Which Candidate Has More "Winnability"? Or: Yet Another Reason Why You Should Vote for Obama
Another brilliant video from Lessig, whose feed I now subscribe to.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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About Me
- MRhé
- Boston, MA, United States
- Blogging my way out of a wet paper bag on a daily basis.
1 comments:
Indisputably the YouTube piece is fine work, Mike, and I will not dispute that then.
What I would have you and others know is that it is also "clever." In arguing that the election can stop being about past lessons in order to be fixed on "change" in the future, it then ends on the annotation of famous words spoken by JFK .. but only the first gasp of those words: so let us look at the full text around that one thought:
"Let the word go forth from this time and place. . .to friend and foe alike. . that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans. . ."
[That is where YouTube goes silent, leaving the impression that is all there is to say about it that is of consequence to the generational voter today -- and I think that is just about right -- but Kennedy went on to say things yet more piercing and, for out still shared time, perspicacious.]
"...born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage. . .and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today. . .
"at home and around the world.
"Let every nation know. . .whether it wishes us well or ill. . . that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. This much we pledge. . .and more.
"To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share: we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United. . .
"there is little we cannot do in a host of co-operative ventures. Divided. . .there is little we can do. . .
"for we dare not meet a powerful challenge, at odds, and split asunder. To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free: we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny."
Best wishes,
R
ps: The breaks you see in the version of quotation above that I reprinted here are the breaks that appear in the online source, intended (I suppose) to show where JFK took a breath, whether to stay alive or to add emphasis to his meaning, which I will leave it to others to divine.
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