"O" also stands for optimism (updated)

Our President gave a rousing speech today in Detroit. I want to focus on what he said at the end because I think it shows us the key to victory in 2012.

We are all in this together... We are one nation. We are one people. We will rise and we will fall together.

Anyone who doesn’t believe it should come here to Detroit. It’s like the commercial says: This is a city that’s been to heck and back. And while there are still a lot of challenges here, I see a city that’s coming back.

You ask somebody here if times are tough, they’ll say, yeah, it’s tough, but we’re tougher...

That’s why we chose Detroit as one of the cities that we’re helping revitalize in our “Strong Cities, Strong Communities” initiative... Because despite all that’s changed here, and all the work that lies ahead, this is still a city where men clocked into factories. This is the city that built the greatest middle class the world has ever known. This is the city where women rolled up their sleeves and helped build an arsenal for democracy to free the world. This is a city where the great American industry has come back to life and the industries of tomorrow are taking root. This is a city where people, brave and bold, courageous and clever, are dreaming up ways to prove the skeptics wrong and write the next proud chapter in our history.

That’s why I wanted to be here with you today. Because for every cynic and every naysayer running around talking about how our best days are behind us -- for everybody who keeps going around saying, “No, we can’t" -- for everybody who can always find a reason why we can’t rebuild America, I meet Americans every day who, in the face of impossible odds they’ve got a different belief. They believe we can. You believe we can.

Yes, times are tough. But we’ve been through tough times before. I don’t know about you, but I’m not scared of tough times. I’m not scared of tough times because I know we’re going to be all marching together and walking together and working together and rebuilding together. And I know we don’t quit. I know we don’t give up our dreams and settle for something less. We roll up our sleeves -- and we remember a fundamental truth of our history: We are strong when we are united.

Youza...YES WE CAN!!!

There are some - and I know you've read them - who want to compare President Obama to President Carter in 1980. Now, I respect Carter an awful lot, but I think those folks are comparing the President to the wrong person in that race. It was Reagan who talked about a "shining city on the hill." The problem was - he didn't have a clue what that meant. President Obama does and he just explained it in that speech in Detroit.

What the Republicans have to campaign on is fear and division. Sure, they'll try to dress it up in flowery patriotic words. But I don't think they'll be able to pull it off.

President Obama is staking his ground of running on optimism and unity...especially during these challenging times. And I have the same reaction to that that this lady did.



UPDATE: Here's an alternative example for those of you who might want to be more circumspect in your reaction (and my gawd, is this a beautiful photo or what?)