Consistent with the theme of presidential speeches that we have covered over the past few days in celebration of Presidents’ Day, I wanted to share a presidential campaign speech with you.
Good piece, Steve. I try not to get overly concerned about the idiots who attend his rallies. They are not large in numbers, many of them are the same who travel event to event to adore and hype their Chump. So we have an outsized impression of the reality. And if Chump started talking about the size of his private parts, they would still be on their knees in adoration and submission.
I believe the larger issue is the great numbers of Gullibles who do not attend rallies but would vote for Chump like automatons. These are the same types who vote for the Chump Toadies like Kari Lake and Tim Scott, and do not comprehend that they are voting against their own well-being. It will be tough getting to those, but still worth it if some start to understand.
This article spells out the core essence of presidency, its purpose and its obligation. This article is a perfect piece to start the day when Putin’s advocate and Trump’s surrogate, JD Vance is telling the Europeans how to be ready for Russia after the US stop aiding Ukraine. He said, “Americans want allies in Europe, not client states, and our generosity in Ukraine is coming to an end. Europeans should regard the conclusion of the war there as an imperative. They must keep rebuilding their industrial and military capabilities. And Europe should consider how exactly it is going to live with Russia when the war in Ukraine is over.” He said it is EU’s problem alone to deal with Russia incurring into Ukraine. Saying this at this moment to Putin who is already feeling energized is a preview to what Trump’s presidency will be pursuing if he comes back.
I had expected Vance to make such a statement. If you ever hear Fiona Hill talk about this, she will say that Vance is telegraphing to Putin that all of Europe is your’s. We do live among traitors and Vance is one of them. Sad for our country, because I never thought we would see so many traitors in our government.
Furthermore, it was not necessary for Vance to make any statement. The fact that he did speaks volumes about his doing the evil work for his master in Russia.
"We do live among traitors." Traitors to the Republic? How about the Supreme Court? In refusing to abide by the Constitution (14th Amendment) they are traitors to the Constitution which is the very foundation of the Republic. If they want to change the Constitution (so that insurrectionists can hope to gain power by legally staging coups) there is a process in the Constitution (Article V). It's been done once before when a new Article cancelled out an earlier Article.
JD Vance is a fraud who should have never gained a place in our government. He is riding the wave of anti democratic rhetoric. Interestingly enough, he knows the woes of the poor, addicted and uneducated, he was born to one and grew up with them. Sad that he chose the authoritarian way and not the progressive one, where he might have done some good for those who lives he once knew but have now banished to the dust.
I agree about him. And I think the working poor in this country have been shafted by the political establishment for over 40 years now and thus their grievances in the form of how they vote can be understood. In my view, the Reagan tax cuts created terrible wealth inequality. The rich got richer and bought more political power in order to accrue more wealth. And then NAFTA destroyed good jobs. Taken together, the middle class was gutted. And it was done by the political establishment to them.
The lack of patriotism of todays 'republicans' makes me long for people like JFK who argue over who can do the most for our country, instead of deplorable comments like those of the orange traitor who trash this great nation with every breath.
We have an entertainer who is all bluster, and we have a statesman. The choice is ours. It certainly feels like evil vs good because Trump has made it this way. The madness that has taken hold of so many Republicans is astonishing.
Linda, so true. Just finished Tim Alberta's book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, which traces the powerplays of Jerry Fawell (Sr and Jr) with the Republican Party going back to the Nixon years. Read Stuart Stevens' book, It Was All a Lie, about the Republican Party being based on lies, and now reading his book The Conspiracy to End America. I think that part of the problem we have is people need to recognize that they have been fed lies all this time, and that is a really hard thing to do. It's like being in a marriage and realizing your spouse has been cheating on you for 40 years. Even the Never Trumper crowd falls under the group of "my spouse cheated the last several years, but before that everything was good" when the spouse has been cheating for 40 years. This is the only analogy I can think of that gets to the core ---and heartbreak --- of the problem. When people finally realize, they are going to be mighty mad.
"Of course it is important to elect a good man with good intentions..." Funny how that was assumed by Kennedy at the time. Almost an afterthought in the speech. My God, what would our greatest presidents say if they could see and hear the current GOP frontrunner today?
Steve: Thank you for providing a copy of President JFK's speech in 1960. Contrasting the intellectualism and historical comparisons of that speech with today's political speeches leaves us sorely lacking. There is a part of JFK's speech that is especially illuminating and bears repeating and comparison with where our country and we are today politically. He said: "The White House is not only the center of political leadership. It must be the center of moral leadership - a "bully pulpit" as Teddy Roosevelt described it. For only the President represents the national interest. And upon him alone converge all the needs and aspirations of all parts of the country, all departments of government, and all nations of the world". Can anyone with half a brain imagine the grifter fulfilling the role of moral leadership? Can anyone imagine the grifter representing the national interest above all else? Our people, our nation and our allies would be up the creek, if the needs and aspirations of all parts of the country would converge upon the grifter, who was recently chosen the worst of all of our presidents through the ages, by a panel of eminent historians, even worse than Buchanan. We must all stand together and hope for the best and vote for Biden or any other democrat.
The grifter has elevated the ignorant to feel superior to those they perceive as intellectuals. And, he is the primary ignoramus. They will not willingly give up this delusion because it makes them happy! I almost feel sympathetic.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
I left Kennedy off my best inaugural address, but he represented a shift in leadership; the old guard to the new guard.
He also galvanized the younger generation to look introspectively, and find purpose in serving the greater good: The Peace Corps to civil service.
I truly believe some of the nations greatest leaders were developed during this period of selflessness. It was a time of this nation’s first crisis of identity and millions rose to the occasion.
We were at the height of the Cold War, and our youth, for the first time, was questioning our participation in foreign wars with the Vietnam War escalating. It truly was a paradigm shift for this nation.
Unfortunately, when Reagan came to power, he deregulated markets, and Wall started to attract our best and brightest. Additionally, military contractors started offering our best and brightest military leaders, more and more money, so many left to take a better payday.
That said, Kennedy change this country for the better, so my only question is; what happened and how did we end up with Trump?
A fringe “benefit” of the Cold War was we poured money into education and Boomers (of which I am one) were the beneficiaries. I went to a huge high school with well equipped science labs, two swimming pools and three gymnasiums. That was one element of long term social strategizing along with deliberate policies to build a strong middle class who could afford home ownership, which we have abandoned. We are much weaker as a result, no matter how much we pour into our military - unhealthy, uneducated young citizens who desperately dabble in crime aren’t fit to serve, and don’t want to.
Let every nation know, weather it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge-and more”
What we have lost in these the trump years. It can’t be fast enough to rid ourselves of the grifting excuse of a man!
“The vital centre of action” JFK had in him the potential of being our greatest president, the dazzling intellect, the compassion, the vision, the courage, revealing themselves at different times as the world unfolded before him. The bullets that tore into him changed the course of America and the world. We have yet to see the true cost. America has gone to a different place. We will never see his like again.
I refuse to believe that. There ARE fine Americans out there who could do great things for us and the world. I have faith in that, and I encourage young people to run for office if they want to make a positive difference in their lives and the lives of others. Maybe that person will show up tomorrow, or next week. But they are out there.
Hi Celeste. Yes, but cynicism, apathy and ennui Have taken hold. Trump and the Republican embrace of Orban, then Putin could never have happened in the 60s. I like Newsome and Murphy and Raskin but the hills are so much steeper it may be more of a holding pattern and less leadership and glory. I like your take but I am not hopeful. Bob
If I gave this article to one of my educated 20-something children, none, not even the PhD candidate, would have the patience and attention span to read and digest it. That is among our biggest challenges. Politics needs the allure of Instagram, the captivation of a video game.
"It begs a serious question. Are we degenerating as a society intellectually, morally, emotionally and spiritually, while making fantastical scientific advances that will further stress this age of moral infancy and historical ignorance?"
Yes.
We are too technologically advanced for our moral britches.
Wider war is on the way. Will democracy prevail or will we have a new dark age?
How the next president regards the presidency will determine that question. As always Steve, thanks for the information and the moral clarity.
First, thank you for an inspiring start to my morning. Which clarifies to me that It is not just the lack of patriotism evidenced by the GOP and most of, if not all MAGA adherents, it is their willingness to bend their knee to Putin accept the fate of living under a dictatorship. Which I am not.
Neither am I, which is why I continue to "warn" everyone I can. I will never stop trying to get through to those I can who still need convincing that we are in dangerous waters. And getting young people registered to vote. I will never stop and never give up working to help eradicate the maga mindset.
Donald Trump has none of the qualities of any of the Presidents menetioned in JFK's speech. Nor does he have the intelect reqiured or interest in doing anything for the betterment of the American people or America. The biggest complaint people have agaist Joe Biden is his age. But, he has produced a functioning government that reflects the face of this country.
Thanks for sharing, Steve. I remember the days of JFK. Although I was very young, those days shaped my entire life's vision for what I would look for in a President. One who works for the "greater good",of the nation and all it's peoples. President Biden leans heavily toward that vision. In stark contrast( I'm still shaking my head) the GOP front runner for Potus, hawking his latest wares of gold, high top tennis shoes with a price tag of $400 and an inscription of "never surrender". There are no visions in his head, except for money! He is nothing more than a social contagion I pray will end soon, very soon!!!
I’ve come to the conclusion that the most important characteristic of a president Americans should consider in a presidential election is the one we talk about the least. That characteristic is, in my opinion, leadership. Specifically, are we asking ourselves what type of leader would this candidate actually be? Would he or she be inclusive yet decisive in their decision making? Would they make decisions based on the common good , the greater good, as well as democratic norms and values? Most importantly, would their leadership style embody servant leadership? Or, would their leadership style (or lack there of) be centered on themselves, political expediency, self promotion, kleptocracy, rewarding their cronies, and punishing their enemies? These and similar questions are what, imo, we American voters should be asking ourselves right now. But, we fail consistently as a whole to do that. The proof is in our track record in electing presidents. How many truly great ones can you count? How many bad or mediocre ones can you count? Until we learn as a nation and come to a consensus as to what constitutes great presidential leadership, we are at great risk of electing manipulative demagogues like Trump who are the antithesis of a servant leader. We need to, as a nation, wise up, and do it fast.
Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it. Our Presidents who recognized and learned from our past successes and failures while still putting their own unique character on the office have made the list of our greatest leaders. This November, our choice of candidate with the Kennedy-esqe strength of character, ability, compassion, and intellect could not be more clear. Thanks,Steve, for another inspiring column.
Good piece, Steve. I try not to get overly concerned about the idiots who attend his rallies. They are not large in numbers, many of them are the same who travel event to event to adore and hype their Chump. So we have an outsized impression of the reality. And if Chump started talking about the size of his private parts, they would still be on their knees in adoration and submission.
I believe the larger issue is the great numbers of Gullibles who do not attend rallies but would vote for Chump like automatons. These are the same types who vote for the Chump Toadies like Kari Lake and Tim Scott, and do not comprehend that they are voting against their own well-being. It will be tough getting to those, but still worth it if some start to understand.
Exactly.
This article spells out the core essence of presidency, its purpose and its obligation. This article is a perfect piece to start the day when Putin’s advocate and Trump’s surrogate, JD Vance is telling the Europeans how to be ready for Russia after the US stop aiding Ukraine. He said, “Americans want allies in Europe, not client states, and our generosity in Ukraine is coming to an end. Europeans should regard the conclusion of the war there as an imperative. They must keep rebuilding their industrial and military capabilities. And Europe should consider how exactly it is going to live with Russia when the war in Ukraine is over.” He said it is EU’s problem alone to deal with Russia incurring into Ukraine. Saying this at this moment to Putin who is already feeling energized is a preview to what Trump’s presidency will be pursuing if he comes back.
I had expected Vance to make such a statement. If you ever hear Fiona Hill talk about this, she will say that Vance is telegraphing to Putin that all of Europe is your’s. We do live among traitors and Vance is one of them. Sad for our country, because I never thought we would see so many traitors in our government.
Furthermore, it was not necessary for Vance to make any statement. The fact that he did speaks volumes about his doing the evil work for his master in Russia.
Then the traitors need to be removed from office, they don't meet standards of Congress. They don't honor their oath, kick them out
"We do live among traitors." Traitors to the Republic? How about the Supreme Court? In refusing to abide by the Constitution (14th Amendment) they are traitors to the Constitution which is the very foundation of the Republic. If they want to change the Constitution (so that insurrectionists can hope to gain power by legally staging coups) there is a process in the Constitution (Article V). It's been done once before when a new Article cancelled out an earlier Article.
JD Vance is a fraud who should have never gained a place in our government. He is riding the wave of anti democratic rhetoric. Interestingly enough, he knows the woes of the poor, addicted and uneducated, he was born to one and grew up with them. Sad that he chose the authoritarian way and not the progressive one, where he might have done some good for those who lives he once knew but have now banished to the dust.
I agree about him. And I think the working poor in this country have been shafted by the political establishment for over 40 years now and thus their grievances in the form of how they vote can be understood. In my view, the Reagan tax cuts created terrible wealth inequality. The rich got richer and bought more political power in order to accrue more wealth. And then NAFTA destroyed good jobs. Taken together, the middle class was gutted. And it was done by the political establishment to them.
The lack of patriotism of todays 'republicans' makes me long for people like JFK who argue over who can do the most for our country, instead of deplorable comments like those of the orange traitor who trash this great nation with every breath.
Republican politicians AND the deplorable voters who crave the vitriol.
We have an entertainer who is all bluster, and we have a statesman. The choice is ours. It certainly feels like evil vs good because Trump has made it this way. The madness that has taken hold of so many Republicans is astonishing.
Linda, so true. Just finished Tim Alberta's book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, which traces the powerplays of Jerry Fawell (Sr and Jr) with the Republican Party going back to the Nixon years. Read Stuart Stevens' book, It Was All a Lie, about the Republican Party being based on lies, and now reading his book The Conspiracy to End America. I think that part of the problem we have is people need to recognize that they have been fed lies all this time, and that is a really hard thing to do. It's like being in a marriage and realizing your spouse has been cheating on you for 40 years. Even the Never Trumper crowd falls under the group of "my spouse cheated the last several years, but before that everything was good" when the spouse has been cheating for 40 years. This is the only analogy I can think of that gets to the core ---and heartbreak --- of the problem. When people finally realize, they are going to be mighty mad.
Republican masses demand entertainment, the more vile the better.
Good versus Evil sums it up well.
"Of course it is important to elect a good man with good intentions..." Funny how that was assumed by Kennedy at the time. Almost an afterthought in the speech. My God, what would our greatest presidents say if they could see and hear the current GOP frontrunner today?
Steve: Thank you for providing a copy of President JFK's speech in 1960. Contrasting the intellectualism and historical comparisons of that speech with today's political speeches leaves us sorely lacking. There is a part of JFK's speech that is especially illuminating and bears repeating and comparison with where our country and we are today politically. He said: "The White House is not only the center of political leadership. It must be the center of moral leadership - a "bully pulpit" as Teddy Roosevelt described it. For only the President represents the national interest. And upon him alone converge all the needs and aspirations of all parts of the country, all departments of government, and all nations of the world". Can anyone with half a brain imagine the grifter fulfilling the role of moral leadership? Can anyone imagine the grifter representing the national interest above all else? Our people, our nation and our allies would be up the creek, if the needs and aspirations of all parts of the country would converge upon the grifter, who was recently chosen the worst of all of our presidents through the ages, by a panel of eminent historians, even worse than Buchanan. We must all stand together and hope for the best and vote for Biden or any other democrat.
The grifter has elevated the ignorant to feel superior to those they perceive as intellectuals. And, he is the primary ignoramus. They will not willingly give up this delusion because it makes them happy! I almost feel sympathetic.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
I left Kennedy off my best inaugural address, but he represented a shift in leadership; the old guard to the new guard.
He also galvanized the younger generation to look introspectively, and find purpose in serving the greater good: The Peace Corps to civil service.
I truly believe some of the nations greatest leaders were developed during this period of selflessness. It was a time of this nation’s first crisis of identity and millions rose to the occasion.
We were at the height of the Cold War, and our youth, for the first time, was questioning our participation in foreign wars with the Vietnam War escalating. It truly was a paradigm shift for this nation.
Unfortunately, when Reagan came to power, he deregulated markets, and Wall started to attract our best and brightest. Additionally, military contractors started offering our best and brightest military leaders, more and more money, so many left to take a better payday.
That said, Kennedy change this country for the better, so my only question is; what happened and how did we end up with Trump?
A fringe “benefit” of the Cold War was we poured money into education and Boomers (of which I am one) were the beneficiaries. I went to a huge high school with well equipped science labs, two swimming pools and three gymnasiums. That was one element of long term social strategizing along with deliberate policies to build a strong middle class who could afford home ownership, which we have abandoned. We are much weaker as a result, no matter how much we pour into our military - unhealthy, uneducated young citizens who desperately dabble in crime aren’t fit to serve, and don’t want to.
“The torch has been passed to a new generation…
Let every nation know, weather it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge-and more”
What we have lost in these the trump years. It can’t be fast enough to rid ourselves of the grifting excuse of a man!
Well said and agreed!
“The vital centre of action” JFK had in him the potential of being our greatest president, the dazzling intellect, the compassion, the vision, the courage, revealing themselves at different times as the world unfolded before him. The bullets that tore into him changed the course of America and the world. We have yet to see the true cost. America has gone to a different place. We will never see his like again.
I refuse to believe that. There ARE fine Americans out there who could do great things for us and the world. I have faith in that, and I encourage young people to run for office if they want to make a positive difference in their lives and the lives of others. Maybe that person will show up tomorrow, or next week. But they are out there.
Hi Celeste. Yes, but cynicism, apathy and ennui Have taken hold. Trump and the Republican embrace of Orban, then Putin could never have happened in the 60s. I like Newsome and Murphy and Raskin but the hills are so much steeper it may be more of a holding pattern and less leadership and glory. I like your take but I am not hopeful. Bob
I do have hope of someone stepping up to the plate with the courage of Navalny . . . I must!
If I gave this article to one of my educated 20-something children, none, not even the PhD candidate, would have the patience and attention span to read and digest it. That is among our biggest challenges. Politics needs the allure of Instagram, the captivation of a video game.
"It begs a serious question. Are we degenerating as a society intellectually, morally, emotionally and spiritually, while making fantastical scientific advances that will further stress this age of moral infancy and historical ignorance?"
Yes.
We are too technologically advanced for our moral britches.
Wider war is on the way. Will democracy prevail or will we have a new dark age?
How the next president regards the presidency will determine that question. As always Steve, thanks for the information and the moral clarity.
First, thank you for an inspiring start to my morning. Which clarifies to me that It is not just the lack of patriotism evidenced by the GOP and most of, if not all MAGA adherents, it is their willingness to bend their knee to Putin accept the fate of living under a dictatorship. Which I am not.
Neither am I, which is why I continue to "warn" everyone I can. I will never stop trying to get through to those I can who still need convincing that we are in dangerous waters. And getting young people registered to vote. I will never stop and never give up working to help eradicate the maga mindset.
Thank you!
Donald Trump has none of the qualities of any of the Presidents menetioned in JFK's speech. Nor does he have the intelect reqiured or interest in doing anything for the betterment of the American people or America. The biggest complaint people have agaist Joe Biden is his age. But, he has produced a functioning government that reflects the face of this country.
Sad to see how far we have fallen.
Thanks for sharing, Steve. I remember the days of JFK. Although I was very young, those days shaped my entire life's vision for what I would look for in a President. One who works for the "greater good",of the nation and all it's peoples. President Biden leans heavily toward that vision. In stark contrast( I'm still shaking my head) the GOP front runner for Potus, hawking his latest wares of gold, high top tennis shoes with a price tag of $400 and an inscription of "never surrender". There are no visions in his head, except for money! He is nothing more than a social contagion I pray will end soon, very soon!!!
I’ve come to the conclusion that the most important characteristic of a president Americans should consider in a presidential election is the one we talk about the least. That characteristic is, in my opinion, leadership. Specifically, are we asking ourselves what type of leader would this candidate actually be? Would he or she be inclusive yet decisive in their decision making? Would they make decisions based on the common good , the greater good, as well as democratic norms and values? Most importantly, would their leadership style embody servant leadership? Or, would their leadership style (or lack there of) be centered on themselves, political expediency, self promotion, kleptocracy, rewarding their cronies, and punishing their enemies? These and similar questions are what, imo, we American voters should be asking ourselves right now. But, we fail consistently as a whole to do that. The proof is in our track record in electing presidents. How many truly great ones can you count? How many bad or mediocre ones can you count? Until we learn as a nation and come to a consensus as to what constitutes great presidential leadership, we are at great risk of electing manipulative demagogues like Trump who are the antithesis of a servant leader. We need to, as a nation, wise up, and do it fast.
www.tomthedemocratist.com
Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it. Our Presidents who recognized and learned from our past successes and failures while still putting their own unique character on the office have made the list of our greatest leaders. This November, our choice of candidate with the Kennedy-esqe strength of character, ability, compassion, and intellect could not be more clear. Thanks,Steve, for another inspiring column.