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Obama Orations

Obama Orations

Plus, giving flowers a new life.

August 22, 2024

Good morning and Happy Thursday! Here are the Flag’s Top Five stories that should be on your radar to start the day:

US: RFK Jr to weigh dropping US presidential bid to join forces with Trump (Reuters)
World: Sources Involved in Cease-fire Negotiations Say Netanyahu Is 'Once Again Sabotaging Talks' (Haaretz)
Business: Starbucks unveils Pumpkin Spice Latte fall menu with new non-dairy customer favorite (Fox Business)
Technology: The new generation of heavy lift rockets is rising to challenge SpaceX (TechCrunch)
Sports: Connecticut Sun star DiJonai Carrington calls out WNBA for failing to promote historic game (Fox News)

And of course, some good news: Virginia Pals Save Flowers From the Landfill, Redeploying Them to Bring Joy.

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POWERED BY MONEY

10 Amazon Prime Benefits You Need To Be Using

Amazon Prime offers more than just speedy delivery; it includes unlimited photo storage, free release-date delivery, and early access to lightning deals, among other hidden benefits. Don't miss these 10 hidden perks that can enhance your membership.

DNC

Obama Orations

Today’s Top Story: On Tuesday night, both former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama gave speeches at the DNC in Chicago.

Reporting from the Right: Fox News hosts gush over Michelle Obama for delivering ‘speech of the night’ – but Eric Trump deems it ‘unwatchable’ (The Independent)

Reporting from the Left: Barack and Michelle Obama make the case for Harris, take on Trump in fiery speeches (CBS News)

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Democratic Party’s Hypocrisy on Display

The Top Argument From The Right: Obamas lecture America on decency as the Democrats lie, David Harsanyi, New York Post: “Not only do Democrats fashion themselves the protectors of ‘democracy,’ they claim to be champions of decency. Well, if the second day of the Democratic National Convention is any indication, the left doesn’t have any claim to the moral high ground. For one thing, no one at the DNC seemed even mildly constrained by the truth. … So it made all the sense in the world that the second night of the DNC featured former President Barack Obama, a man who probably did more to polarize American politics than any in modern history. And the vacuous religiosity and hypocritical moralizing of the Obamas was on full display. It began with the former president’s wife, Michelle, a strong speaker who can deliver a mind-bending platitude with the best of them. Michelle pre-emptively accused anyone who opposed the Dems’ presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, of being driven by racism and misogyny — basically, the same con the Obamas ran when they were in the White House. When it was former President Obama’s turn, he lamented the ugliness of modern American politics before mocking Trump’s ‘weird obsession with crowd sizes’ by gesturing with his hands to signify a small length. Obama moaned that our politics had turned citizens against each other, before accusing Republicans of being insular, slacked-jawed hatemongers.”

Honorable Mention #1: It’s the Obamas’ World, Harris and Walz Just Live in It, Jim Geraghty, National Review.

Honorable Mention #2: Media declare Obama DNC speech ‘Reaganesque’, Eddie Scarry, Washington Examiner.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

A Tonal Shift

The Top Argument From The Left: The Democrats Aren’t on the High Road Anymore, David A. Graham, The Atlantic: “During Donald Trump’s crude and shambolic first run for president in 2016, Michelle Obama offered a mission statement for the Democratic Party that doubled as a pithy summary of her family’s political project: ‘When they go low, we go high.’ A decade and a half before that, Barack Obama announced himself as a major figure by declaring at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, ‘There’s not a liberal America and a conservative America; there’s the United States of America.’ Neither of those statements seems true today. The country is more divided than it has been in generations, and when Republicans go low, Democrats are willing to be snarky and insult the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and J. D. Vance right back. The party has changed during, or been changed by, the Trump years. …the Obamas showed that they, too, are ready to get their hands dirty, but also that they haven’t given up on a rosier vision of what things can be. … The truth is that although the Obamas may not be quite so prim as they were eight years ago, they aren’t getting quite as far down in the muck as Trump, nor is the rest of their party. No one can match Trump’s penchant for insult, and only other Republicans are trying. But Democrats have concluded that Biden’s rather high-flown rhetoric about Trump wasn’t working, while Harris’s and Tim Walz’s attempts at deflating Trump with mockery are getting results.”

Honorable Mention #1: With humor and hope, Obamas warn against Trump, urge Democrats to 'do something', Ben Giles, NPR.

Honorable Mention #2: Obama’s DNC Speech Had a Hidden Message to Democrats, Johnathan Chait, New York Magazine.

FLAG THIS

Michelle for President

Before President Joe Biden bowed out of the race, while calls for him to step down were growing, many speculated who would take his place. While it was an unlikely option, as a popular figure, Michelle Obama’s name had been thrown around.

Polling from Reuters/Ipsos showed that if a presidential election were held when the poll was conducted, 50% of registered voters would support former First Lady Michelle Obama, while 39% would back former President Donald Trump. Additionally, 11% of those surveyed indicated they wouldn’t vote, would choose another candidate, or were undecided (USA Today)

While it's unlikely to occur, do you believe Michelle Obama would fare better in a hypothetical match-up against Trump?

WATERCOOLER

America’s Cup, Good Pests, Bovine Buddies

On This Day in 1851, the U.S.-built schooner America bests a fleet of Britain’s finest ships in a race around England’s Isle of Wight. The ornate silver trophy won by the America was later donated to the New York Yacht Club on condition that it be forever placed in international competition. Today, the “America’s Cup” is the world’s oldest continually contested sporting trophy and represents the pinnacle of international sailing yacht competition.

The Spruce: Don't Get Rid of These 12 Pests—They're Actually Really Good for Your Garden

Nautilus: Are Black Holes Actually Dark Energy Stars?

Grist: How can you tell if soil is healthy? Just listen to it.

Today I learned cows have best friends.