Recalling Obama's Optimistic Vision of America
The heart of the American project is self-governance and inclusion, he explained, not demagogic rule
Looking back eight years might seem like entering a time warp—to a long-lost world where Hillary Clinton was the frontrunner and Donald Trump had not yet touched the levers of power. But by July 2016, President Barack Obama already saw clearly the danger America would face if Clinton were to lose the election.
While this week’s Super Tuesday contests will not change the obvious trajectory, President Joe Biden can count on a focused national audience to freshly assert his vision for America at Thursday’s State of the Union. With that in mind, I revisited Obama’s address at the Democratic National Convention, delivered on July 27, one week after Trump’s grievance-filled, carnage-obsessed “I alone can fix it” speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
What I found was both an accurate portrayal of Trump’s hateful, un-American message and Obama’s deeply optimistic articulation of what makes America a special place. Reading it now offers a bracing reminder of Obama’s inclusive belief in the American democratic experiment and the hopeful energy that belief inspired. Yes, it was not enough to ensure Clinton’s victory then, but engaging it now may help deepen our commitment this fall to fight for America’s democratic future.
First, his bullseye on Trump’s message: “What we heard was a deeply pessimistic vision of a country where we turn against each other, and turn away from the rest of the world. There were no serious solutions to pressing problems—just the fanning of resentment and blame and anger and hate.” (He also noted later that Trump is not much for facts and not much of a businessman either: “I know plenty of businessmen and women who’ve achieved success without leaving a trail of lawsuits, and unpaid workers, and people feeling like they got cheated.”)
While Obama missed how much Trump’s malignant view was already percolating in the GOP—he didn’t think Trump’s speech was “particularly Republican”—he understood the stakes. The 2016 election, he said, is “not just a choice between parties or policies; the usual debates between left and right. This is a more fundamental choice—about who we are as a people, and whether we stay true to this great American experiment in self-government.”
Rather than focus on the chaos and darkness that motivates Trump, Obama told the Democratic delegates in Philadelphia (and the millions watching on television) about the America he knows, one that is “full of courage and optimism and ingenuity.” He continued:
The America I know is decent and generous. Sure, we have real anxieties—about paying the bills, protecting our kids, caring for a sick parent. We get frustrated with political gridlock, worry about racial divisions; are shocked and saddened by the madness of Orlando or Nice. There are pockets of America that never recovered from factory closures; men who took pride in hard work and providing for their families who now feel forgotten; parents who wonder whether their kids will have the same opportunities we had.
All that is real. We’re challenged to do better, to be better. But as I’ve traveled this country, through all fifty states; as I’ve rejoiced with you and mourned with you, what I’ve also seen, more than anything, is what is right with America. I see people working hard and starting businesses; people teaching kids and serving our country. I see engineers inventing stuff, and doctors coming up with new cures. I see a younger generation full of energy and new ideas, not constrained by what is, ready to seize what ought to be.
Most of all, I see Americans of every party, every background, every faith who believe that we are stronger together—black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American; young and old; gay, straight, men, women, folks with disabilities, all pledging allegiance, under the same proud flag, to this big, bold country that we love.
Obama also insisted that Trump’s fear-mongering was “selling the American people short,” that “we are not a fragile or frightful people.” And he described his vision of American democracy, an inclusive, bottom-up vision that doesn’t depend on some fake golden-haired guy scaring people and pumping up himself:
Our power doesn’t come from some self-declared savior promising that he alone can restore order. We don’t look to be ruled. Our power comes from those immortal declarations first put to paper right here in Philadelphia all those years ago: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”; that together, We, the People, can form a more perfect union.
That’s who we are. That’s our birthright—the capacity to shape our own destiny. That’s what drove patriots to choose revolution over tyranny and our GIs to liberate a continent. It’s what gave women the courage to reach for the ballot, and marchers to cross a bridge in Selma, and workers to organize and fight for better wages.
America has never been about what one person says he’ll do for us. It’s always been about what can be achieved by us, together, through the hard, slow, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately enduring work of self-government
In the end, Obama described the values of his Kansas grandparents and what they taught him when he was growing up. They didn’t like braggarts or bullies, and didn’t respect mean-spiritedness. “Instead,” Obama said, “they valued traits like honesty and hard work. Kindness and courtesy. Humility. Responsibility. Helping each other out.” Values that “weren’t limited to small towns” and cherished by “every race and every faith.” These are “true things. Things that last. The things we teach our kids.”
And it’s this vision—what America is and can be—that has united Americans and has made the country a beacon to the world. “That’s why,” he said:
…we can attract strivers and entrepreneurs from around the globe to build new factories and create new industries here. That’s why our military can look the way it does, every shade of humanity, forged into common service. That’s why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end.
That’s America. Those bonds of affection; that common creed. We don’t fear the future; we shape it, embrace it, as one people, stronger together than we are on our own.
I don’t know what Donald Trump will say after he likely wins all 16 states on Super Tuesday, but I am absolutely sure this wannabe dictator won’t offer a rousing vision of self-governance. I don’t know exactly what Joe Biden will say on Thursday, but I hope his State of the Union will not only detail his significant achievements but also provide a vivid picture of why and how we must ensure a democratic future.
What I do know is that if most Americans would read or listen to Obama’s inspiring words from eight long and sobering years ago, they would not lose sight of their obligation to their country, to all the men and women who sacrificed to secure our freedom, and to the ideals brought forth by our founding fathers that have yet to be fully realized.
As Abraham Lincoln reminded us about those who fought and died at Gettysburg in 1862, every American has a responsibility to their “unfinished work,” that they “shall not have died in vain,” and to fulfill the promise that our “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
The existential danger Lincoln warned about 161 years ago represents the heart of the matter facing America now—a danger from within that each of us has the ability to help overcome.
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Your post today brought tears. There is not much more to say. I wish every American could read this message and grasp it's deep, emotional encouragement that is all inclusive - not exclusive. Trump's rhetoric is divisive, negative, narcissistic, and self-focused. Obama's message is optimistic and telling us that we are a part of a better tomorrow. The whole world applauded when Obama was elected and his wise leadership and words are appreciated by many souls. He was a stark contrast to Trump's idiocy.
Rural Americans first voted for Trump because he was the Republican ticket, but then something changed. His repetitive lies is a form of coercive mind control (brainwashing) sucking people into almost worshipping a demagogic CULT leader.
Let's digress about 100 years. Brainwashing began in totalitarian countries: Germany, Hungry, Italy, China, North Korea, Russia, and so on. Hitler was beginning his rise in Germany. He turned families and neighbors against each other. Like Trump, he preached hatred. He converted a peaceful nation into Nazis - that performed mass murders and killed over 6 million humans. My father was a prisoner in Germany in WWII and witnessed the "camps". It took the entire world and millions of men and women to fight and die to end Hitler's madness. Stalin, in his insatiable and murderous mind, is estimated to have killed 20 million people. And Jim Jones, who thought he was God, amassed a following of 900 cult members. He ordered them all to drink KoolAid laced with poison. Every one of them perished.
In 1974, John McCain wrote "The biggest factor in a man's ability to perform credibly as a prisoner of war is a strong belief in the correctness of his nation's foreign policy . . .Prisoners who questioned the 'legality of the war' were extremely easy marks for Communist propaganda. Americans captured after 1968 had proven to be more susceptible to North Vietnamese pressure, he argued, because they 'had been exposed to the divisive forces . . . and the anti-war movement in the United States." (N.Y.Times Service, D. Kirkpatrick, June 14, 2008).
I was at a book-signing event at Barnes and Noble in Tucson, AZ. (From Democracy to Democrazy by Graham) A middle-aged woman came up to be and said "I think Putin is a smart and great leader." I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out. I was shocked. These exact words were spoken by Trump one week prior and in response to Putin's invasion of Ukraine. (You Tube. Bloomberg TV) This my fellow Substack writers and followers is BRAINWASHING. It infects millions of Americans and is nearly impossible to combat. Mass mind manipulation is defined as "telling lies over and over until it is perceived as the truth." (wikipedia) Once a person is convinced, there is little to no independent thought. According to CNN, 70% of Republicans still believe that Trump won the 2020 election, even though Biden won by over 7 million votes. If the lie also contains hatred, which is used by Trump daily, then the human brain releases a chemical to enact violence - what we saw on January 6th. It is like a reenactment of the "Walking Dead" movie, only this is reality in the United States in 2024.
Trump has been convicted of rape and as a sexual predator - it was too bad this was a civil case instead of a criminal case - where like Bill Crosby, he would be sentenced to prison. He has been convicted of massive fraud in NY, with the evidence and documentation overwhelming. Yet with the Supremes contributing to the distortion of our judicial process, who knows if Trump will ever face the 91 criminal charges in 4 cases. Discouraging.
Vladimir Putin has openly bragged that Trump will win the 2024 election. Remember, it was the Russians who maneuvered Trump into the White House in 2016. What does Putin know that we do not about our upcoming Presidential election? This too is discouraging and frightening.
Our world and our country are far different than 100 years ago - but as a nation living in an experimental form of government known as a democracy, we are tumbling down a snowy mountain with few trees to stop us. Our right to vote is our only savior. Trump and his cult known as Trumpers are attempting to distort or prevent voting in some parts of our country.
Don't listen to the false information published or spoken by Republicans and their MAGA extremists - it is all lies. Don't listen to Trump, who is a wanna-be dictator and has probably committed treason against our nation. This man has been convicted of FRAUD, he has filed four bankruptcies and stiffed the hard workers who honestly performed his work - he is a false God and a FAKE and will lead to destruction of our country.
Joe Biden's public service experience includes 36 years as a senator - where his constitutes were happy with his Congressional performance and re-elected him over and over, 8 years as the Vice President, and 4 years as the President. He has been able to reverse the fiscal disaster created by Trump and our economy has not only stabilized but is the fastest growing in the entire world. He has created jobs and reduced inflation. He is by far the most qualified person in the United States to be President and his age and experience is an asset.
Thank you Steven!
Lincoln was right!
The Confederacy never died, just went underground. We have to remember: Biden or Dictatorship is the choice in November.