January 22, 2013 6:19 AM

"You and I, as citizens...."

We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other — through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security — 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.

There’s something pretty cool about watching an African-American President being inaugurated on the day we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday. Political considerations aside, it says something about how far we’ve come as a people, when we’ve elected a non-White President not once, but twice. In the case of Barack Obama, it really is more about the content of his character than the color of his skin. Though there are many who hate him for the color of his skin and his refusal to cave into the darker angels that so often seem to dominate modern politics, this President seems to have risen above divisiveness. No mean feat, that.

The President’s inaugural address was a call to arms for progressive causes, with a specificity seldom heard in such speeches. Inaugural addresses are normally about broad, lofty themes, but President Obama eschewed tradition in letting America know what he has in mind for his second term. I found it refreshing to hear the President hold forth on issues like:

  • infrastructure
  • the social contract
  • education
  • the need to end our decade-long state of war
  • GLBT rights and marriage equality
  • promoting democracy and peaceful diplomacy
  • women’s rights and gender equity
  • racial equality
  • income inequality

No, there weren’t specific policy proposals, but I was impressed that the unmistakable line in the sand drawn by the President was on the side of a decidedly Progressive agenda. It would seem that this President is planning to use his second term to advance causes that will sit well with Liberals like myself, not to mention make America a more equitable and fair country. Given that he won re-election handily, I believe he certainly has license to do that.

If nothing else, this inaugural address was a shot across the bow of the Republican obstructionists, birthers, religious zealots, haters, bigots, and Fox News addicts determined to assume the worst of this President at every turn. The message to them seems clear: you’re on the wrong side of history. You can focus on ignorance, character assassination, propaganda, and fear mongering…or you can work with the majority who voted to re-elect the President. You can work with us to help make America a better, safer, more equitable place where we work together to create opportunity…or you can continue attempting to sabotage our march toward progress, fairness, and equality.

I was inspired by a speech that appealed to our better angels and called out those determined to block efforts to make this country a better place with a focus on equity, fairness, and equality of opportunity. I can only imagine the fury that will be coming from the Far Right over the coming days, weeks, and months; I hope that it will be revealed as the impotent bleating it is.

We deserve better, and we can have it. If the President follows through on what he laid out in his inaugural address, the future looks a lot brighter.

Memo to Republicans: It’s not incumbent upon the President to “reach out” to you. He’s not beholden to you, and he’s certainly not dependent on your good will. HE WON; YOU’RE THE MINORITY. If anything, you should be going to him with an honest expression of a desire to work together.

You’ll note that I’m not holding my breath on that account. Lead, follow, or get the Hell out of the way.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on January 22, 2013 6:19 AM.

Better to be thought a bigot and a fool than to be Ed McGovern and...oh, never mind.... was the previous entry in this blog.

If more guns is always the answer, shouldn't that have prevented this exercise in self-parody? is the next entry in this blog.

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