# @trayfour on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DWUyPW1j-Rq
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/61661246-trayfour-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/21a0271071.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-03-25T22:56:41.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Ray Allen (@trayfour) — https://gondola.cc/trayfour

## Caption

This episode of #thenewsroom aired in 2012 and still hits hard today.  For most of my life, I’ve heard that we live in the greatest country in the world. But what actually makes a country “the greatest”? Is it a statistic? A military budget? The size of an economy? Or is it something deeper — a feeling, a reputation, the respect of your peers? Athletes don’t crown themselves the greatest of all time. That title is given by competitors who recognize excellence when they see it. Respect is earned. Right now, it feels like America’s peers have lost respect for us. Not because they hate us — but because they are disappointed in what they see. I love the United States and the ideals it was built on, but they were never perfect-but worth the work to build a more perfect union. The American experiment should be for all people, not just a select few. As we have come to learn, WE THE PEOPLE, back then only meant certain people but now it has to mean EVERY PERSON! We are literally tearing down those ideals. We have built amazing communities and cities. Not only in this country but around the world. We are nation that stood up to tyranny and authoritarianism. Have we forgotten? We fought wars believing they were rooted in moral purpose. Today our moral compass is compromised. We once passed laws that lifted people up. Now we pass laws that harm and oppress our very own people— while innocent children in other countries pay the price for our bombs. We built the world’s most powerful economy through investment in people — in education, science, infrastructure, innovation. We produced extraordinary doctors, hospitals, artists, architects, engineers, and scientists because we believed the future was worth funding. Now we are allowing that foundation to be weakened — even dismantled. Have we lost our way? Yes. Are we beyond repair? I don’t believe so. The potential that once made us great still exists. The question is whether we have the courage, honesty, and unity to reclaim it. Because greatness isn’t a permanent title. It’s something a nation has to earn — over and over again. #jeffdaniels #thenewsroom

## Stats

- **Views:** 36,363
- **Likes:** 3,679
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 100

## Tags

jeffdaniels, thenewsroom

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