Will Wilkinson liveblogs so you don't have to.
I was disappointed by the beginning of his speech, which seems to have consisted of saying: "There are no tradeoffs, and the people who tell you there are are just big fat HATERS, okay?" He is delivering it beautifully, as he always does, but the words do not really say much about how we will weather the dark storm on the horizon.
The second half, on the other hand, is beautiful. I do not know that glad embrace of the duties of citizenship, as well as the benefits, will fix our economy, but it might fix many other things that are wrong with our country. If he means it.
The libertarians will hate it, I predict. But voluntary embrace of duty is the health of a small state--it's when people won't care for the collective that the government starts making them do it.
Copyright © 2009 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
There are no Human Rights, there are only Civil Rights. Your membership of a civis brings duties as well as rights. Surely none of this is contentious?
"We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories."
Good luck with that...
I thought the speech was pretty good. The overall affair was pretty canned, but what do you expect? Wilkinson's debate liveblogs were much funnier.
I thought the speach was brilliant. I loved part where he said "grow up America", or words to that effect.
I thought it was almost as good as the last speech he gave that prompted you to use that post title - the one where he eloquently explained why he could never disown Rev. Wright.
Megan said: "The libertarians will hate it, I predict."
I remember when you at least pretended to be a libertarian. Times, they are a-changing.
Liked Obama's speech. It felt like "Pull up your socks, America, and let's get going."
Rick warren is probably wishing he had stayed at home. His benediction was L-A-M-E. Yawn.
Maybe people don't "care for the collective" because government has convinced them its the government's responsibility.
Rick Warren was decidedly less controversial that that racist Lowrey.
actually loved the speech - I liked the more workman like nature of it - I think without a lot of florishes he set such a different picture of how we will play in the world and what is in front of us - and he was somber and focused which is exactly where I want him.
That was such an empty speech......he said absolutely nothing......and didn't he campaign on change? What's up with the Lord's Prayer, eh? I thought one of W's biggest flaws was that he laid out the fact that he was a practicing Christian....oh yea, The One needed to PROVE that he's really NOT a practicing MUSLIM.......
Megan,
There was absolutely nothing new in this speech.*
It is exactly the same as Bush's inaugural speech. Which was the same as Clinton's, except that Bush mentioned God. Same challenges faced, same call for action, same promise of reform. Even the imagery is largely the same. Those of you who think there is anything "brilliant" about this speech are daft, unless you seriously think Bush's speech was "brilliant" as well. Guess what you empty-headed buffoons, the President can afford to spend your tax money on decent speechwriters. Wow! What a discovery. Go jump off a roof, maybe without the weight of any brains, you will be able to fly.
And yes Megan, I too remember when you used to pretend you were kindasorta libertarian. What happened to you? Do you remember when you used to blog as "Jane Galt", or have you swallowed too much beltway bologna?
* Except global warming. That's new. Bush didn't talk about it, and Clinton actually felt it necessary to point out that as he was taking the oath of office, it was winter. If this paradigm shift in Presidential inaugural addresses doesn't constitute honest proof that the oceans are rising and the icecaps are melting and we're all going to die because of a few parts per million of carbon dioxide, I don't know what does.
It's kind of sad that Megan's site has become the repository for the Sailerite morons who used to pollute Douthat's site. But so it goes. I guess Staash has nowhere else to play.
"The libertarians will hate it."
Finally admitting you aren't one. Thank you.