Kerry: I Get 'A Little Uptight When I Hear Politicians Say How Exceptional We Are'

[mudwhistle]

As John Kerry travels from country to country on various diplomatic missions as secretary of state (almost half a million miles so far), he often addresses the staff and their families at the U.S. embassies in the countries he visits. Remarks at these informal gatherings are often more casual than the usual speeches or press appearances, and Kerry often jokes with the staff and recognizes employees of long standing with the State Department. Monday, Kerry had one such opportunity in Vienna, Austria, the last stop on his most recent trip, and towards the end of his talk he recalled his two Yale commencement speeches, forty-eight years apart, where he discussed "sort of the world we’re in" and America's place in it:

...I was privileged to speak to the graduating class of Yale this year, and it was particularly a pleasure because it happened to turn out to be, literally, I hate to say it, 48 years to the day that I was privileged to speak as a graduating senior to my own class. And I talked to them about sort of the world we’re in right now, but at the end I tried to remind them all, which I remind you of, we are – I get always a little uptight when I hear politicians say how exceptional we are – not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.

Despite his profession of uptightness on the topic of America's exceptionalism, Kerry went on to close out his remarks explaining what he believes makes America uniquely exceptional:

But we are exceptional in a certain way that no other nation is. We are not defined by thousands of years (inaudible) of history. We are not defined by ethnicity. We are not defined by bloodline or by anything except an idea. And that idea was expressed in the Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution, the idea that people are created equal and that all people have a chance to aspire for greatness, for anything they want. Pretty amazing, right? So think about that. It’s the only country that is literally united and formed around and whose rule of law is based on that idea, one idea, and it’s pretty special. So thank you for representing it. Thank you. (Applause.)

Kerry: I Get 'A Little Uptight When I Hear Politicians Say How Exceptional We Are' | The Weekly Standard
​

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

I guess if Kerry is surrounded by a group of smug, self-important foreigners he might feel downright apologetic.

 

[G.T.]

wherein he explicitly says we're exceptional, and exceptional in a way that no other nation is, mud responds, and I quote, "So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes* "


Politics destroy brain cells.

 

[Geaux4it]

wherein he explicitly says we're exceptional, and exceptional in a way that no other nation is, mud responds, and I quote, "So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes* "


Politics destroy brain cells.

Just another mini Obama apology tour carried out by Mr Munster

-Geaux

 

[R.D.]

His apology tour heading into the next election?

 

[zeke]

As John Kerry travels from country to country on various diplomatic missions as secretary of state (almost half a million miles so far), he often addresses the staff and their families at the U.S. embassies in the countries he visits. Remarks at these informal gatherings are often more casual than the usual speeches or press appearances, and Kerry often jokes with the staff and recognizes employees of long standing with the State Department. Monday, Kerry had one such opportunity in Vienna, Austria, the last stop on his most recent trip, and towards the end of his talk he recalled his two Yale commencement speeches, forty-eight years apart, where he discussed "sort of the world we’re in" and America's place in it:

...I was privileged to speak to the graduating class of Yale this year, and it was particularly a pleasure because it happened to turn out to be, literally, I hate to say it, 48 years to the day that I was privileged to speak as a graduating senior to my own class. And I talked to them about sort of the world we’re in right now, but at the end I tried to remind them all, which I remind you of, we are – I get always a little uptight when I hear politicians say how exceptional we are – not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.

Despite his profession of uptightness on the topic of America's exceptionalism, Kerry went on to close out his remarks explaining what he believes makes America uniquely exceptional:

But we are exceptional in a certain way that no other nation is. We are not defined by thousands of years (inaudible) of history. We are not defined by ethnicity. We are not defined by bloodline or by anything except an idea. And that idea was expressed in the Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution, the idea that people are created equal and that all people have a chance to aspire for greatness, for anything they want. Pretty amazing, right? So think about that. It’s the only country that is literally united and formed around and whose rule of law is based on that idea, one idea, and it’s pretty special. So thank you for representing it. Thank you. (Applause.)

Kerry: I Get 'A Little Uptight When I Hear Politicians Say How Exceptional We Are' | The Weekly Standard
​

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

I guess if Kerry is surrounded by a group of smug, self-important foreigners he might feel downright apologetic.

Reading comprehension is not your strong suit is it Muddy. Get someone who understands what words mean and how sentence structure works.

Maybe you won't come off so fucking stupid if you get some help with the big, complicated words.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

This is the way liberals are in general. They would rather talk about and remind everyone about America's warts, than America's greatness.

 

[G.T.]

This is the way liberals are in general. They would rather talk about and remind everyone about America's warts, than America's greatness.

Yea, except he didn't.

 

[Samson]

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

I guess if Kerry is surrounded by a group of smug, self-important foreigners he might feel downright apologetic.

I see that you know how to cherry pick from a quote, but context doesn't seem to be a strength:

not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.

Posting your sort of ignorance in the OP does nothing to promote credability for the partisan right. I'm not a fan of Kerry, but these contrivances do more damage to those that have legitimate complaints than they do to Kerry.

 

[rightwinger]

I get always a little uptight when I hear politicians say how exceptional we are – not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.



Kerry doesn't like bragging

What do we gain as a country by telling other countries that we are exceptional?

 

[mudwhistle]

As John Kerry travels from country to country on various diplomatic missions as secretary of state (almost half a million miles so far), he often addresses the staff and their families at the U.S. embassies in the countries he visits. Remarks at these informal gatherings are often more casual than the usual speeches or press appearances, and Kerry often jokes with the staff and recognizes employees of long standing with the State Department. Monday, Kerry had one such opportunity in Vienna, Austria, the last stop on his most recent trip, and towards the end of his talk he recalled his two Yale commencement speeches, forty-eight years apart, where he discussed "sort of the world we’re in" and America's place in it:

...I was privileged to speak to the graduating class of Yale this year, and it was particularly a pleasure because it happened to turn out to be, literally, I hate to say it, 48 years to the day that I was privileged to speak as a graduating senior to my own class. And I talked to them about sort of the world we’re in right now, but at the end I tried to remind them all, which I remind you of, we are – I get always a little uptight when I hear politicians say how exceptional we are – not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.

Despite his profession of uptightness on the topic of America's exceptionalism, Kerry went on to close out his remarks explaining what he believes makes America uniquely exceptional:

But we are exceptional in a certain way that no other nation is. We are not defined by thousands of years (inaudible) of history. We are not defined by ethnicity. We are not defined by bloodline or by anything except an idea. And that idea was expressed in the Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution, the idea that people are created equal and that all people have a chance to aspire for greatness, for anything they want. Pretty amazing, right? So think about that. It’s the only country that is literally united and formed around and whose rule of law is based on that idea, one idea, and it’s pretty special. So thank you for representing it. Thank you. (Applause.)

Kerry: I Get 'A Little Uptight When I Hear Politicians Say How Exceptional We Are' | The Weekly Standard
​

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

I guess if Kerry is surrounded by a group of smug, self-important foreigners he might feel downright apologetic.

Reading comprehension is not your strong suit is it Muddy. Get someone who understands what words mean and how sentence structure works.

Maybe you won't come off so fucking stupid if you get some help with the big, complicated words.

Seems your reading comprehension is lousy as well. You read the title of the story and think that is my words. That was the title the story was given by the author.

Strange thing is, those were Kerry's words, not anyone else's.

 

[Peach]

This is the way liberals are in general. They would rather talk about and remind everyone about America's warts, than America's greatness.

Which is how we stay great, always striving to find our faults, and correct them.

 

[mudwhistle]

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

I guess if Kerry is surrounded by a group of smug, self-important foreigners he might feel downright apologetic.

I see that you know how to cherry pick from a quote, but context doesn't seem to be a strength:

not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.

Posting your sort of ignorance in the OP does nothing to promote credability for the partisan right. I'm not a fan of Kerry, but these contrivances do more damage to those that have legitimate complaints than they do to Kerry.

I'm simply posting what he said, commenting on it, and trying to put it in it's proper perspective.

However, many who have commented on it want to totally overlook what it means.

Kerry feels uncomfortable when someone says they're proud to be an American. He's trying to be part of the European community. However, if you talk to people, even people from a total shithole country, they will tell you how great their country is and how much America sucks. Americans aren't supposed to feel this way, according to John Kerry.

Where am I going wrong on this?

 

[rightwinger]

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

I guess if Kerry is surrounded by a group of smug, self-important foreigners he might feel downright apologetic.

I see that you know how to cherry pick from a quote, but context doesn't seem to be a strength:

not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.

Posting your sort of ignorance in the OP does nothing to promote credability for the partisan right. I'm not a fan of Kerry, but these contrivances do more damage to those that have legitimate complaints than they do to Kerry.

I'm simply posting what he said, commenting on it, and trying to put it in it's proper perspective.

However, many who have commented on it want to totally overlook what it means.

Kerry feels uncomfortable when someone says they're proud to be an American. He's trying to be part of the European community. However, if you talk to people, even people from a total shithole country, they will tell you how great their country is and how much America sucks. Americans aren't supposed to feel this way, according to John Kerry.

Where am I going wrong on this?

How is it an advantage to Kerry, when he is talking to other nations, to remind them that the US is exceptional?

 

[G.T.]

Where am I going wrong on this?

Where his speech EXPLICITLY says the exact opposite of this, YOUR WORDS:

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

 

[Sallow]

Maybe if we started acting great..we would be great.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

This is the way liberals are in general. They would rather talk about and remind everyone about America's warts, than America's greatness.

Yea, except he didn't.

But it is the way liberals always are.

 

[G.T.]

This is the way liberals are in general. They would rather talk about and remind everyone about America's warts, than America's greatness.

Yea, except he didn't.

But it is the way liberals always are.

good for you, bro

what are some of your own flaws

 

[Samson]

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

I guess if Kerry is surrounded by a group of smug, self-important foreigners he might feel downright apologetic.

I see that you know how to cherry pick from a quote, but context doesn't seem to be a strength:

not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.

Posting your sort of ignorance in the OP does nothing to promote credability for the partisan right. I'm not a fan of Kerry, but these contrivances do more damage to those that have legitimate complaints than they do to Kerry.

I'm simply posting what he said, commenting on it, and trying to put it in it's proper perspective.

However, many who have commented on it want to totally overlook what it means.

Kerry feels uncomfortable when someone says they're proud to be an American. He's trying to be part of the European community. However, if you talk to people, even people from a total shithole country, they will tell you how great their country is and how much America sucks. Americans aren't supposed to feel this way, according to John Kerry.

Where am I going wrong on this?

Kerry feels uncomfortable because he does not want what he readily sees as American exceptionalism to overshadow whatever other nations preceive as their own exceptionalism.

You understand that he's a Diplomat, right? of course he's "trying to be part of the European Community." That's his job. It was Ben Franklin's Job. You think Franklin was in France telling them how great the American Colonies were, but never acknowlodging that the French were also very exceptional?

 

[deltex1]

As John Kerry travels from country to country on various diplomatic missions as secretary of state (almost half a million miles so far), he often addresses the staff and their families at the U.S. embassies in the countries he visits. Remarks at these informal gatherings are often more casual than the usual speeches or press appearances, and Kerry often jokes with the staff and recognizes employees of long standing with the State Department. Monday, Kerry had one such opportunity in Vienna, Austria, the last stop on his most recent trip, and towards the end of his talk he recalled his two Yale commencement speeches, forty-eight years apart, where he discussed "sort of the world we’re in" and America's place in it:

...I was privileged to speak to the graduating class of Yale this year, and it was particularly a pleasure because it happened to turn out to be, literally, I hate to say it, 48 years to the day that I was privileged to speak as a graduating senior to my own class. And I talked to them about sort of the world we’re in right now, but at the end I tried to remind them all, which I remind you of, we are – I get always a little uptight when I hear politicians say how exceptional we are – not because we’re not exceptional, but because it’s kind of in-your-face and a lot of other people are exceptional, a lot of other places do exceptional things.

Despite his profession of uptightness on the topic of America's exceptionalism, Kerry went on to close out his remarks explaining what he believes makes America uniquely exceptional:

But we are exceptional in a certain way that no other nation is. We are not defined by thousands of years (inaudible) of history. We are not defined by ethnicity. We are not defined by bloodline or by anything except an idea. And that idea was expressed in the Declaration of Independence and in our Constitution, the idea that people are created equal and that all people have a chance to aspire for greatness, for anything they want. Pretty amazing, right? So think about that. It’s the only country that is literally united and formed around and whose rule of law is based on that idea, one idea, and it’s pretty special. So thank you for representing it. Thank you. (Applause.)

Kerry: I Get 'A Little Uptight When I Hear Politicians Say How Exceptional We Are' | The Weekly Standard
​

So according to Kerry America isn't all that great. Even though we can do things here nobody can. Our options are greater in America than anywhere else.......but that doesn't make us exceptional. *rolling eyes*

I guess if Kerry is surrounded by a group of smug, self-important foreigners he might feel downright apologetic.

He thinks he is exceptional though...and that guy Gengus Conn...

 

[R.D.]

So, addressing graduating students or American embassies we should not promote we are exceptional?

But addressing foreign audiences he should make the point we're not exceptional because everyone is. Trophies for participating!