26/09: What McCain Should Say Tonight
Category: General
Posted by: Tocqueville
From Patrick Deneen:
“My friends, during the primaries I insisted that I would rather lose an election than lose a war. I was honored to receive my party's nomination, and have had the honor to represent my party during this election season. However, with the coming of this economic crisis that threatens to undermine the American economic system, it is time to put aside partisan bickering and to offer some straight talk. And, given that this threat is as grave to our country as a military conflict, I want to state that I am willing to lose the election if it means that straight talk will help defeat this threat to our national well-being.
“Congress and the administration have reached the outlines of an agreement that would restore confidence to our financial system and allow it again to provide essential loans necessary for the functioning of our economy. But make no mistake about it, my friends — this agreement is only a temporary solution, one that will require oversight and accountability. I make it my solemn oath that this short term solution will not become yet another permanent government entitlement program. Like the Surge, it is a temporary measure — needed to restore confidence in our financial system and prevent a collapse of our economy; when its work is done, I will be vigilant that our government stands down and returns the essential workings of the economy to the private sector. In this, I believe that I will be more vigilant in preventing further permanent expansion of our federal government than my opponent, who believes that every problem can be solved by yet another permanent government program.
“However, as part of that vigilance, I will also seek to prevent this sort of crisis from ever happening again. Many people in our nation have made bad choices and share the blame over the past several months and even years leading up to this crisis. Many on Wall Street acted with greed and lack of restraint. Our regulators have not exercised their proper authority and watchfulness. Lenders were unscrupulous and speculators sought to make a quick dollar at the expense of ordinary citizens. Under my administration, this will cease.
“However, we must also be willing to consider our own participation in this crisis. We have become a nation of debtors and spenders, and no nation — no republic — has long persisted where appetite replaces self-governance. My friends, when our nation called me to serve as a young man, I did not hesitate to heed that call, and I bear the scars and, yes, the medals of one who sacrificed much for his nation. Today we need a renewal of a spirit of devotion to a cause greater than ourselves — a devotion to the health of our nation, vitality that is built on the bedrock of the decencies and virtues of our citizens.
“For the past several decades leaders of both parties have watched, and even encouraged, rising levels of debt and consumption in both the public and the private spheres. We have wagered our future by allowing foreign powers to hold most of our national debt, and we have indirectly supported people who seek our destruction when we fill our gas tanks. We have ceased to encourage and support many of the virtues of frugality and responsibility that a citizenry needs to embody for its nation to flourish, and have mortgaged the future sometimes for fleeting pleasures. I promise to you today, my fellow Americans, that I if I have the honor and privilege of serving as your next President, I will make it my foremost task to endeavor to restore the esteemed place of these virtues of self-sacrifice and commitment to a greater good than ourselves by means of example, encouragement, and, yes, legislation that will reward savings and not spending, conservation and not waste, and a promise to future generations to leave the our nation at least as good if not better than we found it.”
“My friends, during the primaries I insisted that I would rather lose an election than lose a war. I was honored to receive my party's nomination, and have had the honor to represent my party during this election season. However, with the coming of this economic crisis that threatens to undermine the American economic system, it is time to put aside partisan bickering and to offer some straight talk. And, given that this threat is as grave to our country as a military conflict, I want to state that I am willing to lose the election if it means that straight talk will help defeat this threat to our national well-being.
“Congress and the administration have reached the outlines of an agreement that would restore confidence to our financial system and allow it again to provide essential loans necessary for the functioning of our economy. But make no mistake about it, my friends — this agreement is only a temporary solution, one that will require oversight and accountability. I make it my solemn oath that this short term solution will not become yet another permanent government entitlement program. Like the Surge, it is a temporary measure — needed to restore confidence in our financial system and prevent a collapse of our economy; when its work is done, I will be vigilant that our government stands down and returns the essential workings of the economy to the private sector. In this, I believe that I will be more vigilant in preventing further permanent expansion of our federal government than my opponent, who believes that every problem can be solved by yet another permanent government program.
“However, as part of that vigilance, I will also seek to prevent this sort of crisis from ever happening again. Many people in our nation have made bad choices and share the blame over the past several months and even years leading up to this crisis. Many on Wall Street acted with greed and lack of restraint. Our regulators have not exercised their proper authority and watchfulness. Lenders were unscrupulous and speculators sought to make a quick dollar at the expense of ordinary citizens. Under my administration, this will cease.
“However, we must also be willing to consider our own participation in this crisis. We have become a nation of debtors and spenders, and no nation — no republic — has long persisted where appetite replaces self-governance. My friends, when our nation called me to serve as a young man, I did not hesitate to heed that call, and I bear the scars and, yes, the medals of one who sacrificed much for his nation. Today we need a renewal of a spirit of devotion to a cause greater than ourselves — a devotion to the health of our nation, vitality that is built on the bedrock of the decencies and virtues of our citizens.
“For the past several decades leaders of both parties have watched, and even encouraged, rising levels of debt and consumption in both the public and the private spheres. We have wagered our future by allowing foreign powers to hold most of our national debt, and we have indirectly supported people who seek our destruction when we fill our gas tanks. We have ceased to encourage and support many of the virtues of frugality and responsibility that a citizenry needs to embody for its nation to flourish, and have mortgaged the future sometimes for fleeting pleasures. I promise to you today, my fellow Americans, that I if I have the honor and privilege of serving as your next President, I will make it my foremost task to endeavor to restore the esteemed place of these virtues of self-sacrifice and commitment to a greater good than ourselves by means of example, encouragement, and, yes, legislation that will reward savings and not spending, conservation and not waste, and a promise to future generations to leave the our nation at least as good if not better than we found it.”
A Waco Farmer wrote: