Montage: Obama’s History of Politicizing the 4th of July
The 4th of July is a day Americans gather to celebrate our independence, self-determination, and … big-government progressivism?
That, at least, was the theme we heard from the previous president, who regularly used America’s birthday to extol his political agenda.
Whether it was his campaign to legalize illegal immigrants, the government’s take-over of America’s health-care industry, or the social-justice effort to equalize outcomes among races, Obama regularly peppered his Independence Day remarks with progressive partisanship.
“We’re still perfecting our union, still extending the promise of America,” Obama said in a July 4th naturalization ceremony in 2012. “That’s why, as another step forward, we’re lifting the shadow of deportation from serving — from deserving young people who were brought to this country as children. It’s why we still need a DREAM Act — to keep talented young people who want to contribute to our society and serve our country. It’s why we need — why America’s success demands — comprehensive immigration reform.”
In 2010, Obama noted that America was founded by "men of property and wealth" but would eventually give rise to a "new birth of freedom" that included, "civil rights and voting rights, workers’ rights and women’s rights."
In 2016, he used the 4th of July to insist Americans aren’t really free so long as some are hungry and without homes.
“And then people, inside this country, understanding that there were imperfections in our union and were willing to keep on fighting on behalf of extending that freedom to all people and not just some,” he said during a White House celebration. “And that story of independence is not something that happens and then we just put away. It’s something that we have to fight for every single day. It’s something that we have to nurture, and we have to spread the word, and we have to work on. And it involves us respecting each other. And it involves us recognizing that there are still people in this country who are going hungry — and they’re not free because of that. There are still people in this country who can’t find work — and freedom without the ability to contribute to society and put a roof over your head or look after your family, that’s not yet what we aim for.”
In 2015, amidst a debate over immigration reform, he recorded an address that specifically celebrated Americans who are working to make the country "a better, stronger, more inclusive, and more hopeful place."
And a few days earlier, he said that the 4th of July would be even better thanks to ObamaCare.
"I have these vague recollections of when Republicans were saying ObamaCare would kill jobs, and crush freedom, bring about death panels," he told a rally in La Crosse, Wisc. "Turns out, we're still celebrating the 4th of July. The only difference is another 16 million Americans can celebrate it with health care. That's worth celebrating."
