“We have it in our power to begin the world over again,” wrote Thomas Paine in “Common Sense,” the revolutionary pamphlet published in January 1776. Ronald Reagan quoted those words on July 17, 1980, when he addressed the Republican National Convention and accepted his party’s presidential nomination. Reagan led a coalition of corporate oligarchs, imperial crusaders and Christian fundamentalists to power, and to this day Reaganism remains the official gospel of the old guard in the Republican Party. The republican and social democratic ideals of Paine are long lost to many modern partisan Republicans and Democrats, but many memorable phrases of Paine still fill the mouths of career politicians.
The Age of PaineBy: AlBratton Friday July 3, 2009 8:07 am |
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“We have it in our power to begin the world over again,”
Wish that it were so. Thank you for the pointer.
(I’ve tried to read Paine several times and though he wrote in English, I can’t comprehend much of what he says. x-) )
Oh, right, Reagan was quoting Paine. Reagan and his had the power, the rest of us, not so much… Doh! Told ya I didn’t understand, guess that proves it. :-)
BlueCrow
I suggest you read the entire article, as well as reading the Wikipedia article on him.
You will find that “we” began the world over again. Before Paine kings owned everything.
The French had a solution.
The American colonists had a solution.
That solution is still available and will always be so.