I think your analysis is a bit too simple, it depends on where you are in the political spectrum. He routinely demonizes roughly half the nation (that's my half, which is why I so acutely notice that), and plenty of those goals are anything but "optimistic" for subsets of that half.
That's one reason he's such a polarizing figure. Yeah, he promised to bring us together, but to bring up one particularly relevant to Hacker News example, look at his "you didn't build that" speech. Coming from an entrepreneurial family and having working in a number of startups, I couldn't take that as anything but an attack on me and mine.
Well, yeah to both points. I'm just disagreeing with your claim that in general his stated goals are "optimistic" for roughly half the nation, and that's just perception....
Why would you take an out-of-context quote as an attack on you and yours?
The actual text:
There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me –
because they want to give something back. They know they didn't –
look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own.
You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who
think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot
of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than
everybody else. Let me tell you something – there are a whole bunch
of hardworking people out there.
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.
There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to
create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed
you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've
got a business – you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.
The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created
the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.
The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our
individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are
some things, just like fighting fires, we don't do on our own. I mean,
imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way
to organize fighting fires.
The 'You Didn't Build That' was just an awkward change of thoughts from the 'roads and bridges' in the previous sentence.
Were you equally insulted when Romney said:
You Olympians, however, know you didn't get here solely on your own power.
For most of you, loving parents, sisters or brothers, encouraged your
hopes, coaches guided, communities built venues in order to organize
competitions. All Olympians stand on the shoulders of those who lifted
them. We've already cheered the Olympians, let's also cheer the parents,
coaches, and communities. All right!
Both were a nod to the social contract which hasn't been terribly controversial since sometime in the 1600's.
Because I actually listened to him say it, with the verbal tones that made what he meant clear, and took it as such, especially since this interpretation is entirely consistent with how he's governed.
Look, it doesn't matter a wit how you interpret his words and actions, what matters is how hostile around half the nation finds them. Nothing in my politically aware lifetime, which starts with Nixon's first term (1969-1972), comes even close. I've read that FDR was this bad, don't really know enough about the ones in-between.
I mean, he said just before the 2008 election "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America." You don't think that included the social contract???
Comments
It's simple: Obama's publicly-stated goals are much more optimistic than other politicians'. People identify with the optimism and the goals.
I think your analysis is a bit too simple, it depends on where you are in the political spectrum. He routinely demonizes roughly half the nation (that's my half, which is why I so acutely notice that), and plenty of those goals are anything but "optimistic" for subsets of that half.
That's one reason he's such a polarizing figure. Yeah, he promised to bring us together, but to bring up one particularly relevant to Hacker News example, look at his "you didn't build that" speech. Coming from an entrepreneurial family and having working in a number of startups, I couldn't take that as anything but an attack on me and mine.
Oh there are lots of reasons to dislike Obama. Dirlewanger asked why anyone kept thinking that he's actually different from the rest of government.
Well, yeah to both points. I'm just disagreeing with your claim that in general his stated goals are "optimistic" for roughly half the nation, and that's just perception....
Why would you take an out-of-context quote as an attack on you and yours?
The actual text:
The 'You Didn't Build That' was just an awkward change of thoughts from the 'roads and bridges' in the previous sentence.Were you equally insulted when Romney said:
Both were a nod to the social contract which hasn't been terribly controversial since sometime in the 1600's.Because I actually listened to him say it, with the verbal tones that made what he meant clear, and took it as such, especially since this interpretation is entirely consistent with how he's governed.
Look, it doesn't matter a wit how you interpret his words and actions, what matters is how hostile around half the nation finds them. Nothing in my politically aware lifetime, which starts with Nixon's first term (1969-1972), comes even close. I've read that FDR was this bad, don't really know enough about the ones in-between.
I mean, he said just before the 2008 election "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America." You don't think that included the social contract???