"He's a hopemonger"

[bigtree]

Obama brought this up again in his MLK church speech, mocking a comment allegedly made by someone in the Clinton campaign a while back.

I'm all for 'hope.' I'm convinced that Obama believes in hope. But, I don't think we have a deficit of hope in America. I think we have a deficit of action.

I also don't think what we've been facing against the Bush administration and his republican enablers in Congress (which have fostered and perpetuated the bulk of the problems and obstruction we're suffering) is a result of some lack of unity in America.

In the same speech at the MLK church today, Obama admitted (in a shout) that we have to fight for what we need -- for what we believe in:

"Dr. King understood that unity cannot be won on the cheap; that we would have to earn it through great effort and determination.

That is the unity – the hard-earned unity – that we need right now. It is that effort, and that determination, that can transform blind optimism into hope – the hope to imagine, and work for, and fight for what seemed impossible before."

He's correct, of course, that we have to fight for what's been denied us. But, I'm not understanding just who he intends to unify, other than folks who would vote for his candidacy. At some point, he's going to have to piss someone off in the opposition. Just making Democrats feel 'hopeful' won't even get him past the general election.

He's going to have to fight hard and directly confront the republicans, their mouthpieces, and their corporate benefactors -- in this election -- if he going to have any hope of advancing into a position where he can begin to unseat the entrenched interests which have infected the unbalanced bureaucracy in Washington for over a decade of republican rule.

I've heard from his supporters that he surely intends to alleviate our hopes with action, but, I'm a bit anxious for the actual fight as Obama seems content with merely setting the stage. I can only take so much of this hope-a-dope strategy. Let's get to kicking some republican ass. If that puts some voters off, so be it. They voted for these clowns (repeatedly), and they can't be trusted to cooperate in their cliques' dismantlement.

Only a fraction of registered Democratic voters have traditionally shown up for our elections. Let's give them something more than hope to rally behind. Let's give them an old-fashioned, no-holds-barred brawl. Let's move to DEMANDING our country back instead of acting like it's just been lost or something, instead of stolen outright.


http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[ursi]

1. I'm a hopemonger too! That was a kickass speech!!

[globalvillage]

6. The bit about the 'HOPE' sign was great.

"I put HOPE on my campaign signs. Doesn't even have my name on it, just says HOPE. Folks don't know who they're voting for, but it makes them feel good."

Good speech. I could watch that one again.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. That was a pretty choice gig getting the pulpit at the Ebenezer

on MLK Sunday.

[bigtree]

4. he was sufficiently inspired

and delivered an impassioned sermon.

But, this is politics . . .

[godai]

8. Obama looked so comfortable

His speech was great, as usual and he was singing along with "We shall Oversome" which was quite moving. No phony smiles, no robotic handshakes. He just comes off as sincere.

[bigtree]

11. He had mannerisms and affectations which I haven't seen from him on the campaign trail.

I think it's not out of line to say that he tailored his address for the audience. I just can't see these performances as 'sincere' . . . from any of them.

[tabatha]

3. Maybe he's talking about the electorate

who have not really been as outraged as they should be.
They should unite in making their voices heard about the unfairness of US today.
Eg Katrina. There are some that help, but many that just don't care.

[bigtree]

5. does he want them hopeful

or outraged? There needs to be an outlet for either.

[tabatha]

16. Hopeful that they can unite and make their outraged voices heard.

(That was so easy.)

[bigtree]

17. I've heard more than enough 'outraged voices' in the public

What we need are more outraged echoes of our voices from our elected representatives and from those who profess to want to lead us.

[ellisonz]

18. Outraged people tend not to be elected President.

[bigtree]

19. shame that

we couldn't be more outraged. It makes no sense to back a milquetoast candidate.

[ellisonz]

20. But it's true...

[B Calm]

7. Did he praise Reagan again in this speech?

[godai]

9. Do you feel good when you make such incorrect comments?

He never praised Reagan, and I think you know that.

[bigtree]

10. sounded like 'praise' to me

"I don't want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what's different are the times. I do think that for example the 1980 was different. I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not. He put us on a fundamentally different path because the country was ready for it. I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s and government had grown and grown but there wasn't much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating. I think people, he just tapped into what people were already feeling, which was we want clarity we want optimism, we want a return to that sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing."


"optimism, a sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship" From Reagan? Balderdash. That was nothing more than a slick con job from the 'great communicator.'

[B Calm]

13. Sounds like praise to me too...

[godai]

14. So, Hillary also 'praised' Reagan'?

She 'praised' his communication skills.

[B Calm]

15. I agree, but like Obama, she's also a republican lite too!

[butterfly77]

12. I have been saying this all along...

some people are caught in the hope message and are not looking at the big picture. I am hoping that a lot of people begin to realize this before he becomes the nominee and then we will be stuck with him once the republicons start kicking his ass all over the place.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

21. Explain the big picture please?