SBS (Australia), WASHINGTON POST, NEW YORK TIMES (USA)
WASHINGTON – Barack Obama spoke for 19 minutes after taking the oath for his second term as President of the United States. The first African-American President was sworn in on Monday, which coincided with the day the nation celebrates the birthday of Martin Luther King — and 50 years after MLK’s “I Have A Dream” speech — the occasion was dripping with symbolism.
But Obama’s speech was all about looking forward — and gives the best indication to date of how the next four years could take shape, both in terms of vision and policy.
Here are the five key quotes from his speech.
Climate change
“The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult but America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it.”
Gay rights
“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”
Healthcare
“We reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.”
Equality
“We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.”
Liberalism
“Preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.”
We can only guess what the Republicans thought of this speech, but we surely know how impressed Sasha Obama was:
