Yahoo! News: "Barack stood up that day, and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and settle for the world as it is — even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations.
But he reminded us that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves — to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?
It's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls, in town squares and high school gyms — people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had — refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals.
It is because of their will and determination that this week, we celebrate two anniversaries: the 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote, and the 45th anniversary of that hot summer day when Dr. King lifted our sights and our hearts with his dream for our nation.
...
People like Hillary Clinton, who put those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, so that our daughters — and sons — can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher.
People like Joe Biden, who's never forgotten where he came from, and never stopped fighting for folks who work long hours and face long odds and need someone on their side again.
All of us driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won't do — that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.
That is the thread that connects our hearts. That is the thread that runs through my journey and Barack's journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope. "
I think the main difference between the Right and the Left is outlined here.
The Left looks for what is wrong, and how can I use my power to fix that? Thats fine and dandy, until they begin stealing from other people to do it.
The Right looks for what is right, why it's right, and how to copy that in the rest of life.
Well written speach, but lousy material.
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5 comments:
I think perhaps the difference is more that the Left starts from the position of how it would like society to be and then moves on to talking about changing society to get it in that direction, while the Right starts from the position of how society is and how to preserve what is good in that society.
You see that in all Obama's sickening speeches about 'change' and 'dreaming' and all that starry0eyed nonsense.
Its the difference between realism and idealism.
I see myself as being on the Right in that regard.
I regard those radical libertarians who talk about reducing government to practically nothing to be Left-wing in that sense. They make the same mistake of the Left in starting from how they would ideally like society to be and seek to move it in that direction.
I think probably some of those on the Christian Right also make the same mistake in wanting to re-model society according to some supposed Biblical blueprint/
Every Blessing in Christ
Matt
What scares me is what they mean when they say the "world as it should be." What they think "should be" and what I think "should be" are diametric opposites. If they got everything they wanted, the world would be a nightmare.
One big difference between conservatives and liberals is their view of man. They believe man is basically good, while most conservatives have a more biblical view of the fall of man and its effects.
Matt, I like that analysis as well.
Its weird thinking of libertarians and evangelicals on the left in a sense though.
Joel, thats what they taught in my government class as the difference.
And leftist societies are disasters.
I suppose libertarians and the Christian Right are not truly Left-wing, but I feel they share the main fault of the Left in their idealistic, as opposed to realistic approach to society.
In that we firmly grasp an ideological purity and try to fit everything into our vision of a perfect fallen world?
Heh. It's cause we know it will never happen.
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