The gaseous and the gloried
Inaugural speeches worthy of emulation
The gaseous and the gloried
Dick Polman, Inquirer National Political Columnist
Update: Tuesday's post will appear some time during the afternoon, following the Inauguration ceremonies.
It’s a daunting prospect for any new president to take the oath of office in a time of crisis, and the pressure to deliver an inaugural address worthy of the historic moment is surely great. But it's plausible that Barack Obama will hurdle this bar – not just because he is rhetorically deft, but because the vast majority of his predecessors were not.
Most inaugural addresses have been riddled with gaseous windbaggery, a lot of verbal thickets about destinies and mountaintops, and thus they were instantly forgettable. Can you recite even a single phrase from Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 address? Not a chance. His rhetoric repeatedly crash-landed; at one point, he pleaded with Americans not to view his big-government vision as “the ordered, changeless and sterile battalion of the ants.”
Can you recite anything from Jimmy Carter’s 1977 address? No way. It was quickly flushed from historical memory, I suspect, because so much of it was cringe-worthy. He sounded less like a leader than a lost soul in search of a therapy group: “Your strength can compensate for my weakness, and your wisdom can help to minimize my mistakes. Let us learn together and laugh together…”
How about Calvin Coolidge’s 1925 address? In his case, the writing was just plain bad: “We are not without our problems, but our most important problem is not to secure new advantages, but to maintain those which we already possess.” (He wanted us to continue possessing old problems? Or new advantages to old problems? Or did he intend “advantages” to be a synonym for certain problems that have been solved, and that we should feel good about? Probably the latter. I think.)
In 220 years, only four inaugural speeches – actually, only fragmentary excerpts from those four speeches - have been lodged in the national consciousness as glory-worthy: Lincoln’s second address, in 1865; FDR’s first, in 1933; JFK’s address in 1961 (by itself, the gold standard); and Reagan’s first, in 1981. Obama would excel tomorrow if he borrows key elements from this quartet.
From Lincoln, he can adopt the theme of magnanimity (and, perhaps, brevity). In only 701 words, Lincoln urged an end to the polarization between blue and gray. He said it was time for everyone to set aside the urge to settle old scores and bind up the nation’s wounds “with malice toward none; with charity for all.” Obama has already signaled an abiding interest in moving beyond the contemporary polarization between blue and red.
Like Roosevelt, he can talk straight with the citizenry about the economic crisis (FDR: “Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment”). Obama can also emulate FDR by seeking to calm the public’s jitters, and reboot the ingrained American sense of confidence. (FDR: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts.”)
From Kennedy (“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country…ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man”), Obama can adopt the intertwined themes of sacrifice, civic obligation, and public service. In the weeks and months after 9/11, during that rare bipartisan moment, Americans were basically told to go shopping; virtually nothing else was asked of us. Obama can be expected to refashion the spirit of JFK for the 21st century, and signal that we should all be prepared to sacrifice more for the common good.
And like Reagan, he can use the occasion to spell out his basic governing philosophy – and thereby signal his desired direction for the Democratic party. When Reagan took the oath for the first time in ’81, he articulated his fundamental ethos by declaring that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem…It is my intention to curb the size and influence of the federal establishment.” Obama’s ideals are obviously different (and, by the way, the federal establishment actually got bigger on Reagan’s watch). The point here is that Reagan provided a philosophical framework for his decision-making; Obama might benefit from defining his own.
Obama can also be expected to plead for patience, to lower the soaring expectations and remind his followers that no miracles are in the offing. Politically, that’s the smart move, and he doesn’t need guidance on that from any of his predecessors. On the other hand, Kennedy did hit the theme in 1961, when he laid out his agenda and cautioned that “this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this administration…” Reagan did much the same 20 years later, when he listed his goals for taming inflation and joblessness, yet cautioned: “Progress may be slow—measured in inches and feet, not miles…” (And George H. W. Bush warned Americans, in the forgettable address of 1989, not to expect great domestic achievements during his tenure: “Our funds are low…we have more will than wallet.”)
But Obama will stand at the podium tomorrow with two assets untrumped by any predecessor (at least during the polling era). He will obviously request that Americans support his new presidency, yet he already has their support. According to the latest New York Times-CBS poll, released this weekend, 79 percent of Americans feel optimistic about Obama (including 58 percent of those who voted for John McCain) – a record high among the incoming presidents. Obama will also use the speech to plead for patience, yet people are already prepared to be patient. In the Times-CBS poll, 68 percent of Americans said they expect the recession to last two years or longer.
So he has the nation’s indulgence. Now we’ll see how well he frames the historic moment. My guess is that, by the time he finishes tomorrow, we will not be pining for Warren G. Harding, who no doubt quickened pulses in 1921 when he declared that “our supreme task is the resumption of our onward normal way.” This time, something a tad more monumental is obviously required.
NE PHIL: Are you going to wear black and mourn tomorrow? ............... Yeah, I know, The American Dream is over. The one where you succeed, become rich, make the rules to benefit you by simultaneously working against the many. Why bother succeeding if you cannot line your pockets at others' expense?— Talvenada- JMC: When does the impeachment process start? The Ayers connection alone should be enough, no? ================ Hardly....gotta have a wayward bit of sexual activity somewhere in there.— gloriousglo2
- WB, I'm guessing your one those people who thinks they are more important than they really are. To rally, BO is overseeing the largest Gov't takeover of domestic affairs since FDR...why should anyone be expecting personal sacrifices when the gov't is going to do everything for us?— camtheman
- Nov. 2012 will be the end of an Obimnation, can't get here soon enough as far as I'm concerned. As for you Bush bashers, Bush has done more for humainty as a whole than Obama could ever hope. Because of Bush 20 million Africans in Africa will be spared the scourge of Aids, because of Bush 5million African lives will be saved from Malaria, because of Bush 50 million Muslims in 2 countries have the right to Vote, because of Bush the Pacific Atolls are now the worlds largest protected wild life refuge in the world, and most of all not one American on American soil has been attacked or killed by muslim fanatics. Oh by the way Obama may be your president, but he is definitely not mine nor will he ever be. Just wondering if Obama didn't have white grandparents, who raised in an white house hold, with white values, would he be where he is ? I think not...— TypicalWhiteBill
- moderatemarge, the only darkness around is apparently in your own mind. You need to get out more and stop ingesting everything that the media feeds you. We still have onne of the highest living standards in the world and the freedom to say and do almost whatever we want. I pitty your deluded outlook.— camtheman
- What Master Dreamz meant to post: When you have an elected leader who thumbs his nose at the morality of the 50 percent of the country who are Christian while proclaiming his commitment to legal abortion and a socialist economy, while he will score points in the eyes of "progressive" elites around the world, he will ultimately bring shame to our country. This will be the Obama legacy. His inability to provide leadership in times of crisis, or by providing lies in times of campaigning, will translate into policy decisions that will throw this country so far off course, it will take an inspirational leader on the order of Ronald Reagan or Pope John Paul II to give us back the feeling of self we derive from being Americans. Stay tuned...— George Tomezsko
cam "YOU ARE THE MAN" (please imagine a Harry Kalas voice over) - it is a real shame that some people refuse to see how good they have it. For some strange reason during the Bush years more people came to America than left America - think it has anything to do with how great and lucky we are to be here??? And guess what? No matter what Obama does over the next 4 years America will still be a beacon of light and hope to the rest of the world.— bird11- George, you obviously do not have the intelligence to understand what I wrote; so, please do not try to interpret it. As I said, if you are proud of the last 8 years, good for you. Me, I am not. For the 1st time since 9/11, when Americans rallied to the occasion, I was proud to be an American the night Obama was elected. It proved that hope and enlightenment could conquor the fear and disenchantment that has lingered for too long in this country.— Master Dreamz
- WB, too bad the spineless Dems in Congress, including our new Sectry of State, couldn't standup to 'The Decider' and vote against all the bad things he was doing! We should call them, 'The Enablers', no?— NEPhilly
- Tal, I saw where Canada wouldn't even let Bill Ayers into the country over the weekend:) Good luck to President Obama! He is going to need it with his own party, more than the weakened Repubs. Nancy Pelosi sounds like she is on her own leftwing warpath. God help him and us:)— NEPhilly
- Just when you think people couldn't have their heads further up their Republicans, you get comments like those from bird11, George Tomezsko, camtheman and TypicalWhite Bill. Naked stupidly is hard to watch.— Djoko Pritza
- DJOKO: Are you questioning RTA's, Right Thinking Americans, REAL Americans, Great Americans?— Talvenada
- NE PHIL: Thank You for proving Sarah Palin was right!!— Talvenada
- Djoko and Tal: another great thing about America people get to express an opinion. Feel free to thank the RTA (the military polls about 2 thirds Republican/conservative) and their families who have fought/bled/died for your rights anytime. You know who won't stop you? Those RTA who do more than provide lip service to believing in America.— bird11
- Tal, how so? Right thinking americans have a right to their opinion too, no?— NEPhilly
Cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, and lauded by the ABC News political website as "one of the finest political journalists of his generation," Dick Polman is a national political columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is on the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, as "writer in residence." Dick has been a frequent guest on C-Span, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC. He covered the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential campaigns.
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