Below are several excerpts from the new president's inaugural address. See what he had to say, and then read how conservatives heard it.
When Obama said:
"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 cooperation he has shown throughout this transition."
Conservatives heard:
"People,
We’ve got lots to do. Thank you for electing me. And thank you to President Bush. He made it easier for me to get into the White House."
When Obama said:
"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."
Conservatives heard:
"Everybody knows things are bad. We’re stuck in two wars against people who want to kill us. Greedy, irresponsible people caused the housing market collapse, the lost jobs and the closed or failing businesses. I won’t name names, but it was pretty much everybody in the Bush administration and anybody who supported him. Health care costs are out of control and our schools stink. Plus, now that I think about it, John McCain was right: the way we use energy not only hurts the environment, but it does give money and power to people who don’t like us very much (Since I don’t want to offend anyone, I won’t say who those people are.).
We don’t need statistics to tell us how bad things are. When people start clinging to guns and religion, you know it’s bad. It seems like everything’s going to fall apart and we just have to take it."
When Obama said:
"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. And all this we will do."
Conservatives heard:
"Not only am I going to create jobs, I’m going to build new roads and bridges. I’m going to move forward with scientific research (and you know what that means, stem cells) and hope that new discoveries will stop the rising cost of health care, because everybody knows that once a cure is discovered for something, pharmaceutical companies want to make it affordable for people. I’m also going to hope science solves our energy problems, too. Speaking of energy, no more oil production. We’re going to put all those people to work building windmills and solar panels.
Also, all of a sudden, our schools are just going to get better."
When Obama said:
"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."
Conservatives heard:
"If it sounds like I’m trying to do too much, don’t forget that this country has done a lot in just 233 short years. And if you don’t like it, well … your opinion no longer matters. If you think government’s too big, you’ve got it all wrong. It still doesn’t do everything for everybody, so we have to make it bigger. If it makes people’s lives easier, then we’ll fund it. If it doesn’t, we’ll find something else that does and we’ll fund that.
Sure, we’ll be responsible for how much we spend. Sure we will. You’ll be able to watch me spend your money. I won’t hide it. Trust me."
