He Gives Good Speech - That's Not Enough?

One of the primary Republican attacks against Barack Obama has been that there's not much more to him than being a good speech maker. They're wrong. But, what if there was nothing else to go on? What if all we knew was that he was a good speaker? Would that be so bad?

Think of the greatest presidents in history. Who would be on your list? Here's mine - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John Kennedy. Republicans would add Ronald Reagan. Democrats might add Bill Clinton.

Do any of these lines sound familiar? They all come from the list above. "That government is best which governs the least." "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." "Speak softly and carry a big stick." "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." "There is nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed with what is right in America." "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." "With malice toward none, with charity toward all."

The president's job is to lead. Can anyone argue that great speech making goes hand in hand with being a great leader? How can one lead if they cannot communicate a positive message and inspire the citizens? With his speeches, the president sets the tone of his presidency and with that, the hopes of the nation.

George Washington, our first president and the only president who's ever been elected with a unanimous electoral vote, was a great speaker who first inspired the colonists to believe the United States was even a possibility and later insured that the fragile early nation would succeed. The words of Thomas Jefferson created the very foundation of this country. Abraham Lincoln inspired our nation and held it together at its most vulnerable time. Teddy Roosevelt set America on its course as it entered the century that would see its growth into a dominant superpower.

John Kennedy was in office less than 3 years. He didn't have the time to do much. His presidency was marred by a failed invasion of Cuba. Yet he is remembered by most historians as a great president. He inspired Americans with "ask not what your country can do for you" and he inspired the entire world with "Ich bin ein Berliner." He set us on a course to the future and inspired a technological explosion with "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

By comparison, our current president wanted to lay the blame of the dotcom bubble at the feet of his predecessor, so he began his first term by telling us that we were already in a recession. Inspiring. He spent the better part of the next 8 years telling us that there were boogeymen around every corner. This week Mr. Bush told us the economic sky was falling. Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin suggested we could be headed for another Great Depression. But the man who got us out of the actual Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt, faced it, not with fear, but with a call for courage. We have nothing to fear but fear itself!

Similarly, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt rallied the nation on that "date that will live in infamy" and in less than a year we had begun to turn the tide of the war.

If anything, the presidency of George W. Bush should demonstrate what a man without any ideas sounds like. The comparison of his 8 years in office with the 8 years Bill Clinton spent in office draw a stark contrast. Even the people who didn't like Bill Clinton or his policies have to admit that he was a great speaker and the nation prospered under his leadership. Again, he inspired, he set the tone. And that's what a great leader does. The fact that Barack Obama is a great speaker is not a weakness. It's an indication that he just may be that great leader we are looking for.

Comments

[Janet A]

What an eloquent and thought provoking piece of writing! I hope your next president carries an equal sense of commitment, charisma and inspiration.

When you remind us of the great presidents that came before, I have to ask, how on earth did Bush get to be elected? It seems to me that the internet is over run with 'Bushisms', similar to what is known over here in the sporting world as 'Colemanballs' (David Coleman - commentator) rather than sound material!

A good speech maker often makes for a more confident people - one of the first criticisms that I have noticed on the election of a new Prime Minister is a certain schooling they all go through to sound more appealing both in tone of voice, (vocal delivery) and content/conviction! Time often shapes them but time right now, is of the essence.

I don't know enough about Barrack Obama to make a judgment but he certainly appears to be treading along the right lines.

[Goldentusk]

Truer words were never typed.

[jrsycyb]

Nice article. Unfortunately the neocons and the right would have you belive Obama is all talk and no action. I am tired of the Sean Hannitys of the world saying "sure he gives a good speech, but what has he really done?"

Well, it turns out he has done A LOT.

Take a look:

http://obamasresume.org/

Tell THAT to the talk radio morons!

Good one, Bruce!

[robinmiami]

Our President DOES have to be a great speaker! Now more than ever!

Thanks for putting into words what I've been feeling since Obama began his candidacy! Of course we need a President with substance and intelligence (which I believe Obama does have.) But at this moment in history, we especially need someone like Obama to give us hope, call upon us to do our part and to restore our image with the rest of the world!

[DJWalt]

No. It isn't enough.
If you are a thinking person...
Thinking past tomorrow that is.

[9hazels]

Obama's skillful oratory and charisma do give me hope that he will be able to lead. His success, of course will lean on those attributes, as much as it will on sound or clever solutions (and we know those ideas never belong to the president, alone, but to those he chooses to work with him) to help steer the country out of our current mess.

[Gogetter]

Great article. Getting up in front of the American people and communicating, leading, is the most obvious jobs of the President. With all the things that Bush has done to screw up the job of the president over the past 8 years, the fact the he is incapable of getting up before the american people and inspiring confidence is one of his biggest failings; it set the tone of his presidency from the get go.

Richard Reeves wrote a great article on this point back when it was the Clinton camp that was trying to devalue Obama's speech making ability. A couple of things in his article stand out.
First, he describes Obama as eloquent and inspirational; that he can move people, because his words can persuade and prepare them to do what must be done. Given what we're facing as a nation, doesn't that sound like what we need in the next President? Does that even come close to describing Sen. McCain?

The second thing that stands out in Reeves article is this quote:
"The president's job is not to run the country; it is to lead the nation. In that business, words are more important than deeds."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/02/why_hillary_stumbled.html

[Gma11]

Thank you for this thought-provoking essay. I'm inclined to agree at the moment. But I'll mull on it awhile first.

[allonfla]

Totally agree! I've always been boggled when Obama is critcized for his gift. The best leaders know how to communicate with others and know how to get people on their side even when there is little to go on.

[fairwitness]

Yes, indeed; its time we take all the bullshit talking points and dumbed-down memes with which the Republicans have so infected our public discourse and re-vision, re-define and re-create a new way of thinking for this new chapter in our lives. THAT, not the bluster and fear and dark threats of narcissistic sociopaths will stop our national decline.

Obama shows every indication of potential greatness, as (even!) Bill Clinton said yesterday. What more could we hope for at this point? I guess that's what gives this election such urgent poignancy: we sense the potential he embodies, but also realize the threat McCain offers.

[wingman1]

Well said!