How did we ever go from this to that?

Dwight D. Eisenhower Farewell Address (1961)



John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address (1961)



George W. Bush Farewell Address (2009)



Barack H. Obama Inaugural Address (2009)



How have we allowed our political parties and our politicians to drift this far? It almost seems impossible that in a period of only 48 years we went from two outstanding statesmen as John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack H. Obama and George W. Bush? What happened to the ‘get it done’ politicians who were not afraid to cross party lines and work with the other party? What happened to the respect of our nation’s constitution and laws? What happened to the admiration of military restraint? Good god what happened?!

reply to post by Misoir



Ike warned us about "it" Kennedy was killed because he was trying to 'get it done' as a warning.

All the following Presidents have fallen inline since.

At least that's one conspiracy angle.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/cf50a48fe379.gif[/atsimg]

reply to post by Misoir

Best reasons I have seen, coupled with globalization and greed.



Peace,
spec

ETA: I also think the amount of crap delivered via tv/radio over the last 4 decades played a part too. Consume first, get educated second, me, me ,me..... it seems. Don't forget about successful propaganda efforts either!

The'll never be another John F. Kennedy in the Presidency in the U.S. He was the last real President we had...I remember well the day he was killed and will never forget it...Yes, he was a womanizer, but he also was a hell of a man and cared about other human beings...R I P J.F.K.

reply to post by Misoir


Television happened to us. That how we went from this to that.

As more and more homes had "the tube" the power the box had to manipulate opinion was realized and it has been all downhill from there. Propaganda rose to a level the Nazi's could only dream of when people willingly agreed to sit down and allow themselves to be manipulated for several hours each day.

reply to post by Misoir


What, no mention or Pres. Ronald Reagan? The conservative political God and standard of all things conservative.
I'm shocked!

Propaganda is at an all time high and the politicians all use the media as a tool. Can you imagine for one minute what the world would of been like if Hitler had CNN and Fox and the internet to get his message out? Dangerous thoughts but for some reason we have allowed politicians to use the media as tools toward getting psychological responses from people.

Supposedly back in 1960 the majority who heard the Nixon and Kennedy debate over the radio thought that Nixon had won and found Kennedy's accent annoying. Meanwhile the majority who viewed it on TV said Kennedy had won. They said Nixon's five o'clock shadow made him look old and tired while Kennedy wooed the Audience with his good looks.

So apparently appearance does play a part.


You decide

What about Herbert Walker? I actually liked him.
Youngest aviator to join the Navy during world war 2.
The guy flew 58 combat missions in World War 2.
He was shot down but managed to drop his bombs on his target while his plane was engulfed in flames.
He won the distinguished flying cross.
Ambassador to the United Nations.
Chairman of the Republican National Committee
Envoy to China
Director of Central Intelligence Agency

The guy was cooler than Putin.

reply to post by whaaa




Looks like you are at it again, when can you ever stop trying to attack me because the one thing I had said before? I clarified what I had said and thought I could put that behind me but apparently you will not let it go. It is growing very old now and I am awfully tired of the games. You know exactly what I am talking about.

As for Reagan I did not put him in this thread because he is not our current nor presidential predecessor now was he? Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and Obama were/are all horrible Presidents and all represent the problems with our country’s politics. Ever since the South took over the GOP it has lost its mind and ever since the Fabian socialists took over the Democratic Party they have lost their ways.

reply to post by idonotcollectstamps


G W Sr. is a traitor. His father had integral ties with Nazi Germany. Much of the family wealth came of war profiteering during WWII. He participated in the assassination of JFK. His intelligence career involved covert war, assassination, and terrorism. He illegally invaded Iraq. He is on the board of the Carlyle group, and has the blood of millions on his hands.

I would never denigrate the names of Eisenhower or Kennedy by using Bush in the same breath.

Just my thoughts though. It is your right to disagree, or have your own opinion of the man.

reply to post by Misoir


you and everyone else would have an entirely different viewpoint on kennedy and eisenhower if there had been 24/7 news channels and satellite and conspiracy sites and the internet and blogs back then.

its all about perception and those vying for political control ironically you might say those two were the most "loved" presidents in our history but remember this.

today americans and the world have never been more informed or disinformed than any time in history.

think of it this way december 7th 1941 a day that lives in infamy if the internet and cable and satellite tv would have been present the left would have been cheering for the japanese and declaring all was lost that is if the right if we had a republican president exactly like the past 8 years of gwb were.


its all about perception and whose in control and who wants control and who does anything and everything to either get it or keep it.


it its my honest opinion there have never been any great presidents in this nations history with the exception of its founding but then agian had we had the internet, cable and satellite news the american public would hate them and theres alot of people in this country who do hate the founding fathers and do rewrite this nations history and here it is agian to get into power and stay there.


my 2 cents feel free to disagree

reply to post by neo96


I'll agree with the "no great presidents" assertion. But only because no one is great all the time. People have weaknesses and flaws and even very average people can have great moments and rise to challenges.

There have been very human presidents who have had great moments. Or who have tried or aspired to great things. They are at the mercy of disinformation too. They have advisers, who have agendas, and it would be very hard to be 'great" all the time under the conditions they labor under.

Part of what made our founders great was the time they lived in. Its easier to lead and manage smaller groups of people. They even noted that in their lead up to revolution, that they had that perfect moment in time, not to big, not too small, not too fragmented, and if they didnt seize it then they would never be free of England.

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


i will agree to some of that but in todays age only one political party is allowed to have any weakness only one is allowed to be wrong and the other is blasted and evil for them.

i think we all know which party is perfect and human and which party is inhuman.

reply to post by neo96


Um, no. I dont buy into the partisan nonsense. There is one party. Its the corporate party. The two party thing is all theatre. No matter who gets in, the people are getting reamed, and the corporations are getting fluffed.

Are there really still people out there who think that we really have two competing parties?

We went from having a constitution to not.....

How our government suppressed our freedoms in the Vietnam war confirms that.




all the best,
Jacob

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


nonsense is it theres are clearly two parties in this country

one clearly stands out over the other such as the creation of the massive entitlement society from cradle to grave and trying to kill god to become gods among men.

there is one clearly worse than the other and the effects can be seen everywhere in this country at every turn and thing the american can or may want to do.

the nonsense is thinking they are both the same they are clearly not.

reply to post by neo96


Alrighty then.

We have Kool-aid and pie over here if you would like to have a cup. And free hats.........everyone likes free hats.

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


the koolaid remark eh and pie no thanks its a free country and everyone is free to think what they want to the difference was i didnt try to denigrate you for it.