Barack Obama, the candidate, spent much of his 2008 campaign delivering speeches filled with soaring rhetoric about America, his plans, and the need for “change”. I believe he also used the word “hope” once or twice. Enough people were swayed by his inspirational speeches that he eventually won the nomination and the election.
But, as President, his speeches have been more restrained (or perhaps constrained would be a better word.) Constrained by the exigencies of day-to-day battles with an intransigent GOP, by attacks from a largely hostile media, and also by some sort of inner need to appear “reasonable” (read bipartisan.)
Much of what once inspired progressives and liberals in general seems to have disappeared from Obama’s tool box. If he did make any lofty speeches about Health Care Reform, extension of the Bush tax cuts, jobs, the deficit, Social Security, Medicare, the Wars, or any other major issue that has arisen since taking office, I must have missed it. Wonky policy speeches just don’t seem to cut it.
Navigate beyond the symmetrical squiggle for more.