President Obama answered the excessive self-congratulatory and self-centered politics of the Paul Ryans, Mitt Romneys, and Tea Partiers who hold sway over today\u2019s Republican Party with forceful and clear statements of how this country has triumphed over adversity and progressed from a small, experimental, slave-holding nation more than 200 years ago, to become the most powerful and important nation to have ever existed on the planet.<\/p>\n
If there was one word in the speech that conveys his message, it was \u201ctogether.\u201d\u00a0 We will not build the infrastructure needed in the 21st<\/sup> century city by city or state by state, but as a unified whole.\u00a0 We cannot leave the protection of the \u201cvulnerable\u201d and neediest to the good will of every state. \u00a0We must act together, as a nation.<\/p>\n We cannot expect every state to ensure the freedom and \u201cpursuit of happiness\u201d for every person without a national commitment.\u00a0 If there had been no federal action, in some states there might still be segregation, laws against inter-racial marriage, no social security insurance to help people as they get older, no Medicare and certainly no promise of universal (or near-universal) health insurance.\u00a0 One often hears people who oppose laws that benefit people who are unlike themselves say that \u201cyou cannot legislate morality.\u201d\u00a0 On the contrary, that is often the only way to bring it about.\u00a0 As the President said, \u201cWe must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice \u2013 not out of mere charity, but because \u2026our time\u2026requires the constant advance of\u2026tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.\u201d<\/p>\n President Obama understands that we won two world wars by working together; that we won the Cold War by standing together when most needed; that we created the first great middle class by allowing unions to protect its worker members; that public education, public roads and transportation, consumer protection, health protection and so many other cornerstones of an advanced society resulted from laws that enhance all people, together.\u00a0 As he said, these things \u201cdo not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take risks that make this country great.\u201d<\/p>\n In his address he took stands for women\u2019s rights, gay rights, voting rights, immigrants\u2019 rights; for protecting our planet; and protecting our children.\u00a0 He also acknowledged that progress is often incremental. But some progress is better than none at all.<\/p>\n There are many forces of ignorance and intolerance that will fight him at every step.\u00a0 I hope that even the most backward-looking Republicans recognize that it is in their self-interest to compromise with the President and do what is right, no matter how much it hurts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Obama answered the excessive self-congratulatory and self-centered politics of the Paul Ryans, Mitt Romneys, and Tea Partiers who hold sway over today\u2019s Republican Party with forceful and clear statements of how this country has triumphed over adversity and progressed (…)<\/p>\n