Writers praise Barack Obama's inaugural address

[bemildred]

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"He is our first (in the best sense of the word) aristocratic president," said author and journalist Malcolm Gladwell. "Bush was a buddy. Clinton was the kindly uncle. Obama is a prince."

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And yet, Obama is also a writer, and writers were not at a loss for words. Author Ron Carlson was watching the president's syntax. "What courage," he said, "to use a complex sentence talking to a million people! By expecting the best of us, he just might get it."

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Others felt the call to action. "With an Obama speech, listening is sometimes enough," said Pulitzer Prize-winner Thomas Powers, "but not this time. The inauguration speech is one we ought to read. It strikes me as clear and determined and grounded in confidence that of course we are still in the middle of the American story, not nearing the end."

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Other writers praised the absence of the first person singular. "The word that stood out the most for me," said author Marisa Silver, "was the word 'we.' Taking the 'I' out of the equation makes us keenly aware of the power and responsibility that we, each of us, have to make differences."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/inauguration/la-na-inaug-literati21-2009jan21,0,7682733.story

[2Design]

1. it is truly great to have such a smart leader n/t

[bemildred]

2. Language skills are accrued, they come from long practice, they cannot be faked.

I expect he will have lots of press conferences, and he will humiliate "reporters" that ask him asinine questions. I can't tell you how much I look forward to that.
:popcorn::popcorn:

[2Design]

3. he never seems to humiliate - even Roberts screwing up the oath

he just stopped and let him hang himself - he deflects - he is a good model of how to be nice to people who don't deserve it - he does not burn any bridges it looks like - even McCain - he was kind to him even though McCain was nasty and mean and cruel to him

[bemildred]

4. It never hurts to be polite.

Making enemies can cost you, and it never does you much good. Grownups don't indulge their egos in public, and not much in private. He looks like a grownup to me.

"The best revenge is living well."

In the end he will bug them all the more by not being like them, by showing them up, by ignoring their immaturities.

And it gives the media drivel-heads less to work with, a big issue for President Obama.

Edit: In response to your observation, humiliation should never be too overt or too public. See paragraph about making enemies. It won't be petty.

[2Design]

5. did you just see how he deflected that interview question that

squarely place the blame on roberts and he instead said he helped me too - and deflected the whole thing - we know roberts screwed it up and he lets him off the hook - you never know when he might need him - he is a charmer

[bemildred]

6. It's just good manners. We're not used to it, but that's all it is. nt

[Laelth]

7. I read it several times to my wife last night.

We needed to parse it. Even googled and read Bush's inauguration speech from 2001 (odd how he telegraphed the invasion of Iraq even then). By comparison, Obama's speech is brilliant. His call to public service is particularly noteworthy. Where Bush says, in effect, "There's terrible poverty and crime in this country. The American people should fix that. Don't expect my government to do it," Obama says, in effect, "Public service is a noble calling, and I'm going to create a lot of federal jobs, so that any person who wants to work can work. We won't do this out of charity, but because we'll all be better off in the long run."

After several re-reads, it became clear that Obama was slamming the Republicans on several fronts while touting genuine, liberal policy solutions to America's probems. For the first time since Jimmy Carter, I feel I have a President who represents me and who will advance the interests of ALL Americans.

Hats off to the President! :patriot:

:dem:

-Laelth

[tomp]

8. masterful rhetoric, no doubt. but actions (or lack thereof)....

....speak louder and perhaps more eloquently.