There is a diary on the rec list right now, To Senator Obama, from a Dirty F*ing Hippie. This diary begins with two Obama quotes. One is from an interview with the Reno Gazette-Journal, from January.
I think Ronald Reagan changed the trajectory of America... 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.
The second is from Obama's speech in Independence, MO.
In the early years of the civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War, defenders of the status quo often accused anybody who questioned the wisdom of government policies of being unpatriotic. Meanwhile, some of those in the so-called counter-culture of the Sixties reacted not merely by criticizing particular government policies, but by attacking the symbols, and in extreme cases, the very idea, of America itself - by burning flags; by blaming America for all that was wrong with the world; and perhaps most tragically, by failing to honor those veterans coming home from Vietnam, something that remains a national shame to this day.
Let's take a look at these quotes - in context this time - since that diarist begins by taking both quotes out of context and then deliberately misrepresents the actual message.
First, the Reagan quote - which you can watch here:
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's were 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.
I think Kennedy, twenty years earlier, moved the country in a fundamentally different direction. So I think a lot of it just has to do with the times.
I think we’re in one of those times right now. Where people feel like things as they are going aren’t working. We’re bogged down in the same arguments that we’ve been having, and they’re not useful.
And, you know, the Republican approach, I think, has played itself out.
I think it’s fair to say the Republicans were the party of ideas for a pretty long chunk of time there over the last ten, fifteen years, in the sense that they were challenging conventional wisdom.
Now, since a lot of people seem to have trouble with this, I'm going to provide you with the definition of "trajectory" - "A chosen or taken course."
What Obama is saying here is that Reagan was able to energize and convince the majority of Americans (including many of those former activists and "hippies" from 60s and 70s counter culture) that the Republican party could offer them solutions for what was ailing America. That didn't make Reagan's solutions "good". It certainly didn't make them "better" solutions than the ones Bill Clinton was offering a decade later, but they were solutions and people bought into them because they wanted something different.
During the primary there was a lot of arguing over whether or not this was an insult to Bill Clinton. If you still think that, go read Eric Zorn - he should be able to set you on the right path. But basically, this wasn't an insult to Clinton. This wasn't a moment of praise for Reagan's policies - it was Barack Obama talking about moments of change in American history. This was an historical note - he wanted to point out that Kennedy shaped a generation and moved the country in a different direction. He wanted to point out that Reagan did the same...and most of all, he wanted to point out that HE hopes to do the same now, and that he feels Americans are ready for that change.
If you read this comment as some sort of hit on hippies because of this line -
I think they felt like with all the excesses of the 1960s and 1970sand government had grown and grown but there wasn’t much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating.
I'll ask you to read the complete sentence - with context - and note that he isn't referring to hippies. He's saying that the American people at the time felt that the government was spending wastefully (of course, Reagan would dwarf that perception, but people are idiots sometimes...and we can't go back in time to warn them). In other words - this was about an overall perception at the time - and of course, the Republicans were shaping the media and pushing those Overton windows, that spoonie loves to talk about, to create just this perception.
Okay - that's one quote in context. Here's the other...
You can watch Obama's speech on Patriotism here:
beachmom had a great diary on this speech today - it didn't get too much attention - here's the link: The Obama Patriotism Speech. A must read.
You can read the entire speech here.
I'd like to highlight this section of the speech - which provides some context for the quote that was excerpted in the diary I referenced above (the italics are mine - this is the section that was quoted out of context, and the bold is mine - these are the sections I'd like to highlight):
So let me say at this at outset of my remarks. I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign. And I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine.
My concerns here aren't simply personal, however. After all, throughout our history, men and women of far greater stature and significance than me have had their patriotism questioned in the midst of momentous debates. Thomas Jefferson was accused by the Federalists of selling out to the French. The anti-Federalists were just as convinced that John Adams was in cahoots with the British and intent on restoring monarchal rule. Likewise, even our wisest Presidents have sought to justify questionable policies on the basis of patriotism. Adams' Alien and Sedition Act, Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus, Roosevelt's internment of Japanese Americans – all were defended as expressions of patriotism, and those who disagreed with their policies were sometimes labeled as unpatriotic.
In other words, the use of patriotism as a political sword or a political shield is as old as the Republic. Still, what is striking about today's patriotism debate is the degree to which it remains rooted in the culture wars of the 1960s – in arguments that go back forty years or more. In the early years of the civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War, defenders of the status quo often accused anybody who questioned the wisdom of government policies of being unpatriotic. Meanwhile, some of those in the so-called counter-culture of the Sixties reacted not merely by criticizing particular government policies, but by attacking the symbols, and in extreme cases, the very idea, of America itself – by burning flags; by blaming America for all that was wrong with the world; and perhaps most tragically, by failing to honor those veterans coming home from Vietnam, something that remains a national shame to this day.
Most Americans never bought into these simplistic world-views – these caricatures of left and right. Most Americans understood that dissent does not make one unpatriotic, and that there is nothing smart or sophisticated about a cynical disregard for America's traditions and institutions. And yet the anger and turmoil of that period never entirely drained away. All too often our politics still seems trapped in these old, threadbare arguments – a fact most evident during our recent debates about the war in Iraq, when those who opposed administration policy were tagged by some as unpatriotic, and a general providing his best counsel on how to move forward in Iraq was accused of betrayal.
Given the enormous challenges that lie before us, we can no longer afford these sorts of divisions. None of us expect that arguments about patriotism will, or should, vanish entirely; after all, when we argue about patriotism, we are arguing about who we are as a country, and more importantly, who we should be. But surely we can agree that no party or political philosophy has a monopoly on patriotism. And surely we can arrive at a definition of patriotism that, however rough and imperfect, captures the best of America's common spirit.
The diarist I'm referring to above attempts to suggest that Obama is bashing hippies due to the italicized section. Again - we have a speech where Obama makes historical references. He goes back to the early days of America and he comes up to the Vietnam era - and he uses examples from BOTH sides of the political spectrum to get across his point - which is that people in both political parties have accused others unfairly of not being patriotic. He's not praising one side and pointing fingers at the other - he's placing blame on both sides and noting that we've been dwelling on this fight for 40 years...and that dwelling on it hasn't gotten us anywhere - and I don't know how you can look around and say otherwise.
Reading this speech - this is one of those moments where my support for Obama becomes so crystal clear. I couldn't agree more with him when he says we can't afford these divisions anymore - and that's why I'm loathe to dwell on them at all. McCain keeps trying to make comparisons between Carter and Obama - and sure, he's aiming at an audience of Boomers, but you know what, there are a hell of a lot of voters out there now who aren't Boomers - who have NO idea what he's talking about or why he keeps bringing up the past.
I was born in 1977. I don't remember the gas crisis. I vaguely remember the hostage situation in Iran. I watched Ollie North lie on tv when I was a little girl. My youngest sister who is 20 certainly doesn't remember these things because they reside in the past - my past and yours - our collective past. McCain lives in the past. I don't want to live there. I don't want to focus or relive arguments from 40+ years ago.
TODAY we are in Iraq. TODAY we have a housing crisis. TODAY our economy is in a shambles. TODAY gas is averaging $4.10 per gallon. TODAY there are people all throughout the Midwest who have lost everything due to catastrophic flooding - that we KNEW was coming weeks before it arrived. TODAY we have STILL not cleaned up Hurricane Katrina and the mess Bush left in her wake. TODAY our country is torturing people and our tax dollars are paying for it. TODAY we are dealing with the consequences of Conservative judges everywhere.
I don't care about generational fights. I care about our future.
And of course, we should learn from the past - I am not suggesting we should ignore it, but dwelling in it - attempting to relive it - can we leave that for Republicans? Can we let John McCain talk to himself about whatever bullshit he's talking about today, my friends?
Obama says in his speech (a few paragraphs later):
Of course, precisely because America isn't perfect, precisely because our ideals constantly demand more from us, patriotism can never be defined as loyalty to any particular leader or government or policy. As Mark Twain, that greatest of American satirists and proud son of Missouri, once wrote, "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." We may hope that our leaders and our government stand up for our ideals, and there are many times in our history when that's occurred. But when our laws, our leaders or our government are out of alignment with our ideals, then the dissent of ordinary Americans may prove to be one of the truest expression of patriotism.
Let's remember this. Let's focus on persuading our elected officials to represent us. Let's register voters and volunteer our time and make phone calls and knock on doors. I can't think of a better use of my time - and where did I learn this activism? Where did I learn that if I wanted something done I should get off my butt and work to get it done?
Well, I learned it from my father first and foremost - but amusingly enough, I also learned it from Bill Ayers - who I had the opportunity to meet and hang out with on several occasions in High School (because I attended it with his son). Both of these men are Boomers. And both of them had lessons to teach, but they also had lessons to learn. When my dad was going to volunteer to help Obama in Indiana's primary...he called me to ask me how to best utilize his time. I was the more experienced one at that moment. When Bush won a second time and I felt the world was falling apart around me - I called him and asked..."how will we survive this?!" - and he imparted his best advice...you go to bed crying and you wake up mad and motivated to make sure it never happens again.
So...we can read Obama's comments out of context, and we can fight along generational lines, and we can bicker about decades old arguments of who was more patriotic - all of which I see as being really beneficial to Republicans, OR... we can wake up mad and motivated to make sure McCain doesn't win in November.
I don't know about you, but I'm doing the latter.