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Subscribe to RSSPolitical observers have placed so much emphasis on the “liberal” second inaugural address that President Obama delivered yesterday.
David Remnick in the New Yorker called Obama “a liberal emboldened by political victory.”
Scott Andrews / Pool via AP
President Barack Obama waves to crowd after his Inaugural speech at the ceremonial swearing-in on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol during the 57th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013.
The Atlantic’s James Fallows added that the speech was “the most sustainedly ‘progressive’ statement Barack Obama has made in his decade on the national stage.”
Politico’s Thrush agreed.
So did we. “More than anything else, [the address] was an unabashed defense of liberalism/progressivism,” we wrote in First Thoughts.
And now the GOP-leaning group Crossroad GPS has pounced on similar commentary with a new web video. “At least his rhetoric is now matching his record,” Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio said in an email announcing the video.
But what is being mostly overlooked is how many of the policies and viewpoints Obama articulated in his inaugural address are supported by majorities of Americans.
Chris Cillizza, in for Chuck Todd, talks about President Barack Obama's inaugural address and his forceful argument for progressive values.
Take Obama’s advocacy for gay rights, for example. (“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law,” Obama said in his speech yesterday). As it turns out, per the Dec. 2012 NBC/WSJ poll, a majority of Americans -- 51% -- favor gay marriage. That’s up from a mere 30% in 2004.
There’s also immigration reform. (“Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity.”) The Jan. 2013 NBC/WSJ found another majority -- 52% -- supporting giving illegal immigrants the ability to apply for legal status.
And then there's his defense of entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. (“These things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.”) Polls overwhelmingly find that Americans support these programs.
One issue that Obama discussed yesterday -- stopping climate change -- is a topic that could be a harder political sell, although the NBC/WSJ poll hasn’t tested it in a long time. And it is possible, as the Washington Post's Dan Balz notes, that Obama's second term could be marked by overreach.
But it's also hard to argue that these “liberal” ideas and policies are somehow far outside the political mainstream.
As Politico writes, “The cultural changes that allowed Obama to be the first president to mention gay rights in an inaugural address are already widely accepted by the public or destined to be so soon as a younger, more socially liberal generation comes of age. The president’s promise to address climate change and his peroration on continuing ‘what those pioneers began’ on gender equality, gay rights, voting rights, immigration and gun control likewise illustrated just how much the White House is convinced that the country’s cultural center has moved.”
NBC's Domenico Montanaro contributed to this article.
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Perfectly said CherylLM! Great job.
Can anyone tell me exactly what spending cuts the GOP is pushing for? I hear them say "we must cut spending", but exactly what do they want to cut?
Do they have any targets other than Social Security, and Medicare/Medicaid?
How about all the "welfare" they were screaming about for the last 4 years? Any specific target for cost-cutting there? Food stamps? Aid to Dependent Children? What is their plan for these? How much money can they actually save if they stop "all the free stuff" that we give to "people who won't work"?
Are there any real savings there, or was that just election propaganda?
How the GOP thinks they are going to regain political traction by cutting social security and medicare is beyond me.
Sam...food stamps began as a way for the government to get rid of stored cheese and powdered milk that they accumulated during the war years. The program has grown somewhat since then. Were I a Republican I would turn this program over to the States to implement...and finance...like medicaid.
Social Security and Medicare were good programs when they were started, but the government keeps adding more and more unfunded benefits. Again, if I were a Republican, I would require everyone in. Everyone pays into the pot. Unions, teachers, government workers...they all would pay into the pot. Nothing special for them. They'd get the same thing we get.
How much money can you save by "turning it over to the states"? Isn't that just code for "end it"?
How would you manage the "switch over" for employees who haven't paid into social security in years? How much money would you actually save by doing this?
How can you cut social security and Medicare without cutting benefits and making old people poorer, or do you care?
How about cutting corporate welfare? Just a thought. People seem to forget that corporations get BIG handouts which we all pay for.
How about you guys get your heads out of your A-- and pay attention! We can not afford the path that we are on. And, you still like this flip flopper! I don't get your side. First it's un patriotic to raise the debt limit now he has no problem with it. Then again he's for only marriage between a man and a woman. Now he's OK with the marriage between whomever! And, as for cutting SS and Medicare. It would not effect those who already are on it, or those at a certain age. Get the facts please. We can't afford it to continue as it stands.
Says who?
No, we can't continue as it stands...but fixing it isn't that difficult. Simply eliminating the wage cap on SS contributions would eliminate half the projected shortfall for the next 75 years. Social Security has ALWAYS been subject to occasional adjustments to deal with changing demographics. The only thing changing now is that Republicans are in an all out war to use that fact as a weapon against the program and all those who've contributed over our working lives.
"FORWARD" has historically been the rallying cry of every socialist movement. Average Americans may not know this, but Obama and his cohorts are well educated in political history. They know EXACTLY what they are doing in sending this message to their socialist "brothers" throughout the world.
Communist==>Socialist==>Left==>Liberal==>Progressive.
The same basic philosophy must continually change its name to dupe new recruits, as the prior incarnation is exposed as simply and excuse for totalitarian thugs.
Try the "Heavy Duty" Reynolds Wrap. It works better.
You might have a point if it wasn't for the fact that those terms do not refer to the same thing and are used in different contexts. You are comparing apples and kiwi fruit here.
the only good thing the Obama re-election has accomplished for me was an incentive to reduce my domestic income and transfer my resources offshore to produce foreign tax sheltered income. And actually it made me research to find those resources that allow me to produce even more tax free income for myself so that I don't have to contribute as much to the Obama marxist redistribution govt.
Hahaha...you've been threatening to move off-shore for years...on newsvine...and have posted that you' ve already moved resources off-shore...long, long before the November election.
Larry... I find it interesting that you want to move your income offshore but not your sorry carcass.
So America is still good enough to live in but your money isn't? How Christian of your phony ass.
The "mainstream" where, California and New York. Obama's speech was superficial, cheap, and didn't provide any insight as to how our real problems will be solved. Why is that, because the man isn't intelligent enough and isn't capable of solving our true problems. The man would sign off on becoming our dictator if he could, so that he could continue steering our country into bankruptcy.
If any of you jerked off over his speech like the libretards on msnbc, then you are quite ignorant and don't seem to be cognitively capable of envisioning what a truly effective speech would be.
The only reason msnbc thinks his speech echoed the true feelings of this country is because msnbc says it does.
A part of the speech that I did hear went something like this: Our country must not abandon those who have contributed so much and our country needs to provide a sound future for our young people. What Obama didn't say was that current entitlement programs are bankrupting our country, and we'll just print more money to take care of our future. The reasons he doesn't talk about the economy - (1) he doesn't have a clue and (2) he doesn't give a sh!t. He also thinks Obamacare is the best thing since sliced bread. Go figure.
What entitlement programs?
The economy is in recovery. What would you like him to do? His jobs bill couldn't get past Congressional Republicans. What is it that you think will speed up job creation?
Those entitlement programs are not bankrupting this country. Corporate welfare and two wars on a credit card are responsible for the financial problems. Two wars that should never have happened. Only happened because Bush and Cheney lied to the American people. I think they got off on a power trip. They could care less about all the losses we have suffered both financial and in terms of human suffering. Two wars that didn't have an exit strategy going in. This has cost a fortune. Obama was against the war when Bush was in office, so don't blame him. We should never have gone to war!
Obama's "Jobs Council" has not met in over a year, record number of people on govt. assistance, record LOW numbers of people in the workforce, etc.... yeah that's a great recovery! How pathetic!!
No surprise that the disgruntled Right are all negative. Were we expecting anything less?
were you expecting anything different with the re-election of the ass obama?>........NO SURRENDER! NO RETREAT!...obama will be stopped at every turn and will become a four year sad ass lame-duck....QUACK QUACK!!!!
I find it so shocking how these right wing nuts really want the country to fail. What are they thinking? Is having the last word and feeding your own ego more important than the president succeeding for the good of the country? That is the exact attitude that creates such a hostile environment. You don't care about this country or the people in it. You just want the president to fail. No logic to that at all. I just don't get it. Such hatred is really sad.
Obama's record for his first term SUCKS and now we have to suffer through another one. You want to see a country failing? Just look at the last four years here!
"And then there's his defense of entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. (“These things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.”) Polls overwhelmingly find that Americans support these programs."
Uh, what was your first clue? You think these are relatively new, progressive or liberal programs and ideas? Some of us have been paying into these programs for over 40 years or more; the fact we "support" them isn't new and doesn't mean we want Obama's agenda.
You overestimate the popularity of the Annointed One, and your interpretation of information tends to be distorted so as to conform to and confirm your adulation for him. And that's not the view of a Republican; I voted for a number of Democratic candidates two months ago, but Obama wasn't one of them.
As a Conservative, while I disagree with Obama, I found his 2nd Inauguration speech refreshing. For once he didn't lie about where he stands. He is a liberal and he professed himself as a Liberal. His campaign speeches for both his 1st and 2nd elections he was all about painting himself as a moderate while his actions and record reflect him as a hard core Liberal. The president in his campaign could be literally portrayed as a liar. He talks about deficit reduction but all his actions indicate he really wants to do is increase spending and revenue and redistribute wealth.
What can we learn from all this? The fundamental issue all of you Liberals have to face is this: What should the role of the Federal Government be in our lives? God's plan calls for man to seek a relationship with Him and that God Himself is the one to meet man's needs and to bless man. The Federal Government is not the source of blessings and prosperity. The role of the Federal Government is to protect the freedom of its citizens's so that each person can exercise his free will free of coercion. The Government is not the source to solving each individual person's problems and needs. God is who man should seek for solutions to the problems that life presents.
The first thing man needs in seeking God is salvation. That is available to any of you who Believes that the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior and that He took your place and was judged for your sins.
Concur with Noah about the mask coming off. With a second term at risk, Barry was pretending to be Abraham Lincoln, the great moderate. Now that he's won, the gloves are off. Nothing to lose, unless his left wing fanaticism costs him 4-5 seats in the senate in two years. Now THAT would be amusing. Hurry up and get this most recent wave of illegals federalized, and registered as democrats, before the next mid-terms. It worked twice before, three's a charm. Keep rewarding the commission of a felony with citizenship and voting rights.
Unfortunately, Noah, your inability to separate church and state is what gets the Republican Party clubbed like baby fur seals in national elections. Many, many Americans really don't want God dictating terms to them, any more than they want neo-Marxists doing it. Leave God in church.
Then why do the conservatives try to use the government to control women's health care and women's rights? Decisions that woman make are between them and their God and no one should be trying to use the laws to make those decisions for them! Keep government out of women's health care. We are a country of many religious beliefs. Please don't push your religious beliefs on everyone else. You follow your God and the rules set forth and leave religion out of government. We are in a free country. Free to worship or not in any way we choose.
Moderation Above All, I disagree with leaving God in church. I think that is one of the problems in our country. We do have the right to Freedom of Speech in our consitution. My view on that is I am under obligation from my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to present the Gospel to people. That doesn't just happen in the walls of the church.
However, when I present the Gospel to people, people have the right to believe it or accept it. That's their choice. It is not for me to force that on them. I give them the presentation and they can do with it what they want.
No one should be dictating or forcing God on people, at the same time I believe I am called to tell people how to be reconciled with God.
Optimistic, I am not a member of Government. Therefore seperation of church and state doesn't apply to me. Seperation of church and state simply means that the Federal Government can't force anyone to follow a certain faith. It doesn't take away its citizen's right to Freedom of Speech. Yes, you have the right to believe what you want. But I have the right to present the Gospel to people and let them do with it what they choose.
Obviously "optimistic" doesn't believe that the federal laws regarding women's healthcare and women's rights are not "dictating". How stupid!
Wrong again NBC. Liberal is not mainstream. Never has been. Never will be. It is far left.
300 million Americans...somewhat over 60 million votes for Obama with not all of the votes cast by people still alive...must be some mo of that 'bama myth...
two distinct political philosophies at work here; cultural/social and economic. Social evolution that reflects equal rights for all discrete groups, disadvantaged, locked in the closet, etc. is here to stay, as it should. Unfortunately, most of you leftist/pinko types display a huge knowledge gap when it comes to the effective function of an economy. Barry has no clue. He demonstrates daily that he has no clue how an economy works, or should work. Tax the rich, using vilification as a lever, supported by the propaganda ministry, the one you call the press. All rich people got rich by depriving poor people. Not by working hard, saving, living the American dream. So.....tax them and simply GIVE it to the poor. Or, the term I like, "those less fortunate". Fortunate not to have to their @$$'s out of bed and go to work every morning, unlike me, the one who's paying for it all. Feisty in Roselle, get a clue. Socialism does NOT WORK. You want socialism, move to Greece.
Still whining, eh? Even though Boehner claims Republicans got 99% of what they wanted. Must be wondering why you didn't get 100%? Or, 120%...or maybe 200%, eh?
The economy is recoverying. And, according to two comprehensive studies by economists, faster than the average recession due to systemic financial failures.
Consider yourself lucky.
I'm sure all the folks on govt. assistance, those who can't find a job and gave up looking, those who can only get part-time work disagree with your "two comprehensive studies by economists"!
As liberal as the speech was the President and the Democrats in general are fully aware that the nation is split 50-50 and that they, Democrats, will need to meet the Republicans half way. Stalemate in the second term would be a suicide plan for the Democrats next election. They have to produce some progress in order to have any chance of retaining the White House.
It is a good time to talk about his goals for his second term. Based on the bad cards he was handed at the beginning of his first term and the obstructionist Congress which he had to persevere throughout his first term, here is a starting list of goals I feel he can and must achieve if he wants to leave a positive legacy.
1. Balance Budget ... Get the fiscal matters under control by working to a balance budget in his 4th year of his term. To achieve this goal his must revisit his healthcare plan and optimize it to remove unforeseen hidden demons ... it must be taken as a living doctrine and not a one shot deal that solves everything ... no such beast exist in politics.
(If he can achieve this the credit rating will be restored, so no need to list it separately)
2. Counter-Terrorism ... Remove all troops from Iraq and Afghanistan ... in the transition he must establish, under the leadership of the US, a robust global counter-terrorism treaty with as many nations as politically possible. Set it up in such a way that defiant nations would see it as a threat and maybe put pressure on them to comply as well.
3. Illegal Immigrants ... He must tackle the illegal (undocumented) immigrants issue ... if they are what most people think they are, cheap labor who are keeping the price of services and food down, then classify them as such ... this can be done by issuing a termed, guest worker visas ... this will enable the government to both tax their earnings and monitor the money flow ... the worst of the threats that illegal immigrants pose is reinforcing an already damaging underground economy.
4. Energy ... This need not be complicated if the government starts working to an agreed priority list ... a list that positions all the available energies according price per watt for end use, oil, gas, coal, solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear ... there are a lot of improvement that can be done within this list, like smart grid, more domestic oil drilling, carbon dioxide containment technologies, better wind mill technologies, better solar strategy (maybe it is best to collect the radiation in space (GEO) and transmit down in such a way as to not damage the ozone layer), tighten the emission levels of automotive manufacturers even more to sustain the drive for better and widespread use of hybrids and electric cars.
(Nuclear is not the answer, I believe it is Pandora's box that will keep unleashing her demons now again, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Fukushima Daiichi, and the hundreds, if not thousands, of unreported incidents in the existing nuclear power plants ... This is one field I think NASA can play an important role, find a method to keep track of the harmful radiations levels, concentrations of the various isotopes produced by human activities, in the atmosphere and the sources that put them there (this real time tracking should be made available to the public much like the daily weather reports)
5. Park Air Force One in the garage for the second term ... roll up your sleeves and redefine a lame duck Presidency from a do nothing term to a maximum output, full steam ahead, strategy.
A balanced budget in the next four years is abit of a stretch...although it would be nice. Even Romney didn't foresee a balanced budget until late in HIS second term (as in 2018-20).
Counter-Terrorist Treaty - Doing what? With whom? Not against it necessarily, but your suggestion is a little vague. Comply with what, by whom?
Illegal Immigrants - face it. We're on our way to some type of amnesty program...same as Reagan's. Get used to it.
I have no problem with your Energy suggestions...provided you include total cost into the figures...i.e. including the clean-up costs of the various energy sources into the price per watt - the TOTAL cost.
Park Air Force One - doubt it. Because of the Republican majority in the House, Obama is planning on continuing the use of the "bully pulpit" and a strategy of running stronger candidates in key potential swing congressional districts. The experts can crunch numbers in Washington, D.C. Now is the time to consolidate and expand on nation-wide gains. One major possible amendment to the Constitution not yet discussed is to move to the popular election of the national offices (President and Vice President) and scrap the anachronistic Electoral College. Or do you still prefer that?
Obama and god they be mates...mythology has to be used to explain the existence of both of them...
crap...there is a picture of Hitler that is eerily similar to the first one of Obama in this article.......right hand in the air almost exactly the same.....odd
I did not realize that only Hitler and Obama had ever held their hands up to wave to the people.
Thanks so much for that insight.
President Obama has done a good job considering the economy he inherited and the most hateful/spiteful group of Republicans in our nations history. It's amazing how much most Republicans are against anything and everything the President stands for- whether it's a good idea or not. It's a shame too because 50 years from now we'll be thankful for universal health care and equal pay for women, just to name two things. He's far from perfect but who is?
Still blaming Bush. Go figure! Losers. Well he inherited his mess this time, now what?
Cuba has universal health care....hell, they also have gun control......why are they all still trying to come here???????? Jeff...the party of blame has never taken responsibility for anything...not for their governing, nor for their personal lives.....hence, we have such an entitlement culture.
Poof - you are all members of the LBGTs, and practice the life style, - who will replace you all? Sexuality with the same sex does not procreate, and is suicide in the real world! So much for equality! It's population control - Democratic Values, Morals, & the destruction of our religious beliefs! Why are liberals allowed to use violence to make money, and then decry the use of guns? If the government owns all the guns, the people are silenced, by massacre, thereby creating a Dictatorship! Oboma believes this is his legacy, and you all buy it? We are doomed!
The hell you say! Oboma is trashing our Constitution and could give a hoot about the Bill of Rights! He will circumvent our Constitution and Bill of Rights! He was sworn to up-hold the Constitution, yet he will nullify its content by Executive Orders - Wake Up Democrat's, You Are The Third evolution of the German Lies Rising! LBGTs agenda is simply nothing more than population control by the 1%'ers...The New World Order! Redistribution of Wealth! Socialism is not the way to prosperity - living within our means, and within our budget, as we are all forced to do, to support the elite, is not the way to prosperity, but, the path to destruction! The Czars of Russia, Dictatorships, and the Islamic Extremist use Weapons, and Death and Destruction to circumvent the populace of their countries that they invade! Do Not Let This Happen To the USA!
You obviously do not realize that you are @!$%#ing insane. Please get help for your own good.
I thought it was rather amusing ;-)
Yes, agreed that Gay marriage should be allowed...never should have been an issue in the first place. But why do Mexicans still want to come here? All of our jobs already went to Mexico after NAFTA.......you'd think they'd want to stay there. And if I hear one more idiot in the media call SOCIAL SECURITY an entitlement i'm going to find him and kick him in the shins :) It's not an entitlement if I was FORCED to PAY for it.
Why do Cubans keep trying to come here???? I don't understand....Obama is modeling his "idea" of the U.S. after Cuba....yet they still want to come here???? Aren't they happy with their gun control and their Universal Healthcare????????
Let's see. The difference between Liberal and Conservative. Which should I choose? Work together to find solutions or deadbolt my door and guard my stuff with adequate firepower against the hordes of takers?
working hard to support people who don't is not "working together"......
Sixteen trillion and climbing. Funny thing though, our president and all his liberal supporters are not even remotely concerned about it. They are too busy patting themselves on the back for their perceived accomplishments and in the process adding a trillion more each year to that debt in the name of fairness. What does it matter to them, just keep on borrowing and spending because the bills will just be passed on to future generations yet to be born. Now, that's fairness Mr. Obama! I'm sure those stuck paying your bills decades from now will not view your presidency in the same light you do. Think Jimmy Carter but with far more contempt.
Liberal and so far left that he has two left hands and feet constantly speaking out the left side of his mouth about "fundamentally changing America."
He says the ideals America was built upon has not kept pace with the changing times and needs to be revised to do so. So here comes the usurping and subversion of the Constitution to fit his vision and goals as he sees fit.
Those supporters who don't fully understand what is at stake here should wake up now. Unfortunately those who still choose to support him regardless of consequences don't care what he does as long as they get what they want from him.
This group includes Follywood producers and stars for tax breaks, LGBT groups for gay rights, able bodied career welfare recipients, illegal immigrants and whoever else will to follow this Grand Socialist and delusional Quasi Dictator hell bent on destroying the very foundation this country was built on.
With another 4 more years left, he will continue to be the most divisive and destructive President ever.
Explain what content in his inaugural address was so divisive?
Sorry, I reread what you posted here and realized, you are incapable of actually answering my first question. You are a just another whack-job.
Obviously Obama's cryptic message went over the left side of your brain, blinded by his charm and charisma as his other bots are.
What happened to America? Go back 50 years, 30 years, even 20 years. For the most part, the husband worked and the wife stayed home with the kids. The violence was rare. Kids respected their elders, they were not running around and no one watching or caring what they do. Families could take a vacation every year. It is so sickening now.
I do not think America can handle another 4 years of obama, cannot afford him. So, what's the answer?? The GOP better stand their ground and fight for us.
Why, what is your alternative....evidently in the last election you clowns offered up Mitt Romney whose brilliant idea to address the debt and deficit was to add MORE to it with more tax breaks for rich people. Barack Obama has done more to address the debt/deficit than the past 3 GOP Presidents combined.
What I love is that you people are being exposed as the frauds you really are. The GOP cannot "stand their ground" because their "ground" is built on a foundation of sand.....the only ones that don't seem to know this are the nitwits that refuse to believe the election actually happened and that their ideas lost.
DoctorLogic, you have no real logic, just fantasies about a cluelessly arrogant and narcissistic prez that actually believe he is The One..................
Mr. President, I want our fellow citizens to know how much you did to carry on this tradition. By your gracious cooperation in the transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are a united people pledged to maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree than any other, and I thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the continuity which is the bulwark of our Republic.
2
The business of our nation goes forward. These United States are confronted with an economic affliction of great proportions. We suffer from the longest and one of the worst sustained inflations in our national history. It distorts our economic decisions, penalizes thrift, and crushes the struggling young and the fixed-income elderly alike. It threatens to shatter the lives of millions of our people.
3
Idle industries have cast workers into unemployment, causing human misery and personal indignity. Those who do work are denied a fair return for their labor by a tax system which penalizes successful achievement and keeps us from maintaining full productivity.
4
But great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending. For decades, we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children's future for the temporary convenience of the present. To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals.
5
You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation?
6
We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. And let there be no misunderstanding—we are going to begin to act, beginning today.
7
The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away. They will go away because we, as Americans, have the capacity now, as we have had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.
8
In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem.
9
From time to time, we have been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. But if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higher price.
10
We hear much of special interest groups. Our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and our factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we are sick—professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies, and truckdrivers. They are, in short, "We the people," this breed called Americans.
11
Well, this administration's objective will be a healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides equal opportunity for all Americans, with no barriers born of bigotry or discrimination. Putting America back to work means putting all Americans back to work. Ending inflation means freeing all Americans from the terror of runaway living costs. All must share in the productive work of this "new beginning" and all must share in the bounty of a revived economy. With the idealism and fair play which are the core of our system and our strength, we can have a strong and prosperous America at peace with itself and the world.
12
So, as we begin, let us take inventory. We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Our Government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed.
13
It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment and to demand recognition of the distinction between the powers granted to the Federal Government and those reserved to the States or to the people. All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government.
14
Now, so there will be no misunderstanding, it is not my intention to do away with government. It is, rather, to make it work—work with us, not over us; to stand by our side, not ride on our back. Government can and must provide opportunity, not smother it; foster productivity, not stifle it.
15
If we look to the answer as to why, for so many years, we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here, in this land, we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before. Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and assured here than in any other place on Earth. The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price.
16
It is no coincidence that our present troubles parallel and are proportionate to the intervention and intrusion in our lives that result from unnecessary and excessive growth of government. It is time for us to realize that we are too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We are not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing. So, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope.
17
We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond. You meet heroes across a counter—and they are on both sides of that counter. There are entrepreneurs with faith in themselves and faith in an idea who create new jobs, new wealth and opportunity. They are individuals and families whose taxes support the Government and whose voluntary gifts support church, charity, culture, art, and education. Their patriotism is quiet but deep. Their values sustain our national life.
18
I have used the words "they" and "their" in speaking of these heroes. I could say "you" and "your" because I am addressing the heroes of whom I speak—you, the citizens of this blessed land. Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God.
19
We shall reflect the compassion that is so much a part of your makeup. How can we love our country and not love our countrymen, and loving them, reach out a hand when they fall, heal them when they are sick, and provide opportunities to make them self-sufficient so they will be equal in fact and not just in theory?
20
Can we solve the problems confronting us? Well, the answer is an unequivocal and emphatic "yes." To paraphrase Winston Churchill, I did not take the oath I have just taken with the intention of presiding over the dissolution of the world's strongest economy.
21
In the days ahead I will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity. Steps will be taken aimed at restoring the balance between the various levels of government. Progress may be slow—measured in inches and feet, not miles—but we will progress. Is it time to reawaken this industrial giant, to get government back within its means, and to lighten our punitive tax burden. And these will be our first priorities, and on these principles, there will be no compromise.
22
On the eve of our struggle for independence a man who might have been one of the greatest among the Founding Fathers, Dr. Joseph Warren, President of the Massachusetts Congress, said to his fellow Americans, "Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of.... On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves."
23
Well, I believe we, the Americans of today, are ready to act worthy of ourselves, ready to do what must be done to ensure happiness and liberty for ourselves, our children and our children's children.
24
And as we renew ourselves here in our own land, we will be seen as having greater strength throughout the world. We will again be the exemplar of freedom and a beacon of hope for those who do not now have freedom.
25
To those neighbors and allies who share our freedom, we will strengthen our historic ties and assure them of our support and firm commitment. We will match loyalty with loyalty. We will strive for mutually beneficial relations. We will not use our friendship to impose on their sovereignty, for our own sovereignty is not for sale.
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As for the enemies of freedom, those who are potential adversaries, they will be reminded that peace is the highest aspiration of the American people. We will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it; we will not surrender for it—now or ever.
27
Our forbearance should never be misunderstood. Our reluctance for conflict should not be misjudged as a failure of will. When action is required to preserve our national security, we will act. We will maintain sufficient strength to prevail if need be, knowing that if we do so we have the best chance of never having to use that strength.
28
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have. It is a weapon that we as Americans do have. Let that be understood by those who practice terrorism and prey upon their neighbors.
29
I am told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that I am deeply grateful. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each Inauguration Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer.
30
This is the first time in history that this ceremony has been held, as you have been told, on this West Front of the Capitol. Standing here, one faces a magnificent vista, opening up on this city's special beauty and history. At the end of this open mall are those shrines to the giants on whose shoulders we stand.
31
Directly in front of me, the monument to a monumental man: George Washington, Father of our country. A man of humility who came to greatness reluctantly. He led America out of revolutionary victory into infant nationhood. Off to one side, the stately memorial to Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence flames with his eloquence.
32
And then beyond the Reflecting Pool the dignified columns of the Lincoln Memorial. Whoever would understand in his heart the meaning of America will find it in the life of Abraham Lincoln.
33
Beyond those monuments to heroism is the Potomac River, and on the far shore the sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery with its row on row of simple white markers bearing crosses or Stars of David. They add up to only a tiny fraction of the price that has been paid for our freedom.
34
Each one of those markers is a monument to the kinds of hero I spoke of earlier. Their lives ended in places called Belleau Wood, The Argonne, Omaha Beach, Salerno and halfway around the world on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Pork Chop Hill, the Chosin Reservoir, and in a hundred rice paddies and jungles of a place called Vietnam.
35
Under one such marker lies a young man—Martin Treptow—who left his job in a small town barber shop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire.
36
We are told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, "My Pledge," he had written these words: "America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone."
37
The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God's help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.
38
And, after all, why shouldn't we believe that? We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you.