Poor choice of words

Reader comment on: Two From Rush

Submitted by ben (United States), Jul 7, 2010 14:31

Surely, many of the founding fathers from the South were rich. I think this site linked to the article about the wealth of Presidents, and the richest President adjusted for inflation was Washington. Jefferson would have been worth some 250 million in 2010 dollars.

The point Obama was making was that when the nation was founded, the timeless principles applied to a select few (white men). Over time these principles have expanded.

And Rush could not be more wrong. The greatness of this country is in its ability to improve itself over time, not in the text of the constitution, a text that had ingrained in it the monumental sin of slavery. By remarking that this country has grown and improved itself, Obama is praising his nation. When I tell a student who struggled at the beginning of the year how much she has improved her writing, that is a compliment. When Rush sees this speech of Obama's and sees it as bashing the country, he is in effect defending slavery.

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