'I Was Summoned by My Country'
Nobody knows, yet, but maybe there's a clue in the inaugural addresses of the past. The headline of this post comes from George Washington's first:
Among the vicissitudes incident to life no event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was transmitted by your order, and received on the 14th day of the present month.
On the one hand, I was summoned by my Country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love, from a retreat which I had chosen with the fondest predilection, and, in my flattering hopes, with an immutable decision, as the asylum of my declining years -- a retreat which was rendered every day more necessary as well as more dear to me by the addition of habit to inclination, and of frequent interruptions in my health to the gradual waste committed on it by time.
On the other hand, the magnitude and difficulty of the trust to which the voice of my country called me, being sufficient to awaken in the wisest and most experienced of her citizens a distrustful scrutiny into his qualifications, could not but overwhelm with despondence one who (inheriting inferior endowments from nature and unpracticed in the duties of civil administration) ought to be peculiarly conscious of his own deficiencies.
(Yes, those are some seriously long sentences.)
You can read every inaugural address ever made at a web site set up by Yale Law School.
By David Marino-Nachison November 19, 2008; 3:09 PM ET Category: Inaugural History
18 comments:
President-elect Obama will probably talk a lot about the economy and what he will do to try to fix it. The public want to hear about the state of our economy and what is being done about it so I think it will be a big focus of his speech. Obama needs to make the people feel confident in his abilities without making impossible promises he won't be able to keep.
Like Alli, I think he will talk about the economy, because it is the biggest issue right now. I think he will talk about his hopes for the future. I also think he will talk about getting things done, because he wants to sign a bill into law on his first day. I think he will talk about all of that with sprinkling in refrences to Martain Luther King and Abraham Lincoln.
Althouh I agree with what Alli and Jessie say, I also think Obama will talk in a more casual tone. I think he will be informal than were are accostomed to, howerver not unprofessionally, in order to assure Americans that he is indeed a human being. Obama wants to bring America together and I think that the way he speaks to his fellow Americans will help bring us together. Obama will of course talk about issues and probably talk a bit about Gaza but mainly focus on the economy as Jessie and Alli both had mentioned.
I think Obama's going to need to tone down his flowery rhetoric a bit when he speaks as the president. Fancy speeches are good for winning people over during the election, but now that he has won, it's time to get down to business. Obama has a lot to take care of in the next four years, and his inaugural address should show the American people that he has a plan, not just a big mouth.
I agree with everyone, he's going to have to talk about the economy since that's something affecting most people. He's also going to have to show people he is capable of getting things done.
This is what President Obama should cover:
There's nothing on here that I don't agree with.
Casual
Warm
Inspirational
"And that he is indeed a human being"- Vince
Did you think he wasn't?
I think he needs to be epic. Everyone wants...NEEDS somthing huge....a reason to have hope...and he needs to deliver. Economy need to be a focus and be realstic not insane.
Obama should say something about change over time. Like Matt, people are expecting an "epic" speech about hope and change for his presidency. It's not a bad thing at all, but Obama needs to remind people that change will take time and won't happen as soon as he walks into the Oval Office.
Obama should reassure the American people about his plan to fix the economy.
Shannono: milquetoast
mlowe: milquetoast
jennif: well said
I believe that he should finally let us know what he is going to do to fix this economy. I also think he should try to keep his socialististic views out of his speech to try and avoid driving people, conservatives, farther and farther away from him.
Obama will have to talk about the economy first of all, because it is the main topic on everyone's mind and played a large role in this presidential election. He will also need to state again that he will not fix the country right away, but it will gradually happen over time. He will also need to make this understandable for many people and speak down to earth. He needs to reach out, because I feel many people are going to watch this speech, because it will in a sense give people an idea of what he will work most on in the coming years.
The biggest issue Obama needs to hit on is the economy. He needs to give the American people a reassurance that everything will be ok. What he cannot do is compare the current situation to anything in the past. If he gets into talking about the Great Depression then he will talk about FDR. Republicans will say this will go against his party unity that was pushed in the campaign. Overall everything else he says needs to be focused and direct. And definitely don’t mention Joe the plumber.
Enough about the economy and lts focus on some more issues that are currently facing us. Like Israel. and healthcare. Don't get me wrong, its important that he talks about the economy but he shouldnt make the whole thing based on it. i think its important that he lays out a plan for everything, and really shows the cntry tat he means business. He needs to tlk about ALL of the hope and change he promised during the election, and not just the economy. (as long as he keeps the hope and chang out of our classroom)
-Erik K.
simple: say there's no quick fix, reassure that there will be action, continue the themes of hope and change, and install a feeling of optimism.
I think he really needs to talk about and focus on fixing the economy right away. He needs to start working on the economy first thing after he takes office.
He needs to clearly tell the TRUTH.
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