Though calling it the American promise, President Barack Obama followed the steps of leaders before him in Tuesday's State of the Union, invoking the American Dream. Keeping it alive, he said, is the defining issue of our time, with no challenge more urgent.
"?an economy built to last is one where we encourage the talent and ingenuity of every person in this country," Obama said. "?we should support everyone who's willing to work, and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs."
These presidents also spoke of the American Dream:
* "As we look at America, we see cities enveloped in smoke and flame. We hear sirens in the night? millions of Americans cry out in anguish: Did we come all this way for this? ...the voice of the great majority of Americans, the forgotten Americans? they are black, they are white; they're native born and foreign born; they're young and they're old. They work in American factories, they run American businesses. They serve in government; they provide most of the soldiers who die to keep it free. They give drive to the spirit of America. They give lift to the American dream? they know that this country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless it's a good place for all of us to live in." -- Richard M. Nixon, GOP nomination acceptance speech, Aug. 8, 1968
* "?we need more than new laws, new promises, or new program. We need a new spirit of community, a sense that we are all in this together. If we have no sense of community the American dream will continue to wither." -- William J. Clinton, announcement speech, Oct. 3, 1991
* "Owning a home lies at the heart of the American dream. A home is a foundation for families and a source of stability for communities. ? Yet today, while nearly three-quarters of all white Americans own their homes, less than half of all African Americans and Hispanic Americans are homeowners. We must begin to close this homeownership gap by dismantling the barriers that prevent minorities from owning a piece of the American dream." -- George W. Bush, radio address, June 15, 2002
* "For a time we forgot the American dream isn't one of making government bigger.. There was a feeling government had grown beyond the consent of the governed? Families felt helpless in the face of mounting inflation and the indignity of taxes? On the international scene, we had an uncomfortable feeling that we'd lost the respect of friend and foe? But America is too great for small dreams. .. The tide of the future is a freedom tide? This nation champions peace that enshrines liberty, democratic rights, and dignity for every individual. America's new strength, confidence, and purpose are carrying hope and opportunity far from our shores. A world economic recovery is underway. It began here. " -- Ronald Reagan, State of the Union, Jan. 25, 1984
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