Contributors

• Q: How Did This Speech Compare To Past Obama Speeches?

• Q: How Did This Speech Compare To Past Inaugural Speeches?


Terry Edmonds


Wayne Fields


Clarence Jones


Allan Lichtman


Elvin Lim


Martin Medhurst


Ted Sorensen


Jeffrey Tulis


John Woolley

Ted Sorensen, former special counsel and adviser to President John F. Kennedy:

Among several brilliant phrases in the Obama inaugural was his statement: "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect." In addition, his assurance to all peoples of the world that America wants to be their friend is a welcome and dramatic change from the last eight years. His ending was also a dramatic use of history to remind every American today of his and her heritage and responsibility to deliver freedom to the next generation.

Terry Edmonds, former assistant to the president and director of speechwriting for President Bill Clinton:

As an African-American, I was most touched by President Obama's acknowledgment of how far we have come as a nation since the darkest days of segregation: "This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath." At that point the tears really began to flow.

Jeffrey Tulis, associate professor of government at the University of Texas and author of "The Rhetorical Presidency":

I don't think any phrase will enter the canon of quotable passages -- like "fear itself" or "ask not." But I think one passage sums up Obama's pragmatic critique of contemporary political debate:

"What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works."

John Woolley, professor of political science at University of California, Santa Barbara and co-creator of The American Presidency Project:

Several contenders (in rank order):

"The question we ask today is not whether or government is too big or too small, but whether it works."

"We reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals."

"With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come."

"We have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

Martin Medhurst, professor of rhetoric and communication at Baylor University and co-creator of PresidentialRhetoric.com:

It's always hard to predict what people will remember about any speech, but here are my candidates:

"The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act."

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works."

"A nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous."

"For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

Wayne Fields, professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis and author of "Union of Words: A History of Presidential Eloquence":

That is more a matter for the press to decide as they report the speech than for me. I think it holds together and demands to be understood in its entirety. I suspect that we will hear "our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness," "why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath." But the simplicity and clarity of these lines rather than soaring poetics makes them less quotable and more representative of the speech as a whole. In some ways he gives Washington the best line and the most quotable moment, and then -- in one of his own most poignant moments -- quotes it himself, making them his, ours, and applies them to the present challenge. The final paragraph should be replayed over and over again if one has to choose only a part of the whole thing.

Allan Lichtman, professor of history at American University:

The most memorable part of the speech occurred when he directly addressed the Muslim world, an extraordinary outreach for an inaugural address that usually deals with foreign issues in general and thematic terms. This outreach also comes at a time when Muslims are too often associated with terrorism or extremism in the eyes of Americans. Obama has signaled a new approach to a very large and very important segment of the world. The most memorable phrase comes out of this section of the speech: "To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Clarence B. Jones, former lawyer and draft speechwriter for Martin Luther King, Jr. and co-author of "What Would Martin Say?":

"On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

Paul Stob, co-creator of PresidentialRhetoric.com:

The most memorable line is the following: "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

In time, this speech will be known as the "era of responsibility" speech. The entire address culminates in a vision of something akin to the Protestant work ethic. The ideas of responsibility, common effort, duty, character and happily meeting challenges sets the tone for Obama's work and the nation's work, in the coming years. It is the same tone Roosevelt set for the nation during the Great Depression, and one suspects that Obama consciously followed Roosevelt's lead to frame the current economic crisis.

Elvin Lim, assistant professor of government at Wesleyan University and author of "The Anti-Intellectual Presidency: The Decline of Presidential Rhetoric from George Washington to George W. Bush":

This speech was not written to be carved on monuments, and it will probably not be remembered for its literary quotient. But it well exemplifies the rhetorical and leadership style we have come to expect of this president. This is not a president who wants to be remembered for his words, but for changing even the way in which we think about our politics. That is far more difficult to achieve. Change not merely at the material level, but at the ideational level, is what all great presidents have achieved. They successfully move the country away from old debates, and find new solutions to old quarrels. Just like Lincoln changed the meaning of federalism, and FDR altered the meaning of liberalism, Obama is aiming to reconstitute the ideological schisms our time.

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works.... Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill," he said in his first rhetorical act as president. President Obama hopes to redefine the meaning of government and citizenship, indeed, even the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in our time. We shall we remember his inaugural words if he succeeds.

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