Congratulations America.

[August]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

Congratulations USA and all that.

Yeah thanks and all that...

[heartc]

Originally Posted by OneToughHerring

Congratulations USA and all that.

I can't sleep since I have the flu and some fever so I'm pretty tired so forgive typing mistakes.

heartc,

for being "the oldest democracy" (not sure if that's the truth) USA has a strange way of giving the president lots of power. And with the US being a significant nation in the world, 'the leader of the free world' as they say, it means that this one person has huge power overall.

So, does it make much sense to go that way? I mean isn't democracy and parlamentarism etc. about taking the power away from 'dieties', godlike-figures, pharaos and kaisers etc. and giving the power to the people? Or if not the people then at least some of their chosen people?

And the thing about US presidents, it's as if come election time the crimes of the previous president just kind of vanish like they never existed. What is this about? Overall US popularity is at the lowest it's been maybe ever. And it'll take a lot more than just Barry to fix that.

edit. And I'm not "Stinking drunk in Trinidad" like my avatar text says. Wish I was, I really just have a flu.

#

Maybe you should inform yourself better before you ascribe the President of the U.S. "god-like power". It doesn't work like that over there.

As to the "crimes of the previous president" - well, if I wouldn't think you are still young, and thus not evil but rather disinformed, I wouldn't have been bothered to even respond at all. Of course, next you will tell me you are 50+. Who knows? That's the thing with the internet. Either way, let's just say that I don't want to talk about these "crimes of the previous president", OK? When I said I myself would have prefered McCain, you should get the drift where I come from. Regardless, it is hard to discuss the Bush policy even in person. It is near impossible to do so on "the Internets", especially when you already start off with an entry like that ("crimes") and half the world following it - half of which are from places that almost define themselves through hatred towards the US - will jump into the discussion at every second word.

Let's just say I have no interest to enter into that discussion. Not because I dislike you, but because I'm tired. I used to run these discussions in real life as well as the net, and a few years of that is about enough. It's over now. Bush is gone, so be happy. I didn't make my above posting because I wanted to discuss the points I made there. I made my posting because I wanted to *give* my points. But I will not discuss them - for the *nth* time.
If you indeed believe that W. Bush was a criminal - well, then yeah, you should have a good feeling about a United States of America for the simple fact that by their constitution no President can BE ELECTED for office more often than TWICE. They came up with that idea exactly because otherwise they could have stayed in Europe. In my eyes, that makes all the "Bush = Hitler" (and, by proxy, US = Dictatorship) talk of a number of confused Europeans seem more than just sad. It makes them look pretty dumb instead.

I'm too tired for this crap. Please try find somebody else to discuss the "criminal US". I'm sure you'll find plenty.

August,

Well sorry if I sound insensitive about your time of celebrations. It's just that I'd rather celebrate the accomplishments of your prez and not the ritualistic part of the whole thing.

heartc,

well, I didn't meant to begin an epic debate, I just wanted to comment on that one thing you wrote about US being the oldest democracy. Just said what was on my mind about the whole hoopla, I hope I still have the right to do that.

[breadcatcher101]

I always thought we were a republic. Whatever. Sometimes it seems to make no difference.

Thank all of you from outside the USA for your words.

I have been a member here for a few months now and find that most of you have a brain and although a lot don't agree it is handled in a polite manner--most of the time-- and it is not like some forums where it is more like 49 monkeys screaming from the tops of branches.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Falkirion

Congrats to America, glad to see nobody decided to pull an assassination attempt on his first day in office.

CIA picked up a guy a few days ago who was blogging just that.

[Stealth Hunter]

Originally Posted by breadcatcher101

I always thought we were a republic. Whatever. Sometimes it seems to make no difference.

We were a republic 200 years ago, but anymore we're kind of a mix in a blurry soup of doctrines and motives.

[Onkel Neal]

Actually there's a big difference between the conservative, traditional Republican people who turned out for Bush's inaugurations and these Democrat supporters who swamped the capitol for the Obama's inauguration. If there are going to be violent protests and no class boo'ing at an inauguration, we know where it comes from. You don't expect Republicans to protest and riot during a Democratic (or any) Presidential inauguration, do you?

These rioters and protesters are brainless retards who always aim for the wrong target. Always massing at a IMF summit or a G-8 summit... There was an outrageous, truly henious crime that took place recently, where are the protesters? Drunk on their Obama Kool-aide, I suppose.

[kiwi_2005]

First time ive watched it on tv, i bet that helicopter the president will use is armored to the teeth with out of this world protection +50 anti terrroist armor with -13% pro-arcane steadyshot sniper defectors :p Sry just having a mmo moment.

Congrats America has a Black President. Amazing, pie in the face for those doubters including myself.

[SandyCaesar]

Originally Posted by heartc

Based on my own opinion, I would have prefered John McCain. A former naval aviator, opting for a second Tour of Duty, then a POW who refused to be release early, based on the code "first in, first out", in spite of his "pedigree", thus earning a long time in sole confinement - there was nothing I ever heard about him from his political enemies that would have deconsturcted his character, which means there was NO way to do so. In my view, what better kind of president could you wish for? Who doesn't only
*talk*, but instead already gave *proof* of his dedication to his country?

On the other hand though, I'm also happy with President Obama. For three reasons:

1. Me being a German, and seeing how the Bush government was REALLY totally INEPT and maybe even just UNINTERESTED in COMMUNICATING their policy and reasoning behind it properly towards Europe, had me ended up in a constant struggle trying to explain it. Not neccessarily justify it - sometimes just trying to explain. You see, almost the complete media landscape here is rather left. Rather left from a German / European point of view. From an American point of view, it isn't "rather left", instead you would say it's downright commie ****, all of it.
So, while I myself - if I lived in a vacuum - would have prefered a Republican President, namely John McCain, I'm on the other hand happy with President Obama because I have no doubt that his Presidency will lead to renewed and more positive US-German relations. Which is exactly what I was trying to achieve at least in my limited environment when I tried to get Bush's points accross WHILE YOUR STATE DEPARTMENT or foreign service didn't give a **** about how America is recieved by her allies / affiliates. I'm a friend of the United States, and I whish to even go and live there at some point, but I'm also a German. I love my country, and it made me sick over all those years in the past to see the hatred that has formed intself in this country towards the US. So I hope having a Dem' President in the US, and now especially Pres. Obama, will at least not worsen the relationship any further. Note that I surely do not agree on the reasons of this hostilitiy that was engineered here against the US over the last few years - it's just that those "engineers" will have a much harder time to continue their Anti-American agenda with Pres. Obama than they had with Pres. W. Bush.

2. Always when I tried to tell something good about America, like, her being the oldest democracy in the modern world, people told me, "Hey look, there's a lot of racists over there!!!11!!. The Black guys still don't have a chance" (never mind that e.g. in Munich, you have clubs where all the foreigners go who are not interested in learning German, and clubs where all the Germans, or where all the rich folk go, who are not intersted in talking to anyone who doesn't drive a BMW Z4 or similar), and while they are at it, they also use to come up with that "genocide on the Indians (=Native Americans)" kind of thing.
I was always trying to tell them that, yes, there might still be racists in the US, but the general climate has long changed, and there were many people in the past who fought for that, and because America is a country based on the idea of FREE PEOPLE, they can achieve things that leave racism behind. Well, people here wouldn't believe me and think I'm just talking out of my ass.
So now that you guys voted a "black" man into office, I hope that this Anti-American prejudice is now finally gone for good. I'm not saying that there are no people in the US who might have a problem with that. I'm saying that all countries have people with prejudices EVERYWHERE. But you, America, have now proven AGAIN, and this time IN FULL THROTTLE, that the FREEDOM and OPPORTUNITY you guys keep talking about, is NOT just a mere word in your country. With this vote, you did put a full shove of SAND into the mouths of those who belittled and ridiculed your idea of FREEDOM from ashore, who - most of the time - were not able to grasp that because they are ACTUAL racists themselvses.

3. I believe Mr. President Obama is an honest broker. While, again, I myself would have prefered McCain, I think that President Obama is not a lieing fool either. The only thing I'm afraid of is that he might steer your country into a one way road that many contries in Europe have long walked and hit the wall at the end of that road. But you are dynamic, you give him a chance, and you watch it. Give him that chance, and see what he comes up with. I don't believe you will watch your country be destroyed - hell, it's why you guys left Europe, after all. Because you wanted to try something else. And you did good so far. If he starts running you aground, you will vote him or his agenda away in time. You are the oldest functioning democracy in the modern world. And you brought that democracy back to a lot of other countries, even if they don't want to admit that out of a wrong understood sense of pride.

Be proud of your President.
Be proud of your country.
And, most importantly, be proud of your people. Because you are who made America.

And don't listen to those who hate you. Envy is the original human sin.


<S!>

Thank you, just for that. There's a point of view that I've never seen before!

And yes, we're probably all being extremely enthusiastic, perhaps overly so. However, this is a turning point, whether or not you believe that Mr. Obama will or will not accomplish his stated goals. Aren't we all entitled to at least hope that what tomorrow holds in store will be better than today? Maybe historians will look back and see Obama as the second Lincoln, or maybe as the second Harding. But that's the future. Right now, at this occasion, there is the definite potential for something great to happen--and just because we like to focus on that doesn't mean we're blind to the possibility of disaster.

So here's to the hope of the next four years; may they be better than what we have faced.

[Enigma]

Seadeamon,

Waaaah.

Sincerely,

Enigma.

[Sea Demon]

Originally Posted by Enigma

Seadeamon,

Waaaah.

Sincerely,

Enigma.

I give your rebuttal a D-. Same old nonsense. Different hour.

[Tchocky]

Might as well post the speech.

********************************************

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and co-operation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.
At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and travelled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and ploughed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet. We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have travelled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

Watched the whole process live via internet streaming. The man certainly is inspiring, even though his speech was pretty much what was to be expected.

Congrats to that new President nevertheless. This was history in the making, what comes in the future has to be seen now.

[Digital_Trucker]

Originally Posted by Enigma

Republicans and their unwavering supporters, right or wrong, were told to shut up in the elections. It speaks for itself.

As far as the popular vote goes, that statement makes no sense. A 7% margin is hardly being told to shut up (especially when you consider the unprecedented amount of money spent to win the election). Slightly less than 53% of the popular vote is hardly a landslide.

[Konovalov]

Originally Posted by Digital_Trucker

Slightly less than 53% of the popular vote is hardly a landslide.

Agreed. Just a clear majority. Obama won significantly more of the electoral college vote compared to the previous President George W Bush (both elections) and similar numbers to Clinton. On the popular vote Clinton never managed to reach 50% while G W Bush won 50.7% of the popular vote back in 2004.