The Long View on the Long Inaugural Address

Here are my thoughts on President Obama's inaugural address. This blog is about speech and not politics, and you can add me to the chorus of observers who say that this was a good speech, maybe even a very good speech, but not a great one. You can see the full text and the video of his delivery. Here are my observations.

1. Obama invoked Lincoln, somewhat obviously, from the very start by using that President's Bible for the oath of office, and then with the opening phrase "My fellow citizens," which is what Lincoln would say. Later he said that "what the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply." Compare that to Lincoln's words: "The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present...As our case is new, so must we think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves."


2. Obama clearly repudiated Bush. Yes, there was perfunctory praise at the beginning of the speech, "I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity he has shown throughout the transition." But later in the speech, he delivered this damning paragraph (my emphasis added):
   As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
   The inferences here are quite clear: He said directly that President Bush compromised our values, and now Obama will not make those same decisions. Furthermore, the US has not led the world under the Bush administration.


3. Obama delivered a tough message that challenged his audience and did not patronize them. He hardly smiled, which I believe was an error. People remember the sunny optimism of Ronald Reagan. Can Obama afford to come off as stern.
   
   He pinned the blame for our current problems on our own shortcomings. He said the weakened economy was "a consequence of greed and irresponsibility" by some, but also "our collective failure to make hard choices...." He acknowledged the high price of health care, the failures of schools and our profligate use of energy. Yet Obama received praise for the power of his speech. Let's ask ourselves: How did he get away with that when Jimmy Carter was excoriated for his famously misnamed "malaise" speech? Answer: It was all a matter of tone. Carter came off as a scold. Obama is a leader.


4. There was a nod to religion with Rick Warren's invocation, the use of Lincoln's Bible, and scriptural references, even while he referenced those of no faith: "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers."


5. Ultimately, my assessment is the speech was too long and too wide-ranging to be totally memorable. I am quite confident that witnesses will praise Obama's confidence and command of language, but I am equally confident that they will be challenged to remember the specifics of what he said. He talked about our national traditions and our character, even speaking about how we betrayed both. He outlined the challenges we face. He called for national service. He recalled European immigrants and westward bound pioneers. He offered friendship to poor nations. But what one single thing did he say? Where are the ringing phrases that will live for generations? Compare today's speech to John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961. That speech was largely focused on America's place as the world's leader and the country's commitment to world peace. It produced the immortal phrase, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
   Franklin Roosevelt used his first inaugural address to calm a nation beset by a great depression, assuring them that we all had nothing to fear but fear itself.
   At Lincoln's second inauguration, he reached out to his brethren with words of forgiveness that became part of our national lexicon: "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
   
   When we reflect on Obama's oratory powers, we are more likely to remember the stirring words that he delivered on the night he was elected. I close on key phrases from that memorable speech:
   
   "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer....
   
   "It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America....
   
   "Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
   
   "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there. There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face....
   
   "And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope....
   
   "This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.