Obama vs. Perón: In Their Own Words

Juan Perón was the fascist dictator of Argentina who demonized the rich, asserted that the goal of a classless society could be achieved, and praised the construction of an all-powerful central government.

Sound familiar?

Using the transcript of yesterday's speech by President Obama regarding the budget deficit, let's compare and contrast various highlights with the famous speech of Juan Perón in 1950, in which he described the tenets of his philosophy of centralized government.


Obama: ...More than citizens of any other country, we are rugged individualists, a self-reliant people...

Perón: The best of this land of ours is its people.


Obama: But there has always been another thread running throughout our history – a belief that we are all connected; and that there are some things we can only do together, as a nation. We believe ... that through government, we should do together what we cannot do as well for ourselves.

Perón: We are an organized State and a free people ruled by a centralized government.


Obama: ...each one of us deserves some basic measure of security. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, hard times or bad luck, a crippling illness or a layoff, may strike any one of us ... and so we contribute to programs like Medicare and Social Security... and Medicai... We are a better country because of these commitments. I’ll go further – we would not be a great country without those commitments.

Perón: The two main branches of Perónism are the Social Justice and the Social Welfare. With these we envelop the people in an embrace of justice and love.


Obama: ...we [do not] begrudge those who’ve done well [, but] those who have benefited most from our way of life can afford to give a bit more back. Moreover, this belief has not hindered the success of those at the top of the income scale, who continue to do better and better with each passing year.

Perón: There is only one class of men for the Perónist cause: the workers.


Obama: ...[We must] reform our individual tax code so that it is fair and simple – so that the amount of taxes you pay isn’t determined by what kind of accountant you can afford. I believe reform should protect the middle class...

Perón: ...In the New Argentina, work is a right which dignifies man and a duty, because it is only fair that each one should produce at least what he consumes...


Obama: So this is our vision for America – a vision where we live within our means while still investing in our future; where everyone makes sacrifices but no one bears all the burden; where we provide a basic measure of security for our citizens and rising opportunity for our children.

Perón: As a social doctrine, Justicialism presides over an adequate distribution of Social Justice giving to each person the social rights he is entitled to.


Obama: But no matter what we argue or where we stand, we’ve always held certain beliefs as Americans. We believe that in order to preserve our own freedoms and pursue our own happiness, we can’t just think about ourselves. We have to think about the country that made those liberties possible. We have to think about our fellow citizens with whom we share a community.

Perón: With reference to political action the scale of values for all Perónists is as follows: First, the Homeland; afterwards the cause, and then, the men themselves.


Obama: This sense of responsibility – to each other and to our country – this isn’t a partisan feeling... It’s patriotism.

Perón: As a political doctrine, Justicialism establishes a fair balance between the rights of the individual and those of the community.


Obama ...I know that if we can come together ... we will keep the dream of our founding alive in our time, and pass on to our children the country we believe in...

Perón: In the New Argentina the only privileged ones are the children.


Want to know how Perón's story ended? Hint: it includes the two words economic and collapse. You can review the illustrated "comic book" of the sad tale here: Don't Cry For Me, America.


Linked by: Protein Wisdom. Thanks!