Now You Tell Us

 

As everyone here doubtless remembers, Michelle Obama said this a little over eight years ago:

What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something — for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment. I’ve seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues, and it’s made me proud.”

What a difference eight years can make:

Leaders like Hillary Clinton [have] the guts and the grace to keep coming back and putting those cracks in that highest and hardest glass ceiling until she finally breaks through, lifting all of us along with her.

That is the story of this country, the story that has brought me to this stage tonight, the story of generations of people who felt the lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of segregation, but who kept on striving and hoping and doing what needed to be done so that today I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves.

And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.

So, look, so don’t let anyone ever tell you that this country isn’t great, that somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on earth!

I wouldn’t normally begrudge anyone a late embrace of patriotism for this country — and I won’t deny that there’s quite a bit in this speech to find laudable and moving — but I’m willing to make an exception here.

 

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  1. Marion Evans Inactive
    Marion Evans
    @MarionEvans

    You see, it is bad when we’re not in office and it is great when we are in office.

    • #1
  2. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    Say what you want but I thought Michelle’s speech last night was very effective.

    • #2
  3. Tom Meyer Member
    Tom Meyer
    @tommeyer

    Jamie Lockett:

    Say what you want but I thought Michelle’s speech last night was very effective.

    It’s actually quite good, absent context. But I had the same reaction as Marion.

    • #3
  4. I Walton Member
    I Walton
    @IWalton

    Marion Evans:You see, it is bad when we’re not in office and it is great when we are in office.

    And now they get to leverage that into many many millions just like the Clintons did.  It’s good to be king.  Pull!

    • #4
  5. Isaac Smith Member
    Isaac Smith
    @

    Tom Meyer:

    Jamie Lockett:

    Say what you want but I thought Michelle’s speech last night was very effective.

    It’s actually quite good, absent context. But I had the same reaction as Marion.

    As did I, but JL is right and we aren’t her target audience.  Personally I nearly gagged when I read “because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”  Stupid.  I’ve longed assumed that; my current assumption is in spite of, not because of, Hillary.  So is Michelle going to be groomed to be the next in line after Hillary? Certainly Kaine doesn’t seem likely to be the next in line.

    • #5
  6. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    Tom Meyer:

    Jamie Lockett:

    Say what you want but I thought Michelle’s speech last night was very effective.

    It’s actually quite good, absent context. But I had the same reaction as Marion.

    I’ll remind you of this 2 days into a Trump administration once the magic has cured all the ills he laid out last week.

    • #6
  7. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    Marion Evans:You see, it is bad when we’re not in office and it is great when we are in office.

    Great point.

    However, if that is the case why are things so bad that we need all of Hillary’s solutions?

    • #7
  8. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    “because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”

    It’s NOT because of Hillary Clinton. It’s because this is America. I’ve always known it. It’s the feminists who constantly portray us as hapless victims incapable of managing our own lives without a government program. My own personal nightmare is that this terrible woman Michelle Obama  is young enough that she will be on the national scene for the rest of my life. And her terrible disgusting husband too. And her daughters will run for public office and we will never never be rid of them.

    • #8
  9. Isaac Smith Member
    Isaac Smith
    @

    BrentB67:

    Marion Evans:You see, it is bad when we’re not in office and it is great when we are in office.

    Great point.

    However, if that is the case why are things so bad that we need all of Hillary’s solutions?

    Evil Republicans.

    • #9
  10. Isaac Smith Member
    Isaac Smith
    @

    RightAngles:“because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”

    It’s NOT because of Hillary Clinton. It’s because this is America. I’ve always known it. It’s the feminists who constantly portray us as hapless victims incapable of managing our own lives without a government program. My own personal nightmare is that this terrible woman is young enough that she will be on the national scene for the rest of my life. And her terrible disgusting husband too. And her daughters will run for public office and we will never never be rid of them.

    I share your angst.  As a factual matter, Hillary only has one daughter.  I’m not sure about Bill.  I don’t think Bill is sure himself.

    • #10
  11. Majestyk Member
    Majestyk
    @Majestyk

    I found her speech to be grating in its naked appeal to racial grievance.  Here is a woman who graduated from Princeton and Harvard.  Let that sink in for a minute: not one, but two Ivy League colleges.  She has the stones to complain about some peoples’ privilege and inequality?

    She’s the most privileged person on the planet.

    If I hear one more time about how she lives in a house built by slaves, I’ll vomit.  She just has to go around tearing off scabs that should have been healed years ago – and for what?  Crass political advantage.

    Nobody currently alive and none of their grandparents were slaves.  The “legacy of slavery” is a fake canard that has been repeatedly demonstrated to be untrue at the hands of various black intellectuals like Thomas Sowell, but it’s an effective weapon in the hands of talented demagogues.

    Live your values, Michelle.  Don’t live in that House built by slaves.  She’s an ingrate and a hypocrite.

    • #11
  12. Misthiocracy Member
    Misthiocracy
    @Misthiocracy

    BrentB67:

    Marion Evans:You see, it is bad when we’re not in office and it is great when we are in office.

    Great point.

    However, if that is the case why are things so bad that we need all of Hillary’s solutions?

    Things are great because of eight years of Obama, and you need Hillary for the greatness to continue. If you don’t elect Hillary, Michelle might stop being proud of her country. Is that what you want?

    – Hypothetical Democratic Party Reply

    • #12
  13. Jimmy Carter Member
    Jimmy Carter
    @JimmyCarter

    Majestyk: but it’s an effective weapon in the hands of talented demagogues

    It’s an effective weapon in the minds of ignorant voters.

    • #13
  14. Vance Richards Inactive
    Vance Richards
    @VanceRichards

    Obama took a crappy country and made it great. Why is that so hard for you people to see?

    • #14
  15. Matt Upton Inactive
    Matt Upton
    @MattUpton

    Maybe we need to keep Trump around to bait the left into taking optimistic, pro-American positions.

    Trump: “Make America Great Again.”

    Dems: “America is the greatest country on earth.”

    Trump: “America is very unsafe.”

    Dems: “Violent crime and murder rates are the lowest in years.”

    • #15
  16. Misthiocracy Member
    Misthiocracy
    @Misthiocracy

    Matt Upton:Trump: “Make America Great Again.”

    Dems: “America is the greatest country on earth, now, thanks to Obama.”

    Trump: “America is very unsafe.”

    Dems: “Violent crime and murder rates are the lowest in years, according to government-approved statistics that stop in 2014.”

    FIFY

    • #16
  17. Online Park Member
    Online Park
    @OnlinePark

    I had trouble keeping my eyes off her blindingly white teeth.

    [Editors’ Note: We assume this is a compliment of the First Lady’s smile.]

    • #17
  18. Tim H. Inactive
    Tim H.
    @TimH

    Majestyk:If I hear one more time about how she lives in a house built by slaves, I’ll vomit. She just has to go around tearing off scabs that should have been healed years ago – and for what? Crass political advantage.

    Nobody currently alive and none of their grandparents were slaves. The “legacy of slavery” is a fake canard that has been repeatedly demonstrated to be untrue […]

    Same here.  That “built by slaves” line just about makes me gag, along with her daughters described as “two beautiful, intelligent, black women.”  It’s nothing against her girls, but always, always the need to make gratuitous racial references.

    • #18
  19. Fricosis Guy Listener
    Fricosis Guy
    @FricosisGuy

    Misthiocracy:

    BrentB67:

    Marion Evans:You see, it is bad when we’re not in office and it is great when we are in office.

    Great point.

    However, if that is the case why are things so bad that we need all of Hillary’s solutions?

    Things are great because of eight years of Obama, and you need Hillary for the greatness to continue. If you don’t elect Hillary, Michelle might stop being proud of her country. Is that what you want?

    – Hypothetical Democratic Party Reply

    They got me hooked on that sweet, sweet Kenyan Great, and now all they have is Arkansas Skunk?

    • #19
  20. RightAngles Member
    RightAngles
    @RightAngles

    Isaac Smith:

    RightAngles:“because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”

    It’s NOT because of Hillary Clinton. It’s because this is America. I’ve always known it. It’s the feminists who constantly portray us as hapless victims incapable of managing our own lives without a government program. My own personal nightmare is that this terrible woman is young enough that she will be on the national scene for the rest of my life. And her terrible disgusting husband too. And her daughters will run for public office and we will never never be rid of them.

    I share your angst. As a factual matter, Hillary only has one daughter. I’m not sure about Bill. I don’t think Bill is sure himself.

    I meant Michelle’s daughters – I edited my comment to clarify.

    • #20
  21. Valiuth Member
    Valiuth
    @Valiuth

    Marion Evans:You see, it is bad when we’re not in office and it is great when we are in office.

    Just like it will be with Trump.

    One sees the Greatness of American as something transcending personal circumstances and current events or one views it as a mirror of one’s own situation.

    • #21
  22. Trink Coolidge
    Trink
    @Trink

    Tom Meyer, Ed.: but I’m willing to make an exception here.

    All good Tom.  We’re with ya.  BUT – we need to add one more gadget to Rico 3.

    We need a trigger warning about a picture that’s about to emerge on our screens that will ruin our day with a serious bout of nausea, followed by hair-pulling.  And a way to block/screen it from view permanently.

    • #22
  23. DocJay Inactive
    DocJay
    @DocJay

    Did anyone mention that she’s a racist yet?  No, she’s a racist.

    • #23
  24. Ford Penney Inactive
    Ford Penney
    @FordPenney

    19,000,000,000,000 reasons why we are the greatest country!

    Thx big ‘O’ .

    Do ya’ think Hillary can double that again?

    • #24
  25. Umbra Fractus Inactive
    Umbra Fractus
    @UmbraFractus

    Hey, look at the bright side: At least she repudiated the idiots outside chanting, “America was never great!”

    • #25
  26. Isaac Smith Member
    Isaac Smith
    @

    Majestyk: Live your values, Michelle. Don’t live in that House built by slaves. She’s an ingrate and a hypocrite.

    So she was first proud of America when we made her and her hubby live in a house built by slaves, a position they applied for?  Michelle, honey, one of us is confused.

    • #26
  27. Metalheaddoc Member
    Metalheaddoc
    @Metalheaddoc

    Tim H.:

    Majestyk:If I hear one more time about how she lives in a house built by slaves, I’ll vomit. She just has to go around tearing off scabs that should have been healed years ago – and for what? Crass political advantage.

    Nobody currently alive and none of their grandparents were slaves. The “legacy of slavery” is a fake canard that has been repeatedly demonstrated to be untrue […]

    Same here. That “built by slaves” line just about makes me gag, along with her daughters described as “two beautiful, intelligent, black women.” It’s nothing against her girls, but always, always the need to make gratuitous racial references.

    So I supposed to think “Hey, they look beautiful and intelligent, for black women”?

    • #27
  28. Hypatia Member
    Hypatia
    @

    RightAngles:“because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”

    It’s NOT because of Hillary Clinton. It’s because this is America. I’ve always known it. It’s the feminists who constantly portray us as hapless victims incapable of managing our own lives without a government program. My own personal nightmare is that this terrible woman Michelle Obama is young enough that she will be on the national scene for the rest of my life. And her terrible disgusting husband too. And her daughters will run for public office and we will never never be rid of them.

    Exactly right.  Why wasn’t it the END of her husband’s candidacy when she made this intolerable, arrogant, “first-time-proud ” remark 8 years ago?  He got a free ride in ’08; then he surfed in on Bill Clinton’s back in ’12. He will transition to some sinecure in the UN and torture us interminably from there . And yes: in a few years, we’ll see Mrs Omega running for prez.  It’s unbearable.

    im scared to watch Bill tonight.  I just hope he can’t summon up the reserves he drew on in ’12 to get Omega re-elected. But he’s got the same incentive now that he had then: to get back to the White House.

    i thought her speech was trite, saccharine, and passive-aggressive.  Stfu about the White House being built by slaves.  Oh, how I long to see the back of these bozos.

    • #28
  29. Chris Campion Coolidge
    Chris Campion
    @ChrisCampion

    DocJay:Did anyone mention that she’s a racist yet? No, she’s a racist.

    Finally, making racism great in America again!

    Needs a two-cent hat, though, to complete the picture.

    She’s a waste of space and air.

    • #29
  30. Isaac Smith Member
    Isaac Smith
    @

    RightAngles:

    Isaac Smith:

    RightAngles:“because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States.”

    It’s NOT because of Hillary Clinton. It’s because this is America. I’ve always known it. It’s the feminists who constantly portray us as hapless victims incapable of managing our own lives without a government program. My own personal nightmare is that this terrible woman is young enough that she will be on the national scene for the rest of my life. And her terrible disgusting husband too. And her daughters will run for public office and we will never never be rid of them.

    I share your angst. As a factual matter, Hillary only has one daughter. I’m not sure about Bill. I don’t think Bill is sure himself.

    I meant Michelle’s daughters – I edited my comment to clarify.

    Ah, that makes a lot more sense about her being young enough.  I didn’t want to mention that in case you were old enough that Hillary seemed that young to you.  Sorry about my confusion.  But I do thank you for the low hanging softball pitch for a joke about Clinton’s infidelities.

    • #30
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