"It is time; it is time. . . We stand at the crossroads of history. . . we will meet the challenges of the 21st century. . . "
". . . In the midst of a Civil War, we laid railroad tracks that stretched from one end of our nation to the other.": President stresses reinvestment, innovation, and national pride
" I am pleased to say the the Recovery and Reinvestment Act is law." Obama gave a stunning and most impressive address, speaking frankly and soberly about the economic crisis, and asserting that his administration will "move swiftly" to address it. His message was optimistic, regarding his housing plan, his plans for small business, auto, and college loans, and for general reinvestment. His Recovery.gov was spoken of proudly, as a place where "every American can see how the government is spending the money.", and is in line with his ideal of transparency and accountability. "Those days are over!" was his message for irresponsible bank executives as the audience cheered.
Obama's demeanor was calm and his voice was forceful, and taken together with his detailed analysis and mix of caution and optimism, was one of his best speeches, and marked him indeed as the "progressive pragmatist" and healer of the middle class. "It's not about helping banks; its about helping people!" is something that struggling Americans want to hear. "Slowly, confidence will return, and our economy will recover. . . we must ensure that this crisis does not happen again. . . " said the President, and the cheering swelled, and all seemed like it just might be okay, after all. Members of both parties rose to their feet to applaud the President during the resounding and inspirational address, which Chris Matthews of msnbc called "spine tingling".
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