Rhetoric Not Needed

Jeffrey Toobin, political analyst for CNN. commented tonight that President Obama's speech fell short because it had no memorable rhetoric and no central theme. Toobin was looking for a "we have nothing to fear but fear itself" phrase that would mke the speech memorable.

It is typically American to think that rhetoric matters more than content. To be honest, the speech did not elicit from the millions on mall any strong, enthusiastic response as has been the case with many of President Obama's campaign speeches. If the crowd and the public was looking for a speech that would capitalize on the high emotions of the moment, they were disappointed.

Instead, what we got was a serious analysis of the country's current malaise, the clear commitment of the President to make signficant changes in the traditiona approach to governing, and a call for each of us to join in building a different kind of America. A really great speech for any one who pretends to lead is a speech that is followed by actions that match the promises. If President Obama can keep the program for and of government that he articulated today, he will be a great President.

Here is what I heard in the way of promised changes for America:

1. Markets matter, but a good economy is one that gives all the possibility of a living wage.
2. Security does not trump ideals.
3. Ideology for ideology's sake is a path into the dark. \Finding solutions that work to create justice, peace, prosperity is a path toward the light.
4. Making friends with the world is a better path than making war against enemies.
5. If you are waiting for the government to solve all the problems, your problems will never get solved. Get up off your rear end and start working with others to solve our problems.
6 Something is wrong in a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We need to change this part of reality.
7. Science, facts, thinking, logic are the tools by which we can solve our problems.

There is no inherent "greatness" to America. America can be great when it acts with greatness, when it acts with maturity, when it acts in a way to upholds the highest ideals, when it accepts responsibility for what it does.

It will take a huge amount of strength, wisdome and courage by the President Obama and his administration to help America grow up, get smart and stay commitment to the better values. There is the weight of the status quo and powerful interests that do not want a solution to our current problems that issue in wider prosperity, greater empowerment of a wider public and peace in the world. There are a thousand traps and many pitfalls all of which have worked before to derail any attempt to help the nation grow up (for instance to realize that we are responsible for the earth and its warming and that we cannot consume more than our share of what the world produces).

President Obama struck exactly the right chords with his inauguration speech exactly because it did not rely on rhetoric, but on a serious statement of what is needed for our nation to grow up. Now, it only remains the hardest part of the job: to live up to the high marks set in this outstanding speech.