<p>Wow. Not a great off the cuff speach there. Bet that question wasn’t pre-planned. If it was it was even worse. Where are all the apologists? I’m waiting for them to turn this into something about McCain. Anyone? Anyone???</p>
<p>OK, here goes, pmrlcomm. Perhaps Obama was referring to the fact that once upon a time, America was a global power that was widely respected and didn’t start wars. That’s how I interpreted that snippet of speech. I love this country very much and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else–but like Obama, I have high expectations for America and believe we can be better than we are at this point in our history. … It’s like having a gifted but sometimes wayward child who you love with all of your heart, but who you wish would behave in a consistently kind and thoughtful manner. :)</p>
<p>America is AWESOME All the Time!</p>
<p>And continues to IMPROVE!</p>
<p>"I couldn’t agree more, bz! America will especially continue to improve with “he-whose-face-is-hidden-behind-your-foot” in charge. :D</p>
<p>lol Hindoo - you mean “the celebrity formerly known as Barack”?</p>
<p>I sure hope he doesn’t get elected b/c I don’t think I can hold my foot in the air that long! (But just think how muscular my leg would be!).</p>
<p>Anyway, I’d rather be weak than have a wimpy president!</p>
<p>Oh, wimpy, my foot! … You do know, don’t you, that I am now referring to Obama as “Mr. Darcy?” (see #140) And I expect you to do the same. Show some respect! :)</p>
<p>His many names are only outnumbered by his many positions on issues. :D</p>
<p>I don’t know about that Hindoo (I read your other post before). I ADORE Mr. Darcy, and I just can’t see Obama in that role!! Just the thought is blasphemy!!</p>
<p>haha cm16 - that was good!</p>
<p>Everyone’s a clown on CC. Except for me … and my dear Mr. Darcy.</p>
<p>bz–did you read Dowd’s article?</p>
<p>Careful now you are sounding like a fangirl. :D</p>
<p>You mean, an “Obama-mama?” That’s what my girls call me, and I rather like the sound of it. 
… But now that I’ve got that Mr. Darcy idea fixed in my little brain, I’m thinking I’d rather be called Ms. Bennett.</p>
<p>Another nasty, hairy, puss-filled fear bomb. You must be so proud. Obama didn’t say, “America’s not so great”. He said America is not what it once was, or what it could be. Well, guess what? A lot of fine, red-blooded, upstanding, patriotic Americans would agree with that assessment. Yes, we are still an economic giant in the world, but many would also agree that we are becoming precariously perched. America was once the manufacturing giant of the world, making and exporting more innovative, high-quality products than any other nation on the planet. Time was when many men with only a high school diploma could work a factory job that paid them well enough to single-handedly support a small family. No, they weren’t living in the lap of luxury, but they could put food on the table, clothes on their childrens’ backs and a roof over their heads. But most of those jobs have gone the way of the dodo bird—or rather, have been shipped oversees, where companies can make things cheaper. Just ask any of the struggling, hard-working, “mainstream Americans” in the Mid-West if things have changed in this regard since their grandparents’ time, and if job conditions are now better. Do a little survey of your home and count the number of items that say, “made in China”. If you can’t see that this signals a fundamental shift in the global economic tide, then you’re not paying attention. </p>
<p>More and more, America’s job are “service jobs”, but even those aren’t immune from exportation. Ever try to get a customer service issue solved over the phone by a person in India whose English is so thickly accented, you couldn’t understand them? </p>
<p>Now, I’m not saying economics is precisely the kind of thing Obama was referring to, but the point is, he didn’t elaborate. He merely said words that you yourself have probably thought at one time or another. You might have been thinking about America’s overall moral climate, or the differences in the ways in which today’s young people speak to their elders, from those of young people of the past—something else altogether. The point is, words are meaningless without context, and you literally have no context by which to judge this quote. You’ve just disingenuously glued your own negative interpretation onto Obama’s words, and insisted that that interpretation is the only accurate one.</p>
<p>poetsheart–That’s what I meant to say in post #142. You’re brilliant.</p>
<p>Hindoo</p>
<p>I think poetsheart and dross are one-in-the-same 
I feel honored to read their posts in this forum.</p>
<p>Hmmmm? Interesting thought. What say you, poet/dross?</p>
<p>hindoo - yes, I read the Dowd article , and it’s a very interesting premise, but I see Mr. Darcy as vulnerable on the inside & I don’t think Obama would ever ever ever acknowledge his vulnerabilities or foibles.</p>
<p>Mr. Darcy has a very soft & compassionate side that he kept concealed - Obama seems too hard & mean to be a “Mr. Darcy”. Sorry.</p>
<p>Hindoo - I was joking. Man it’s hard to go back and forth between talking about Farrakhan and Favre!</p>
<p>tee-hee-hee! :D</p>
<p>bz–You are incorrect. Obama is the ideal Mr. D! Let me have my fantasy!</p>