innaguration speech

[tonylongoriafan]

not a big obama supporter but i do acknowledge the importantance and significance of today...

...that being said, what did ya'll think of the speech. i thought it was kinda middle of the road

[The Reckoning]

speach?

[tonylongoriafan]

speach?

yeah, sorry about that...i'm a little rushed today at work...tried to change it after i submitted the thread but couldn't...my bad

[The Reckoning]

nah no worries just thought id catch that for you because someone else sure as hell wouldve

[Bartleby]

There was no way it could have met all the hype and expectations, but keeping that in mind I'd say it was OK, maybe a bit on the pedestrian side.

[TDMVPDPOY]

i was watchin it on tv the whole process

lets just say theres a few things in his speech i didnt agree on, expecially the defence part about america and the international community.

[Winehole23]

Obama Inauguration Speech: FULL TEXT (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/20/president-obamas-inaugura_n_159370.html)







http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/58767/thumbs/s-OBAMA-large.jpg





Full transcript as prepared for delivery of President Barack Obama's inaugural remarks on Jan. 20, 2009, at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

My fellow citizens:


I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.


Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.


So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.


That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.


These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.


Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.


They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.


On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.

We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

[angel_luv]

I didn't hear it.

When the transcript comes online will somebody please post it?

[angel_luv]

What service, Wine! Thanks! :)

[EricB]

After watching it twice, its a tad middle of the road.

Although I hope he doesn't get ripped up for the words in his speech of,

"We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."


Great great line there, and one that I agree with 100% and would've given him a standing ovation after he said it.

[Taco]

It Was Pretty Good I Thought

[ploto]

"We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."


I just can not believe that stupid Chief Justice chosen by Bush screwed up the words to the Oath of Office. And there was Obama looking at him trying to figure out whether to repeat it the wrong way Roberts said it, or to say the oath the right way.

[Bartleby]

"We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."


I just can not believe that stupid Chief Justice chosen by Bush screwed up the words to the Oath of Office And there was Obama looking at him trying to figure out whether to repaat it the wrong way Roberts said it, or to say the oath the right way.

I was wondering what happened there. He went with the latter, no?

[DarrinS]

After watching it twice, its a tad middle of the road.

Although I hope he doesn't get ripped up for the words in his speech of,

"We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."


Great great line there, and one that I agree with 100% and would've given him a standing ovation after he said it.


Why, in Obama's name, would anyone rip THAT part of his speech? That's a great line.

[Winehole23]

I just can not believe that stupid Chief Justice chosen by Bush screwed up the words to the Oath of Office. And there was Obama looking at him trying to figure out whether to repeat it the wrong way Roberts said it, or to say the oath the right way.Obama waited for Chief Justice Roberts to say it right. No biggie. Had to be the biggest public moment so far for Mr. Roberts, so a stumble is forgivable.

[EricB]

Why, in Obama's name, would anyone rip THAT part of his speech? That's a great line.


The anti war crowd has looked down upon such words in the past.

[EricB]

"We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."


I just can not believe that stupid Chief Justice chosen by Bush screwed up the words to the Oath of Office. And there was Obama looking at him trying to figure out whether to repeat it the wrong way Roberts said it, or to say the oath the right way.


Your are , and I mean this truly, a jerk.


You don't think Mr. Roberts, who is being given such an amazing honor and duty of swearing in one of the most significant president's of all time, wouldn't be FREAKING NERVOUS!?!?!?


DAMN, take the stick out of your damn ass.

[SA210]

innaguration speech :sleep

[ploto]

You don't think Mr. Roberts, who is being given such an amazing honor and duty of swearing in one of the most significant president's of all time, wouldn't be FREAKING NERVOUS!?!?!?


The guy had one simple duty to say an oath of barely 30 something words that anyone should know. It is after all IN the Constitution and he is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The VP oath is much longer, and Stevens got it right and he is more than 30 years older than Roberts.

[timvp]

I thought the speech was good. Going in I thought it was going to be a speech that had a main aim of getting him re-elected -- such as the speech on election night. But I was pleasantly surprised that he gave a speech much closer to the tone of the speeches he was given when he first started his campaign. Solid moderate speech :tu

I also liked that he had a good level of authority and conviction without going back to the played out catchphrases. Plus it steered clear of most sissy liberal talking points.

Only two problems I had with the speech: 1) Not really any memorable line to remember it by. 2) Some of the analogies were weak and the word play was extremely mediocre. I'm surprised that speech writer kid went to some basic and overused text instead of raising the overall level a bit.

But yeah, overall I give it a :tu. Much better than his election night speech and better than I anticipated.

[JamStone]

I thought it was a great speech. I think he delivered it well with passion and authority, which made it sound better. Some great lines and and thoughtful ideas. I personally really liked the following:


To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

[angel_luv]

The guy had one simple duty to say an oath of barely 30 something words that anyone should know. It is after all IN the Constitution and he is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The VP oath is much longer, and Stevens got it right and he is more than 30 years older than Roberts.

35 words. I just learned that today.

[JamStone]

Goes to show you, even Supreme Court Justices can get nerves.

[balli]

It's all good. I'll criticize Roberts all day over a litany of issues, but I'll never knock him for getting nervous in front of a 2 million person deep crowd. I'd have been nervous too. Plus, he'll get a chance to make up for it the next time Obama's sworn in.

In terms of the speech: I thought it was great. Pretty powerful when he quoted Washington. I was happy to see him speak directly to the Muslim world. This wasn't just a pomp and circumstance speech and I was happy to see him be so emphatically honest.

[DarrinS]

What was with the lame poem?


That was the most long-winded droaning delivery I've ever heard outside of Maya Angelou.

[timvp]

Yeah that was the worst poem I've ever heard. And the delivery was worse.

[EricB]

The guy had one simple duty to say an oath of barely 30 something words that anyone should know. It is after all IN the Constitution and he is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The VP oath is much longer, and Stevens got it right and he is more than 30 years older than Roberts.

So that means he should be exempt from nerves?

Get off your fucking high horse.

[DarrinS]

Yeah that was the worst poem I've ever heard. And the delivery was worse.


I'm just sayin, you have over a million people there and they invited a total buzzkill.

[balli]

Seriously. I may not be the most qualified person to judge poetry and I may not be the smartest man on earth, but my IQ does have three numbers and I know my way around a bookshelf. I can say, in my limited judgment, that was one of the shittiest poems ever read on such a grand scale. Fuck the nerve of someone who write something so shitty and long before reading it to the whole world.

[Bartleby]

Seems like Kay Ryan, the country's current poet laureate, would have been the more appropriate choice.

[Winehole23]

Inaugural Poem (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-poem.html?ref=books)


Published: January 20, 2009


The following is a transcript of the inaugural poem recited by Elizabeth Alexander, as provided by CQ transcriptions.


Praise song for the day.


Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.


Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.


A woman and her son wait for the bus.


A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."
We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.


We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."


We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.


Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.


Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.


Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."


Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.


What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.


In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

[DarrinS]

The content of that poem is not so bad, just the delivery was so monotone and slow. It was sucking the energy out of the entire DC area.

[JamStone]

The oath mess-up wasn't a buzzkill in the slightest. If anything, it broke the ice because it did demonstrate some nerves. It invited a little light-hearted laughter, not a buzzkill.

[balli]

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

I literally laughed out loud at this line. Agape Love's a great concept and all, but it's kind of played &... overtly cliche. And while I won't really knock somebody citing agape love in this setting, seriously, you gotta paint it in such literal, lazy, cliche, brushstrokes?

[Bartleby]

The content of that poem is not so bad, just the delivery was so monotone and slow. It was sucking the energy out of the entire DC area.

Agreed. The poem wasn't that bad (but not inauguration worthy either). It's the delivery that was awful.

[EricB]

The oath mess-up wasn't a buzzkill in the slightest. If anything, it broke the ice because it did demonstrate some nerves. It invited a little light-hearted laughter, not a buzzkill.

Pretty much what I thought.

[implacable44]

terrible speech -- best part was Obama going from personal responsibility to the government will fix everything... who falls for this garbage ?

[Darrin]

not a big obama supporter but i do acknowledge the importantance and significance of today...

...that being said, what did ya'll think of the speech. i thought it was kinda middle of the road

There was nothing that suprised me (or that I disagreed with). He was articulate, understood the moment, and was clear. He was tough on foreign policy and restored America's bully-pulpit. He was humbled by the moment of his election as an African-American. Perhaps too clear during the transition now is that he seems overwhelmed by the economic task at hand. He is not diminishing this a bit.

It was great that he took the chance to say that are problems still do not reach those of the rest of the world. That was good.

Better than most. Not his best speech and not the honest emotion of Grant Park.

[Creepn]

Just saw the speech. Great speech. Im glad he didnt revert to the ol "Yes we can" stuff. Pretty much agree with everything TimVP said in this thread.

The oath stumble wasnt that bad.

[ploto]

So that means he should be exempt from nerves?

Get off your fucking high horse.

He was for me the final symbol of an administration full of incompetent people. If he was incapable of remembering an oath from the Constitution when he is the Chief Justice, then he should have written it down so as not to screw up this historic moment. He ruined the moment.

[doobs]

He was for me the final symbol of an administration full of incompetent people. If he was incapable of remembering an oath from the Constitution when he is the Chief Justice, then he should have written it down so as not to screw up this historic moment. He ruined the moment.

You also said he's stupid.

He's smarter than you. Are you stupid?

[ChumpDumper]

Roberts was just distracted mentally writing his decision for Lightfoot v Bowen.

[SnakeBoy]

i thought it was kinda middle of the road

I think that's a perfect description and fitting since it appears to be how Obama thinks he can govern.

Message to Roberts - cheat sheet.

[ManuTP9]

the speech was nice.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I thought the speech was good. Going in I thought it was going to be a speech that had a main aim of getting him re-elected -- such as the speech on election night. But I was pleasantly surprised that he gave a speech much closer to the tone of the speeches he was given when he first started his campaign. Solid moderate speech :tu

I also liked that he had a good level of authority and conviction without going back to the played out catchphrases. Plus it steered clear of most sissy liberal talking points.

Only two problems I had with the speech: 1) Not really any memorable line to remember it by. 2) Some of the analogies were weak and the word play was extremely mediocre. I'm surprised that speech writer kid went to some basic and overused text instead of raising the overall level a bit.

But yeah, overall I give it a :tu. Much better than his election night speech and better than I anticipated.

how can something be extremely mediocre? :lol

by the way, I haven't watched the speech, and to read it isn't really the same, so I don't really know how it went. It would be crazy to think he would have been able to meet the enormous expectations for this speech, but hopefully it wasn't too far off

[MannyIsGod]

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.

Best line of the speech, IMO. The portion Pluto quoted was 2nd.