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Obama: “Are you better off than you were 4 or 8 years ago?”

August 1, 2008 · 3 Comments

Categories: Barack Obama · Democrats · GOP · John McCain · News · campaign speeches · election 2008 · opinion · politics
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3 responses so far ↓

  • William Morgan // August 2, 2008 at 10:11 pm

    “Are you better off?”

    On August 1 in St. Augustine, Florida, Senator Barack Obama asked the people of Florida, “Are you better off than you were 4 or 8 years ago.” That’s a typical Reagan formulation; it’s all about the individual, not the nation. Obama’s answer was better than the question. An Obama question should be, “Are we better off than we were 4 years ago?” or “Is America better off than it was 4 years ago?”

    I haven’t lost my job, but many Americans have. I can afford gas, but many Americans cannot. I have good health insurance, but 40 million don’t. My taxes have gone down on my capital gains, but low income Americans still struggle. I will never have to pay my share of the growing national debt, but America’s children will have to. I no longer have a mortgage, but other Americans are threatened with foreclosure because of an industry without regulators. I have not suffered from lead paint on a toy or poison in my toothpaste, but others have. I have not had a bridge collapse under me, but I do fear it. I have not yet suffered the consequences of global warming, but future Americans will. I have not been discriminated against for any reason in the last 4 years, but I know fellow citizens have. I have not gone into a coal mine and I benefit from cheaper electricity because workers risk their health and lives to supply our utilities, but I do care that our regulators do not protect American workers. I do not know if my financial standard of living has changed much, but I know most of the middle class has fallen behind. I don’t drink polluted river water, breathe polluted air, or eat contaminated food… well maybe I do. I do not have any outstanding college loans, but I sympathize with those young Americans investing in their futures who have accumulated large college loans.

    I don’t live in New Orleans, the Mississippi Valley, or tornado alley, but I cringe to see how our government failed fellow Americans.

    I have not been tortured, spied on, tried, or imprisoned, but I anguish that my government does it to others.

    I have not gone to war in Iraq, but I understand the pain of separation, soldiers wounded, Americans killed and families destroyed. I have not been physically or mentally wounded, but I object that those who fought for our country are unable to get adequate care. I will not benefit from the new GI Bill that Bush and McCain opposed for months, but I support those who served.

    Senator Obama is better off than 4 years ago with a loving wife, growing girls, good job for himself and his wife, savings in his kids’ college accounts, nice home and national recognition. But while he is better off, Obama is not satisfied because he is concerned that all Americans are not better off. Obama appreciation of the Sermon on the Mount indicates his heart, and his substantial proposals described in his “Blueprint for America” and on his website indicate his thoughtful solutions to the economic concerns of all Americans.

  • Missives From Suburbia // August 4, 2008 at 7:20 pm

    I may be showing my age here, but that is the question Reagan used to kill Carter’s re-election campaign.

    —————
    Absolutely. He should stop saving it so it has more power during the debates. That’s when Reagan unleased it in 1980 and it triggered his landslide victory.

    -RK Ref

  • race42008.com » Blog Archive » Why we are getting worse off: Hurricanes Jack Ass, Katrina and Ike edit entry // September 15, 2008 at 5:56 pm

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