Friday, January 30, 2009

How memorable was Obama's inaugural address?

There has been a flurry of criticism of Obama's inaugural address. Some have accused it of being uninspiring, others of being vapid and flat, and others of being just wrong. The general consensus is that the speech, while good, didn't live up to the expectations of the moment (a sign of things to come?)

Before we leap to conclusions though, we'd do well to remember that what makes a speech memorable is not what was said at the moment, but how events unfold later. Ronald Reagan's passionate plea, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" after all, was not very different from please by other Presidents before him. The reason it is so well remembered is that Mr. Gorbachev did, in fact, allow the wall to be torn down. Similarly, Kennedy's famous, "Ask not what the country can do for you, ... " inaugural address in 1960 was peppered with great lines, which were similar to things said by politicians before. They became instantly popular, but remain memorable to an extent because of the enduring Kennedy aura.

Obama's speech, on a more reflective viewing, was actually filled with potential gems. Here are a few of them:
  • "... [the challenges] will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met."
  • "... we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord"
  • "... we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom."
  • "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works ..."
  • "Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. ... [but] that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous"
  • "[The] success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good."
  • "... we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals"
  • "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."
  • "... for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."
  • "We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."
  • "To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy"
  • "To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Some of these, which I have highlighted above in blue, are significant departures from precedents set by the previous administration.

If his policies and actions prove his words as prescient, then these could be just some of the quotes that you may recall fondly. If he fails to deliver, then these words, like so many spoken before, pretty as they are, will simply reside in the yellowing pages of books, remembered only by those who cling to his memory.

Time will tell.

No comments: