Obama’s Speech
I was struck by his skillful mixing of a state of the union speech with the more general aspects of an inaugeration speech. He had reassurances to foreign powers, in addition to setting out a list of the challenges facing the United States. He also did a good job of invoking our forefathers, and that specific point in history where a nascent nation could’ve been extinguished, but toughed it out. He set a tone of mixed pragmatism and idealism throughout the speech. Obama also made clear allusions to the Bush era, and just as clearly repudiated it…while Bush sat there no doubt oblivious.
I’m looking forward to seeing a transcript, because this was a Byzantine task he had–so many things he had to do in those 18 minutes. In doing so many things, he had to in some ways tone down the soaring rhetoric that typifies many of these kinds of speeches, and thus I think some of the power of the speech reveals itself more gradually, and will continue to do so over time.
20 comments on “Obama’s Speech”
I was pleased that he mentioned “nonbelievers” along with the adherents of various religious traditions in his speech. Nice to be part of America again!
Yes, I was pleased too, since I waiver back and forth between nonbeliever and Deist (or is that Dee-ist ;))
Transcript is here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_obama_text. Though I think that’s the official text, no idea if he changed things in the actual speech.
I had my doubts about Obama in the beginning, but I have to say: I’ve never been so proud to be an American. And I’ve never had so much hope for our country’s future, or for the future of my children.
Ditto all that good stuff! ;> It was a wonderful speech.
I think it’s important for Americans to remember that we don’t all have to be the same religion, and in fact, we don’t have to be any religion at all. James Morrow summed it up in an interview somewhere, when he said that the new world settlers were “sick to death” of having churches govern their lives.
Jeff, I waiver, too.
And, my dear fellows, did you hear that SCIENCE is back! He also mentioned solar and wind power.
It feels like a nightmare has finally ended; I’m teary-eyed.
Yes, science is back!
Jeff
PS Programming note: 60 in 60 returns tomorrow afternoon, not morning. Too much celebrating to do today to hang out with dead philosophers!
Watched it from here in Switzerland and can say I am ecstatic. And that is probably the first time I have ever used that word….(the name of this web site apart).
9 out of 10 people I talk to here in Europe are very excited about Obama.
The end of the Bush years is such a wonderful thing!
although i am little confused–i didn’t know global warming was just a specter. i think i should feel relieved
however i am little confused–i didn’t know global warming was just a specter. i think i should feel relieved
sorry for that, jeff
f, just say the second comment is a specter.
um didn’t the settlers impose their own straitjacket of a religion on the new world? weren’t the early settlers like the puritans the ones so uptight and crazy town europe wanted rid of them anyway?
Yeah, human nature being what it is, a lot of the settlers got it wrong, too. I also think freedom of religion has been exaggerated as the primary goal of the majority of settlers. There were more important reasons. In fact, as we know, religion was sometimes used as an excuse to conquor other lands.
Neverthelless, I recently read Benson Bobrick’s history of the King James Bible, Wide As the Waters, and let me tell you, those European people had to put up with a lot of crap. The governments seemed to switch from Catholic to Protestant every time a new King or Queen came to power, with the out-of-favor side suffering great persecution. Anyway, you have a good point, what with the witch burnings and for that matter, the 1950s communist hunt.
My favorite was that when he did quote the bible, it was to tell America to stop being a bunch of damn babies and grow some balls. I’m paraphrasing, of course ;-). Actually, as a christian, I really have a problem with the hand-waving evangelicals (as opposed to the social change marching evangelicals, like a certain Reverend, who comprise a whole different breed altogether) who got us into this mess, and their insistence that simply joining the club and sneering at all non-clubbers is all they need. It isn’t. Obama outlined much of the same items of business as what appeared on the sermon on the mount – i.e. salvation is something you work for, and that work consists solely of helping others. Not hating gay people. Not insisting on your right to a weapon. Love. Feed. Educate. Give. Clothe. Seek justice. Stand with those who have lost everything. And build.
What I liked about it is that he very skillfully transposed the call to action that his faith necessitates into a demonstration of character – both his own, and what he would like to see demonstrated in the nation and the world. So what that means is that faith has nothing to do with the joining of a club. Faith is something that you do. And what’s more, the work that comes from that is something that can be shared with other people regardless of their religious beliefs, because we all have a common purpose.
My hope is that we can put a different public face on my faith, because I’m getting pretty sick of the me-first-god-hates-taxes-and-gays-and-democrats/ let’s-all-congratulate-ourselves-on-our-totally-awesome-faith/ I’m-going-to-heaven-and-you’re-not thing. Quite frankly
Woops, I pushed submit before I finished my sentence. What I was going to say is “Quite frankly, it’s gotten a bit old.”
There. Back to work.
Amen, Kelly!
The quote you referred is, “The time has come to set aside childish things.”
At first I thought you told Google to call the library, and it did, and that blew my mind.
Then I realized that you actually called the library, and my mind became unblown.
I’ll get back to work…
If you ask my opinion about this topic I really like. Thank you for sharing your friends. Hope to see you another day.
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