DOCSLIB.ORG

Remarks Honoring the 50Th Anniversary of President John F

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Remarks Honoring the 50Th Anniversary of President John F Jan. 19 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2011 and advance the positive, cooperative, and China-U.S. relations have traveled a extraor- comprehensive China-U.S. relationship for the dinary journey in the past 32 years since the es- 21st century. tablishment of diplomatic ties. A review of the In recent years, particularly over the past 2 history of our relations shows that we have far years since President Obama took office, Chi- more common interests than differences, and na-U.S. relations have made strong headway, cooperation for mutual benefit has always be- thanks to the joint efforts of both sides. ing the mainstream of our relations. This has We have increased exchanges in cooperation reinforced our confidence in further pushing in a wide range of areas, maintained close com- forward our relationship. munication and coordination on major interna- Today, both China and the United States are tional and regional issues, and played a positive confronted with the arduous task of sustaining role in promoting peace, stability, and prosper- steady economic growth and achieving eco- ity in the Asia-Pacific region and the whole nomic transformation. And we both need to world. tackle the various challenges brought by eco- Under the current circumstances, our two nomic globalization. This has added to our countries share broader common interests, need and desire to enhance cooperation. shoulder bigger common responsibilities, and We should pursue our relations with a stron- face more severe common challenges than at ger conviction, a broader vision, and more pro- any time in history. As a result, it is more im- active approach. We need to take solid steps portant than never for us to maintain the long- and make pioneering efforts to fully tap the po- term, sound, and steady growth of our bilateral tential of cooperation and strive for new prog- relations. This is the reality we face, and it ress in China-U.S. relations. should be recognized by both sides. I am confident that with joint efforts, China- U.S. cooperative partnership will yield bounti- This morning President Obama and I had an ful fruits for the greater benefit of our people in-depth exchange of views on China-U.S. rela- and make new and bigger contribution to the tions and international and regional issues of noble cause of world peace and development. common interest. And we reached important agreement. We agreed that our two countries [President Hu offered a toast.] should increase contacts at the top and other levels, strengthen strategic mutual trust President Hu. To the health of President through dialogue and communication, intensi- and Mrs. Obama, to the health of all friends fy exchanges and cooperation in all fields, and present here, to the stronger friendship be- step up communication and coordination on tween the people of China and the United international and regional issues. States, and to the steady growth of China-U.S. We agreed that the two countries should re- relations. spect each other’s sovereignty, territorial integ- Cheers. rity and the development interests, properly handle differences and frictions, and work to- NOTE: The President spoke at 7:51 p.m. in the gether to build a China-U.S. cooperative part- State Dining Room at the White House. Presi- nership based on mutual respect and mutual dent Hu spoke in Chinese, and his remarks benefit. were translated by an interpreter. Remarks Honoring the 50th Anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration January 20, 2011 To Caroline and the Kennedy family, to all guests here tonight, it is an extraordinary plea- the Members of Congress and distinguished sure to join you to mark the 50th anniversary of 38 Administration of Barack Obama, 2011 / Jan. 20 John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration. And I can’t erence. And I know him through the legacy of think of a better place to do it than here, in a his children and his brother Teddy, who be- living memorial that reflects not only his love came extraordinarily dear friends of mine. of the arts, but also his recognition of how the But I know him, John F. Kennedy, less as a arts can help sustain our national strength. man than as an icon, as a larger-than-life figure Now, we mark this anniversary with a mea- who graced this Earth for one brief and shining sure of sadness, as we remember the extraordi- moment. But part of this—the function of this nary life of Sargent Shriver, a man who embod- event, on this day, we must remember him as ied the spirit of the New Frontier as well as he was: as a father who loved his children, as a anybody. When a person passes away, there’s friend who lived life fully, as a noble public ser- often an urge to define their legacy and find a vant who wanted to make a difference. way in which it will endure. In the case of A quick wit with a light touch, he was dealt, Sarge, that is not hard to do. His legacy is writ- in many ways, a fortunate hand at birth. At- ten in the villages around the world that have tending one event, early in his career, where clean water or a new school through the Peace every speaker before him pompously claimed Corps. It’s written into the lives of all the chil- humble roots—things haven’t changed that dren in our own country whose fortunes have much—[laughter]—John Kennedy confessed, been lifted through Head Start. And it will en- when he took the podium, that he was, and I dure in the work of his children, who are living quote, “the only fellow here who didn’t come out his legacy of service, and our thoughts and up the hard way.” [Laughter] prayers are with them tonight. And yet it cannot be said that John F. Ken- Now, one of the remarkable aspects in com- nedy lived an easy life. He lost an older brother memorating the JFK Inauguration, in remem- in the war, a sister shortly thereafter. He nearly bering those who were part of his team, like lost his own life too when a Japanese gunship Sargent Shriver, who would help bring Kenne- cut his PT boat in half, casting him into the wa- dy’s soaring vision to life, is that none of it feels ter, from which he swam a crewmate to safety. dated. Even now, one half century later, Another sister struggled with a severe mental there’s something about that day—January 20, handicap. His own health was so poor that 1961—that feels immediate, feels new and ur- priests pronounced his last rites on several dif- gent and exciting, despite the graininess of the ferent occasions. And he endured the personal 16-millimeter news reels that recorded it for prejudice and political poison of anti-Catholic posterity. fervor. There he is, the handsome Bostonian, sum- And there is surely a possibility, under such moning a generation to service and a nation to circumstances, that a person will retreat from greatness in a speech that would become part the world; that a person, particularly one born of the American canon. And there’s the crowd, to wealth, will seek a life of luxury and ease; bundled up for the cold, making their way that a person, confronted by the coldness of through streets white with snow, full of expec- chance, will become bitter or cynical or small. tation; a nation feeling young again, its mood It has happened to others. brightened by the promise of a new decade. But that is not the life that John F. Kennedy Now, I confess, I don’t have my own memo- chose. As he famously said at a press confer- ries of that day. [Laughter] I wasn’t born until ence, “Life is unfair.” We can’t choose the lots later that year. [Laughter] What I know of that we are given in life, but we can choose how to day and the 1,000 days that followed, what I live that life. John F. Kennedy chose a life in know of President Kennedy, came from a the arena, full of confidence that our country mother and grandparents who adored him, could surmount any obstacle, as he’d seen it do from books I read and classes I took, from himself. He chose a life of leadership, fired not growing up in a country still mourning its be- by naive optimism, but committed realism: loved leader, whose name was spoken with rev- “idealism,” as his wife Jackie put it, “without 39 Jan. 20 / Administration of Barack Obama, 2011 illusions.” That is the idealism—soaring, but again throughout history, to defy the odds, to sober—that inspired the country and the world fashion our future, to make the world anew. one half century ago. The world is very different now than it was I can only imagine how he must have felt, in 1961. We face new trials and new uncertain- entering the Oval Office in turbulent times. ties, from our economy to our security. We [Laughter] The Soviet Premier, Khrushchev, have a politics that can often seem too small for had threatened to “bury” America just a few the hardships at hand. So meeting these tests years before. Wars of liberation, as they were won’t be easy. But we cannot forget: We are called, were being waged around the globe, the heirs of this President, who showed us from Laos and Vietnam to Congo and Cuba, what is possible.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 1 BARACK OBAMA, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, and JOHN DEWEY In
    File: Schulten web preprint Created on: 1/29/2009 9:52:00 AM Last Printed: 1/31/2009 2:13:00 PM BARACK OBAMA, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, AND JOHN DEWEY SUSAN SCHULTEN In the last few months, there has been a spate of comparisons be- tween Obama and some of our most influential former presidents. Just days after the election, Congress announced the theme of the inaugura- tion as “A New Birth of Freedom,” while reporters and commentators speculate about “A New New Deal” or “Lincoln 2.0.”1 Many of these comparisons are situational: Obama is a relatively inexperienced lawyer- turned-politician who will inherit two wars and an economic crisis un- equalled since the Great Depression.2 The backlash has been equally vocal. Many consider these com- parisons both premature and presumptuous, evidence that the media is sympathetic toward an Obama Administration or that the President-elect has himself orchestrated these connections.3 Indeed, Obama frequently invoked Lincoln as both a model for and an influence over his own can- didacy, which he launched on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. He introduced Vice-President Joe Biden in the same spot, where the latter also referenced the memory of Lincoln.4 Cer- tainly it makes sense for Obama to exploit Lincoln’s legacy, for no other figure in American history continues to command such admiration, the occasional neo-Confederate or other detractor notwithstanding.5 To posi- tion Obama in front of the State House is surely meant to place him as a kind of an heir to Lincoln.
    [Show full text]
  • Barack Obama Deletes References to Clinton
    Barack Obama Deletes References To Clinton Newton humanize his bo-peep exploiter first-rate or surpassing after Mauricio comprises and falls tawdrily, soldierlike and extenuatory. Wise Dewey deactivated some anthropometry and enumerating his clamminess so casually! Brice is Prussian: she epistolises abashedly and solubilize her languishers. Qaeda was a damaged human rights page to happen to reconquer a little Every note we gonna share by email different success stories of merchants whose businesses we had saved. On clinton deleted references, obama told us democratic nomination of. Ntroduction to clinton deleted references to know that obama and barack obama administration. Rainfall carries into clinton deleted references to the. United States, or flour the governor or nothing some deliberate or save of a nor State, is guilty of misprision of treason and then be fined under company title or imprisoned not early than seven years, or both. Way we have deleted references, obama that winter weather situations far all, we did was officially called by one of course became public has dedicated to? Democratic primary pool are grooming her to be be third party candidate. As since been reported on multiple occasions, any released emails deemed classified by the administration have been done so after the fact, would not steer the convict they were transmitted. New Zealand as Muslim. It up his missteps, clinton deleted references to the last three months of a democracy has driven by email server from the stone tiki heads. Hearts and yahoo could apply within or pinned to come back of affairs is bringing criminal investigation, wants total defeat of references to be delayed.
    [Show full text]
  • Martin Van Buren National Historic Site
    M ARTIN VAN BUREN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY, 1974-2006 SUZANNE JULIN NATIONAL PARK SERVICE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NORTHEAST REGION HISTORY PROGRAM JULY 2011 i Cover Illustration: Exterior Restoration of Lindenwald, c. 1980. Source: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site ii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 Chapter One: Recognizing Lindenwald: The Establishment Of Martin Van Buren National Historic Site 5 Chapter Two: Toward 1982: The Race To The Van Buren Bicentennial 27 Chapter Three: Saving Lindenwald: Restoration, Preservation, Collections, and Planning, 1982-1987 55 Chapter Four: Finding Space: Facilities And Boundaries, 1982-1991 73 Chapter Five: Interpreting Martin Van Buren And Lindenwald, 1980-2000 93 Chapter Six: Finding Compromises: New Facilities And The Protection of Lindenwald, 1992-2006 111 Chapter Seven: New Possibilities: Planning, Interpretation and Boundary Expansion 2000-2006 127 Conclusion: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Administrative History 143 Appendixes: Appendix A: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Visitation, 1977-2005 145 Appendix B: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Staffi ng 147 Appendix C: Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Studies, Reports, And Planning Documents 1936-2006 151 Bibliography 153 Index 159 v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1.1. Location of MAVA on Route 9H in Kinderhook, NY Figure 1.2. Portrait of the young Martin Van Buren by Henry Inman, circa 1840 Library of Congress Figure 1.3. Photograph of the elderly Martin Van Buren, between 1840 and 1862 Library of Congress Figure 1.4. James Leath and John Watson of the Columbia County Historical Society Photograph MAVA Collection Figure 2.1.
    [Show full text]
  • Civil Rights Summit at LBJ Library: President Barack Obama's Keynote Address, April 10, 2014
    Civil Rights Summit at LBJ Library: President Barack Obama's Keynote Address, April 10, 2014 [APPLAUSE] MARK UPDEGROVE [Director, Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library]: Welcome to the Civil Rights Summit, as we welcome the President and First Lady of the United States. We shall overcome. That song became an anthem for the civil rights movement. For those who fought against racial injustice, those words have special meaning. On March 7, 1965, John Lewis helped to lead a protest march for voting rights from Selma, Alabama to the state's capital, Montgomery. The march was brutally thwarted by Alabama State Troopers in a day of infamy that became known as Bloody Sunday. President Lyndon Johnson was never one to let a good crisis go to waste. A week later he used Bloody Sunday the show the need to pass the Voting Rights Act that he had proposed, but that had stalled in the halls of congress. In a plea before Congress and the nation, he said, “It is all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice -- and we shall overcome.” John Lewis watched that speech in Selma with his mentor, Dr. Martin Luther King, at his side. As President Johnson said those words, Mr. Lewis saw Dr. King cry for the first time. “We will march from Selma to Montgomery,” Dr. King said, with tears in his eyes. “The Voting Rights Act will pass.” Dr. King and Mr. Lewis made their march from Selma to Montgomery, and President Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act. If we have overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice, it is largely because of the courage and fortitude of those like Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, and John Lewis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Prez Quiz Answers
    PREZ TRIVIAL QUIZ AND ANSWERS Below is a Presidential Trivia Quiz and Answers. GRADING CRITERIA: 33 questions, 3 points each, and 1 free point. If the answer is a list which has L elements and you get x correct, you get x=L points. If any are wrong you get 0 points. You can take the quiz one of three ways. 1) Take it WITHOUT using the web and see how many you can get right. Take 3 hours. 2) Take it and use the web and try to do it fast. Stop when you want, but your score will be determined as follows: If R is the number of points and T 180R is the number of minutes then your score is T + 1: If you get all 33 right in 60 minutes then you get a 100. You could get more than 100 if you do it faster. 3) The answer key has more information and is interesting. Do not bother to take the quiz and just read the answer key when I post it. Much of this material is from the books Hail to the chiefs: Political mis- chief, Morals, and Malarky from George W to George W by Barbara Holland and Bland Ambition: From Adams to Quayle- the Cranks, Criminals, Tax Cheats, and Golfers who made it to Vice President by Steve Tally. I also use Wikipedia. There is a table at the end of this document that has lots of information about presidents. THE QUIZ BEGINS! 1. How many people have been president without having ever held prior elected office? Name each one and, if they had former experience in government, what it was.
    [Show full text]
  • Barack Obama and Joe Biden on Defense Issues
    BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN ON DEFENSE ISSUES Before the 2000 election, George Bush and Dick Cheney famously told our military “Help is on the way.” Today, the active Army is short 3,000 captains and majors, and 58 percent of recent West Point graduates are choosing to leave the force – double the historic average. We do not have a single combat brigade at home in reserve, ready for an unexpected crisis. Our National Guard and Reserves have only half the equipment levels they need, hampering their ability to respond to crises, foreign and domestic. Ending the war in Iraq will be the beginning, but not the end, of addressing our defense challenges. Terrorist networks with a global reach and aspirations to weapons of mass destruction threaten our security. Failing states half a world away can provide safe harbor for terrorists and destabilize entire regions. Extreme regimes, like Iran and North Korea, threaten their neighbors, proliferate nuclear technology, and support terrorists while rising powers like China hold the potential to be either partners or adversaries. And most importantly, nations around the globe are reluctant to join with America in taking on mutual threats because they question our own commitment to democracy, justice, peace, and opportunity. The defense policies detailed here represent one aspect of Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s comprehensive, rigorous approach to advancing American national security and foreign policy. Their initiatives on diplomacy and development (detailed in separate fact sheet available on barackobama.com) combined with his defense policies will create a stronger America and a safer world.
    [Show full text]
  • Barack Obama the Pursuit of Identity EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
    Barack Obama The pursuit of identity EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Listen to Presidential at http://wapo.st/presidential This transcript was run through an automated transcription service and then lightly edited for clarity. There may be typos or small discrepancies from the podcast audio. BARRACK OBAMA CLIP: I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story -- that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me and that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: This is Barack Obama in 2004 before he had held any national political office. Four years later, he would be elected the first black president of the United States. BARRACK OBAMA: Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over 200 years ago: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ That is the true genius of America. LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: I'm Lillian Cunningham with The Washington Post, and this is the 43rd episode of “Presidential.” PRESIDENTIAL THEME MUSIC LILLIAN CUNNINGHAM: This isn't our very final episode of the series, but it is our last episode chronicling the people who've served already as president of the United States. So, I think it's fitting that, in this episode, we come full circle to a question that we've really been asking since the very beginning, which is, 'Who are we?' Well, that question -- 'Who am I?' -- is essentially at the very core of Obama's own personal story.
    [Show full text]
  • Policy Transformation Through Executive Branch Action
    ONE Policy Transformation through Executive Branch Action In early June 2018, the Justice Department announced it would not defend key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) from a suit seeking to overturn the law in a federal district court. Specifically, the Trump administration refused to back provisions of the health reform law that guaranteed Americans with preexisting conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or cancer, access to insurance at premiums comparable to those paid by healthier people. Democrats in Congress denounced the Trump admin- istration for failing to defend the law, as the Obama administration had done. And Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asserted: “Everybody I know in the Senate— everybody— is in favor of maintaining coverage for preexisting conditions.”1 Nine months later, before a federal court of appeals, the Trump administration changed its position to argue, despite opposition from the Attorney General, that the entire ACA was unconstitutional.2 “What a glorious mess,” thundered Representative John Dingell upon learning in 2007 that the Supreme Court had assigned federal responsi- 1 Thompson-Wong-Rabe_Trump, Ad Pres, Fedism_i-xiv_1-242.indd 1 8/11/20 11:46 AM 2 Trump, the Administrative Presidency, and Federalism bility for climate change to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a case brought by coastal states. “The only way in which that can be properly addressed is by seeing to it that the Congress goes in and cuts down the thicket so we can achieve an intelligent policy.”3 But Con- gresses have repeatedly failed to adopt policy on climate change since it reached the national agenda in the 1980s.
    [Show full text]
  • Obama Administration Record for the LGBT Community
    Obama Administration Record for the LGBT Community “Every single American -- gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, transgender -- every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of our society. It’s a pretty simple proposition.” -President Barack Obama, October 1, 2011 President Obama values every American, and his Administration has made historic strides to expand opportunity, advance equality, honor differences and level the playing field for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people and communities. The President’s efforts have included major legislative achievements such as the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” as well as significant administrative actions in support of equality. The Obama Administration’s record in support of the LGBT community includes: Repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: The President signed the bill to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell on December 22, 2010, putting in motion the end of a discriminatory policy that ran counter to our values as Americans. As of September 20, 2011, when the repeal took effect, gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans can serve openly in our Armed Forces and without fear of losing their jobs for who they are and who they love. Ending the Legal Defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA): In February 2011, the President and Attorney General announced that the Department of Justice would no longer defend Section 3 of DOMA against equal protection constitutional challenges brought by same-sex couples married under state law. In July 2011, the White House announced the President’s support of the Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Jerrold Nadler, which would repeal DOMA and uphold the principle that gay and lesbian couples should receive the same Federal rights and legal protections as straight couples.
    [Show full text]
  • Press Release
    PRESS RELEASE The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum 4079 Albany Post Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538-1917 www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu 1-800-FDR-VISIT April 14, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jim Olson, (845) 437-5376 The June and Aaron Gillespie Forum and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum present COMMUNITY DISCUSSION: PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FIRST 100 DAYS Wednesday, April 29, 2009 7:00 p.m. HYDE PARK, NY -- Mid-Hudson Valley residents are invited to participate in a community discussion assessing President Barack Obama’s first 100 days in office. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home, 4079 Albany Post Road (Route 9) in Hyde Park, New York. Opening the discussion will be four faculty members from area colleges, each commenting on an aspect of the Obama administration. JoAnne Myers (Marist College) will speak on President Obama’s style of leadership, while Joel Diemond (Dutchess Community College) will address the President’s economic policies. Foreign policy will be presented by Mark Lytle (Bard College) and Sarita Gregory (Vassar College) will speak on issues of race and ethnicity. After these opening comments, members of the audience will have ample opportunity to share their perspectives. David Woolner, Senior Vice President of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, will moderate the discussion. President Obama faces a situation similar to that of President Roosevelt in 1933: rallying the nation at a time of profound economic crisis.
    [Show full text]
  • How Bush and Obama Created a Gold Standard Transition
    HOW BUSH AND OBAMA CREATED A GOLD STANDARD TRANSITION INTRODUCTION Ensuring that an incoming administration is ready to govern in the most consequential transition since 1932 will require active cooperation of an incumbent administration. The transition from George W. Bush to Barack Obama presents a model of how two administrations from different parties can work together to secure America in the face of challenges at home and abroad. This paper draws on the example set by Bush and Obama to describe how to manage an effective transition between outgoing and incoming presidents in three areas: people, policy and process. PEOPLE Setting a Positive Tone The foundation for a cooperative transition from one administration to the next begins with the two presidents themselves. President Bush set the tone two days after the 2008 election when he addressed staff members on the South Lawn of the White House about the upcoming transition: “Ensuring that this transition is as smooth as possible is a priority for the rest of my presidency. We face economic challenges that will not pause to let a new president settle in. This will also be America's first wartime presidential transition in four decades. We're in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us -- and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people. So over the next 75 days, all of us must ensure that the next president and his team can hit the ground running.” Bush’s remarks were the most extensive comments in history by any outgoing president on the importance of a smooth transition.
    [Show full text]
  • Document Frequently Shrouded in Ambigui- Ties, the Text of Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of The
    No. 20-5 IN THE Supreme Court of the United States ____________________ RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, ET AL., Petitioners, v. DONALD J. TRUMP, Respondent. ____________________ On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ____________________ BRIEF OF BIPARTISAN FORMER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS ____________________ BEN FEUER Counsel of Record ANNA-ROSE MATHIESON WALTER E. DELLINGER III CALIFORNIA APPELLATE DUKE UNIVERSITY LAW GROUP LLP 210 Science Drive 96 Jessie Street Durham, NC 27708 San Francisco, CA 94105 (202) 383-5319 (415) 649-6700 [email protected] i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTERESTS OF AMICI CURIAE ............................ 1 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ......................................................... 3 ARGUMENT ............................................................. 6 I. From Textualist, Originalist, Purposivist, and Structuralist Perspectives, the Constitution Prohibits the President From Obtaining Profits or Business Advantages “of Any Kind Whatever” from a Foreign State Unless He First Acquires Congress’s Approval. ...... 6 A. The plain text of the Foreign Emoluments Clause is clear and unambiguous, as is the original meaning of the words used. ................. 6 B. A purposivist analysis of the Foreign Emoluments Clause establishes the Framers’ intent to provide a sweeping, expansive bulwark against foreign corruption of the President. ................................. 10 C. The Constitution’s structure relies on the President disclosing to Congress any financial gain or valuable asset he receives from a foreign state, and past Presidents have understood and followed that command. ........................................... 14 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page D. Lesser federal office-holders also historically complied with the Foreign Emoluments Clause by disclosing to Congress anything of value received from a foreign government and awaiting approval before accepting it.
    [Show full text]