Raptor Jesus".

It's so obvious in the way Obama speaks. He's obviously making reference to those who are bles-sed enough to have been touched by His magnificient talon.



HAIL!!!

[RoseMead]

31. Gotta love the Sacred Heart of Raptor Jesus! lol n/t

[Symarip]

32. Raptor Jesus is all knowing and powerful.

He is love.

[RoseMead]

37. Love

and big sharp pointy teeth. lol :P

[PM7nj]

16. Less than two days left...

[Forkboy]

18. Me and a guy named Doug.

The rest of you are screwed.

[keep_it_real]

21. He Means the working people of America who are getting a bad deal

He means all Americans; time for the people to take back our country.

[ellacott]

23. I remember the gas crisis of the 70's

Jimmy Carter warned us that our dependence on oil was a threat to national security. The speed limit was lowered and we had odd and even numbered days when we could buy gas. Japanese cars began to take over the market and the auto indutry took a hit that it has never fully recovered from. Jimmy Carter stressed conservation and recyling. He had solar panels installed on the White House roof. What happened? When Reagan took office he had the panels removed and people no longer talked about alternative fuels. Through the subsequent Presidencies no one made this a major issue. We are forced to do it now.

I am one of those who is disgusted with this govt. for letting this problem fester for 30 years. Everyone(including Bill) ignored this problem.

[question everything]

29. Did Reagan really do this? I did not know

but then, I do remember members of his administration, especially James Watt who, it appeared, were going out of their way to reverse every single New Deal achievement, just for the sake of reversing it. Thus, it would not surprise me that he took the solar panels out. Why couldn't they have stayed? It was not costing anything by then?

[ellacott]

40. Yes, Reagan did this

The Repubs have been trying to reverse the achievements of the New Deal ever since Reagan. I wish they could have let them stay also.

This is a link to a Press Release from Jimmy Carter:
http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/newsreleases/2007/07-18.pdf

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

41. I got your "amen" right here...

If Jimmy Carter were not quite so pious, I'm sure he be thinking, "Fucking assholes! I WARNED them that this was going to happen, but did they listen? NOOOOO!"

Thirty years of malign neglect on energy issues, and we're quite literally paying the price.

[ellacott]

43. So true

The next person in the White House who seemed to show an interest was Al Gore.

[scheming daemons]

24. Well, at least you admit that it was about restoring Bill for you, and NOT about Hillary....

...

[RoseMead]

34. Several of the Hillary supporters I know personally

gave me that as their reason for voting for her: they liked Bill and figured with Hillary as president, he would be the one really calling the shots.

Disclaimer: This is an anecdote based upon my limited personal experience. It is not meant to describe Hillary supporters in general. This opinion is not necessarily shared by the management or membership of DU. Your mileage may vary.

[question everything]

45. No, this was an added bonus

She was not my first choice but once I started hearing her at the debates, I was impressed with her precise responses, to the point, while the men would waffle and waver and mug at the camera.

But this is me - left brain dominant who is persuaded by specifics rather than a vague concept.

[Youphemism]

27. The context is clear: The people who want change in Washington

"Our time has come"

In *every* speech I've heard him say this, the context is *always* about the people who have been wanting a change in the way things are done in Washington.

This is perfectly clear, if you listen to what he's saying.

Geraldine Ferraro and a few others have taken out the words "Our time has come" and reprehensibly tried to assign other meaning to it.

He's not talking about black or white people, men or women. The message is change. It's pretty simple, and yet people keep either screwing it up as if it's complicated, or saying it's too simple and doesn't have enough specifics, as if they're hopelessly incapable of going to his website and reading the specifics behind the change he's talking about.

[RoseMead]

30. Me, for one.

You too, if you want.

[ieoeja]

35. The "we" not referenced by, "Venezuela is our enemy".

If Venezuela (or any third world country) introduces New Deal policies then their wages go up which means less competition to bring down our wages. It also creates more consumers for American products which creates more US jobs and more US profits.

Obama's "we" are the 99% of Americans who benefit from New Deal policies in Latin America.

Bush's "we" are the 1% of Americans hurt by those policies. That would be the people already invested heavily in the status quo. The people exporting food *from* Venezuela while the people were starving *in* Venezuela because the 1%ers could make more money selling that food in Europe and the United States.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

38. No he's not talking about you...

I have on good authority (Fox News) that he's talking about only African American males. Jimmy Walker is going to be the Secretary of Defense. So you and your Jewish lady friends will just have to suffer...

:sarcasm:

Two more days and the "Concern Trolls" get the hook.

[Zenmaster]

42. Dyn-O-mite!

[LSK]

39. the 1.5 million people who donated to his campaign, vs the 1500 lobbyists

who donate to others.

[2rth2pwr]

53. The people who haven't donated are SOL?

[Gore1FL]

60. No they will benefit from the selflessness of those who donated as well.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

44. We, the non-"triangulated" members of the Democratic Party.

The Clintons gave us pandering to the right as a strategy.

They gave us "welfare reform" as part of that pandering.

They gave us Nafta.

They gave us a foreign policy that prevented the UN from moving into Rwanda during the genocide.

They gave us George W. Bush.

They gave us a vote for war.

They gave us the ideal of winning at any price.

They gave us "respectable" racism under the banner of the "White working class".

They gave us shit and told us it smelled like roses.

I'm white, male, 64 years old who marched for civil rights in the '60s. Marched, and voted, for peace in the '60s. And, I wouldn't vote for a Clinton for head garbage collector.

[SoonerPride]

46. I am "we." You are "they."

Wednesday can't come soon enough.

[cottonseed]

49. I think it's every person in America besides just you.

Wouldn't that be odd? It's everyone's time, except one lonely internet poster going by the handle "question everything".

[Jersey Devil]

50. "Oui" - He was speaking French, n'est ce pas?

Well, if he winked when he said "we" then I say we could reasonably conclude that it was a secret message to the space aliens he has already conspired with to take over after his election and turn us all into forced laborers for Martian green cheese production.

[jeffrey_X]

51. "Obama praised Reagan"

Seriously, you are still twisting his words?

If not, then show me the exact quote where he praised Reagan.

Thanks.

[Occam Bandage]

63. He means elitist terrorist blacks.