Gary J Carter
2008-08-29 14:16:07 UTC
Obama's Progressive, Populist Agenda: "Now Is Not the Time for Small
Plans"
By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. Posted August 29, 2008.
Obama has shown the pathway out of the decades-long, ruinous mess
conservative rule has created.
Barack Obama opened the final phase of the 2008 presidential election
by
unveiling an unabashedly populist, progressive agenda to renew
America's
promise in the 21st century.
Speaking at the final night of the Democratic Convention before tens
of
thousands in Denver, Obama said that "we are a better country" than
the sum
total of our current problems and the legacy left by decades of
conservative
Republican domination of the nation's politics.
Obama forcefully challenged Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee,
saying
he looked forward to debating McCain on virtually every issue raised
by
Democrats during the primary and caucus season, and even those raised
by
McCain.
Obama specifically detailed more than two dozen policy areas where he
explained why the approach taken by the Bush Administration has not
worked
and would continue not to work for ordinary Americans. He said McCain,
whose
politics mirror Bush's, would not bring America the solutions that it
needs.
"The record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent
of
the time," Mr. Obama said. "Senator McCain likes to talk about
judgment, but
really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George
Bush was
right more than 90 percent of the time? I don't know about you, but
I'm not
ready to take a 10 percent chance on change."
Obama's speech recapped aspects of prior speeches, but broke much new
ground. As he has said many times before, the country is at a historic
crossroads.
"We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our nation is
at
war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been
threatened
once more," Obama said.
"Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder
for
less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your
home
values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive,
credit
cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your
reach.
"These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure
to
respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the
failed
policies of George W. Bush... America, we are better than these last
eight
years. We are a better country than this."
Obama spoke of "keeping the American promise alive," saying that while
McCain was an honorable man, he simply did not understand what was
going on
in America.
"Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on
in
the lives of Americans; I just think he doesn't know," Obama said.
"Why else
would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a
year? How
else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big
corporations and oil companies, but not one penny of tax relief to
more than
100 million Americans?
"How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax
people's
benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families
pay
for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble
your
retirement? It's not because John McCain doesn't care; it's because
John
McCain doesn't get it."
Obama said Democrats have a different view of what constitutes
progress in
America.
"You see, you see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what
constitutes progress in this country," he said. "We measure progress
by how
many people can find a job that pays the mortgage, whether you can put
a
little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday
watch
your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23
million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president...
"We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of
billionaires we
have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a
good
idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress
who
lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without
losing
her job, an economy that honors the dignity of work," he said. "The
fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are
living
up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great, a
promise
that is the only reason I am standing here tonight."
Obama also laid out the Democratic agenda in the most specific terms
of the
campaign to date.
"Let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am
president," he
said. "Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who
wrote
it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.
"You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to
companies
that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies
that
create good jobs right here in America. I'll eliminate capital gains
taxes
for the small businesses and start-ups that will create the high-wage,
high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will -- listen now -- I will cut taxes
-- cut
taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an
economy like
this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class."
Obama then turned to energy and energy independence.
"For the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our
planet, I
will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end
our
dependence on oil from the Middle East," he said. "We will do this.
Washington -- Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for
the
last 30 years. And, by the way, John McCain has been there for 26 of
them.
"And in that time, he has said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards
for
cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels.
And
today, we import triple the amount of oil than we had on the day that
Senator McCain took office," he said. "Now is the time to end this
addiction
and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term
solution, not even close.
"As president, as president, I will tap our natural gas reserves,
invest in
clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.
I'll
help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of
the
future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the
American
people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest $150 billion over the
next
decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power and
solar
power and the next generation of biofuels -- an investment that will
lead to
new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't be
outsourced."
Obama described how he would pay for these initiatives and concluded
by
drawing on the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream
speech,"
urging the country to join him in taking bold steps into the future.
"America, now is not the time for small plans," he said.
Plans"
By Steven Rosenfeld, AlterNet. Posted August 29, 2008.
Obama has shown the pathway out of the decades-long, ruinous mess
conservative rule has created.
Barack Obama opened the final phase of the 2008 presidential election
by
unveiling an unabashedly populist, progressive agenda to renew
America's
promise in the 21st century.
Speaking at the final night of the Democratic Convention before tens
of
thousands in Denver, Obama said that "we are a better country" than
the sum
total of our current problems and the legacy left by decades of
conservative
Republican domination of the nation's politics.
Obama forcefully challenged Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee,
saying
he looked forward to debating McCain on virtually every issue raised
by
Democrats during the primary and caucus season, and even those raised
by
McCain.
Obama specifically detailed more than two dozen policy areas where he
explained why the approach taken by the Bush Administration has not
worked
and would continue not to work for ordinary Americans. He said McCain,
whose
politics mirror Bush's, would not bring America the solutions that it
needs.
"The record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent
of
the time," Mr. Obama said. "Senator McCain likes to talk about
judgment, but
really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George
Bush was
right more than 90 percent of the time? I don't know about you, but
I'm not
ready to take a 10 percent chance on change."
Obama's speech recapped aspects of prior speeches, but broke much new
ground. As he has said many times before, the country is at a historic
crossroads.
"We meet at one of those defining moments, a moment when our nation is
at
war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been
threatened
once more," Obama said.
"Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder
for
less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your
home
values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive,
credit
cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your
reach.
"These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure
to
respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the
failed
policies of George W. Bush... America, we are better than these last
eight
years. We are a better country than this."
Obama spoke of "keeping the American promise alive," saying that while
McCain was an honorable man, he simply did not understand what was
going on
in America.
"Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on
in
the lives of Americans; I just think he doesn't know," Obama said.
"Why else
would he define middle-class as someone making under $5 million a
year? How
else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big
corporations and oil companies, but not one penny of tax relief to
more than
100 million Americans?
"How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax
people's
benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families
pay
for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble
your
retirement? It's not because John McCain doesn't care; it's because
John
McCain doesn't get it."
Obama said Democrats have a different view of what constitutes
progress in
America.
"You see, you see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what
constitutes progress in this country," he said. "We measure progress
by how
many people can find a job that pays the mortgage, whether you can put
a
little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday
watch
your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23
million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was president...
"We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of
billionaires we
have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a
good
idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress
who
lives on tips can take a day off and look after a sick kid without
losing
her job, an economy that honors the dignity of work," he said. "The
fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are
living
up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great, a
promise
that is the only reason I am standing here tonight."
Obama also laid out the Democratic agenda in the most specific terms
of the
campaign to date.
"Let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am
president," he
said. "Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who
wrote
it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.
"You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to
companies
that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies
that
create good jobs right here in America. I'll eliminate capital gains
taxes
for the small businesses and start-ups that will create the high-wage,
high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will -- listen now -- I will cut taxes
-- cut
taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an
economy like
this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class."
Obama then turned to energy and energy independence.
"For the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our
planet, I
will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end
our
dependence on oil from the Middle East," he said. "We will do this.
Washington -- Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for
the
last 30 years. And, by the way, John McCain has been there for 26 of
them.
"And in that time, he has said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards
for
cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels.
And
today, we import triple the amount of oil than we had on the day that
Senator McCain took office," he said. "Now is the time to end this
addiction
and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term
solution, not even close.
"As president, as president, I will tap our natural gas reserves,
invest in
clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.
I'll
help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of
the
future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the
American
people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest $150 billion over the
next
decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power and
solar
power and the next generation of biofuels -- an investment that will
lead to
new industries and 5 million new jobs that pay well and can't be
outsourced."
Obama described how he would pay for these initiatives and concluded
by
drawing on the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream
speech,"
urging the country to join him in taking bold steps into the future.
"America, now is not the time for small plans," he said.