Ah, yes. "Together We Thrive." That slogan was emblazoned on the DNC blue t-shirts at the memorial/Obama pep-rally. And it also was the title of a piece by John Berry IV from a community blog on the Organizing For America website (see pics above). Berry's piece was an anti-free market screed (complete with Marxist language and tenets) calling for the working class to unite behind Marxist doctrine-- er, I mean Obama.
From Berry, dated Feb. 11, 2008:
"For too long Americans have been set one against the other, it is a side affect of a free market society. How can profits be maximized, how can I get the work done for the lowest possible costs. This continually sets one group against the other, especially in the blue collar sectors of America. It has become a part of the American Business model, whether it was indentured servants, slaves picking cotton, sharecroppers, the industrious people that built the railroads or todays migrant workers. As long as we remain divided, fighting for the scraps that America has to offer it will be one group against the other.
"What I see in Obama is a chance for a revolution. A chance for every group to participate and be heard; A chance to live the American dream that has been denied to so many. Together we can and will change the world and return America to the shining beacon of Hope and Prosperity that we were and that we can be again. Only when we work together do we accomplish feats that rival any ever accomplished in the history of mankind."
Hmm. I suppose Berry was expecting Obama to put an end to share-cropping and indentured servitude. When Berry says he believes America can return to being "the shining beacon of Hope and Prosperity that we were and that we can be again," I wonder precisely when in history he means. After all, when you take away the times of slavery, share-cropping, and the trusts, what's left? The roaring 20s, the Depression, World War II, the Fifties, the counter-culture, the 70s, and then Reagan. I don't suppose that Berry wishes to return to the salad days of Ronald Reagan...
So the rally and OFA blog entry use the same slogan...
Coincidence? Maybe.
Or was the whole thing a publicity stunt/pep rally for damage control and promoting retreaded '08 Obamaism? Maybe.
One way or another, the rally was certainly full of inappropriate whoops and cheers. The tone was completely wrong for a memorial. Obama's speech, while containing words that placated most conservatives, was full of qualifications. Obama made sure to not really wed himself to anything that he said.
While the mainstream media was quick to hail this a saving moment of the Obama presidency (almost as quick as they were to follow the Left's blogosphere into laying the blame on Palin/Angle/Limbaugh/Beck/Tea Party/etc.), it appeals to me as being more smoke and mirrors. Obama was forced into a response as the Left went into almost comical (in other circumstances) overload to exploit this tragedy and twist it into a smear campaign for their favorite targets.
It seems that the effort was a mixed result. While Obama's speech said some of the right things, it was just words-- qualified words at that. But some people optimistically accept his words. I think a lot didn't though. Cheering crowds of college students did little to demonstrate this as being anything more than a campaign rally with surreal timing. The political tone in this country hasn't changed significantly, which is bad news for the Left.
UPDATE: According to Judi McLeod of the Canada Free Press, those "Together We Thrive" t-shirts handed out at the "memorial" were also imprinted with the “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote” DNC slogan at the bottom.
From McLeod:
"If you were a mourner who took home a 'Together We Thrive' T-shirt have a look at the bottom of your shirt. 'Rocking America and Rocking the Vote' is a common theme of the DNC, and it’s right there on your Memorial T-shirt memento.
"Welcome to the era of Obama, where cheering and standing ovations, for the first time in history, became part of the Requiem for the Dead."
If true, it's another low-blow from the Democrats.
How desperate they are... The more we learn about this pep-rally the more warped and surreal it is becoming.
UPDATE 2: According to Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit, the inappropiate cheers were also prompted by the school's Jumbotron. What is this, China?
True? I suspect so. There are pictures.
UPDATE: According to Judi McLeod of the Canada Free Press, those "Together We Thrive" t-shirts handed out at the "memorial" were also imprinted with the “Rocking America and Rocking the Vote” DNC slogan at the bottom.
From McLeod:
"If you were a mourner who took home a 'Together We Thrive' T-shirt have a look at the bottom of your shirt. 'Rocking America and Rocking the Vote' is a common theme of the DNC, and it’s right there on your Memorial T-shirt memento.
"Welcome to the era of Obama, where cheering and standing ovations, for the first time in history, became part of the Requiem for the Dead."
If true, it's another low-blow from the Democrats.
How desperate they are... The more we learn about this pep-rally the more warped and surreal it is becoming.
UPDATE 2: According to Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit, the inappropiate cheers were also prompted by the school's Jumbotron. What is this, China?
True? I suspect so. There are pictures.
While I thought it was a good speech for the occassion, it never occurred to me it would change anything. I have not bothered to read any of the lefts reaction to the speech, but I am assumming they wouldn't be happy because he did reach out to the middle and didn't follow the rest of the lunatics to blame Palin.
ReplyDeleteI had to read the speech, the event itself was sickening with the pop-fest exuberance of the people involved. It was OK, it was the first time I've ever seen an Obama speech that wasn't either focused on himself or attacking his enemies - er "opponents", but it wasn't given until after Obama's people had a chance to see the pols which showed that the leftist frame-up had failed. Had people bought into the lies that Dupnik and the MSM were selling, I think we'd have seen the standard issue insults and narcissism which has come to define Obama so well. I hate being this cynical, but Barry hasn't shown much interest in working as President for anyone but his base for the past 2 years.
ReplyDeleteThe t-shirts were gross and wrong and the slogan was off-topic and dumb, the thought that it wasn't even an original bad idea makes it even worse.
Thanks for the hat tip, Yukio! I enjoyed reading this post and your terrific attention to detail.