2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumReclaiming patriotism. Reclaiming God. And answering four years of slurs
That's what I liked about the speech. Obama called on patriotic Americans to do the right thing and support each other rather than just to "ask what I can do for myself" (quoting Nixon). And invoked God for the same. And wrapped himself in American traditions.
It's like: this is an answer to four years of "he's a socialist... born in Kenya... he's not one of us."
So why do I like it so much that he evokes God, when I hate it when Republicans do it and mistrust religion in politics? Because Obama's God is inclusive. Because Obama evokes God to unite us - and occasionally to ask us to do what we all know is right. As did Lincoln, FDR and Dr King.
Whereas Republicans use God to divide us. There is always a subtext: you who aren't in the club aren't real Americans."
People think that "secular" and "religious" are opposites. They are not. The opposite of "secular" is "sectarian". Republican appeals to God are sectarian. They exclude me: a mostly-Buddhist anti-life peacenik from a family of atheists. But when Obama invokes God I feel included. I don't feel thatmy beliefs are challenged.
So, yeah. Mr, Obama spoke for a real America that includes all of us.
JNelson6563
(28,151 posts)Did the President give an acknowledgement to us unbelievers this time too? He did with his first one.
Just curious.
Julie
fiorello
(182 posts)Nothing about religion, just a lot of "may God bless the USA".
pampango
(24,692 posts)accomplishment. This definitions stands in contrast to the flag-waving, USA! USA! form of patriotism.
Filibuster Harry
(666 posts)our time to come together to do great things, not takers but risk makers, take the pledge to our country not party similar to the military. A great speech that did speak about all of us as part of a new, real America.