Patriotic Wisdom

Some people have questioned whether Barack and Michelle Obama love America. I think those people are misguided because they don’t understand how the Obama’s could say what they say and do what they do if they loved this country. I hope this post helps them to see what they’re missing while showing how the Obama’s love America.

The video clips have been played over and over again and I’m not going to link to them here. If you haven’t seen them you must have been in a very long coma. Video of Michelle saying “America is a mean country” and, on 02/18/08, her two “proud of my country” speeches. The first, in Milwaukee, WI was

“for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country, because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.”

Then, in Madison, WI

“Let me tell you something. For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change”.

Don’t confuse pride with love, I’ll explain how the lack of pride can co-exist with love shortly but first, let’s look at some of Barack’s statements.

September 2001 Chicago public radio program:

“Barack Obama, what are your thoughts on the Declaration and Constitution?”

“I-I-I think it’s a remarkable document –“ he began haltingly.

“Which one?” Helfrich interjected.

“The original Constitution as well as the Civil War Amendments,” he replied. “But I think it is an imperfect document, and I think it is a document that reflects some deep flaws in American culture, the Colonial culture nascent at that time.

I don’t think the two views are contradictory, to say that it was a remarkable political document that paved the way for where we are now, and to say that it also reflected the fundamental flaw of this country that continues to this day.”

During that same radio program:

But, the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth, and of more basic issues such as political and economic justice in society.

It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, …

And that hasn’t shifted and one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was because the civil rights movement became so court-focused I think there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalition of powers through which you bring about redistributive change. In some ways we still suffer from that.

During his European tour in 2009:

“I would like to think that with my election, we’re starting to see some restoration of America’s standing in the world.”

“There have been times when America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive”

“The United States is still working through some of our own darker periods in our history.”

“I’m grateful that President [Daniel] Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was three months old,” (referring to JFK’s Bay of Pigs actions)

To Joe Wurzelbacher, October, 2008:

“It’s not that I want to punish your success; I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you that they’ve got a chance at success, too. I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”

During various other speeches:

“Our country still struggles with the legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of Native Americans.”

“It’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

“In America, there’s a failure to appreciate Europe’s leading role in the world.”

“We have sought — in word and deed — a new era of engagement with the world. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

“When you question the cause or character of my country, think about the concrete actions of the last nine months.”

I chose those quotes to provide an overview of the way Barack and Michelle Obama see the United States, its foundation, its history, its place in the world and themselves. Several things stand out in the things they’ve said. These statements show, among other things, that they see America as a racially segregated country. That the segregation problems come from flaws in the Constitution created by the Founding Fathers and not addressed by the Supreme Court. That America is a mean country because we have not achieved what they see as “political and economic justice in society”. In their view, “political and economic justice in society” means “redistributive change” in the form of “the redistribution of wealth”. They don’t believe in the old saying “give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for life”. They believe that you shouldn’t have to learn to fish, the government should take the fruits of the fisherman’s labor to feed those not trying to learn to fish.

Most people think the above mentioned statements mean the Obama’s don’t love America, however they’re missing a very important, yet basic, point. Your view of America, and mine, is not shared by the Obama’s. The America we love is the country begun, and fought for by the Patriots of the late 1700’s, formed by the Founding Fathers through the Constitution and protected by the blood of our heroic men and women through many wars and military conflicts. Barack and Michelle Obama do not see it that way. The America they love, and believe in, does not yet exist. When Michelle spoke of how “it feels like hope is finally making a comeback” she referred to the hope of an America that can be changed to fit their progressive vision. When she said “I think people are hungry for change” she was thinking of a change to the fundamental course of the country. The new course takes us away from our “flawed” Constitutional roots and toward a new “just” society. They believe that Barack can, and will, steer us in the direction we should have been going all along. “it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” “When you question the cause or character of my country, think about the concrete actions of the last nine months.” The Obama’s believe “Our country still struggles with the legacies of slavery and segregation, the past treatment of Native Americans” and they can change that.

The time has come to decide which America you will fight for. If you agree with the Obama’s, then fight to elect progressive liberals that agree with you. If you believe, as I do, that America needs to return to the values of the Constitution, allowing all to achieve by their own labors, then fight to elect the representatives that share those ideals. Either way, it’s time to stand up and be counted.