Advice to Barack Obama: Be Modest in All Things

This weekend, the Sunday morning chatterers bestowed their approval upon President-elect Obama's first press conference since his election. I was surprised, not so much because of what Obama said, but because of some of the words, the first person and the first person possessive, that he used time and time again. For a minute or two, if I had not known better, I would have imagined I was listening to Bush III in all his arrogance.

In his opening statement, Obama used the word "I" thirteen times. He used "my" five times -- once in reference to The Vice President, once in reference to the new Chief-of-Staff, in reference to the transition team, and once in reference to the Transition Economic Advisory Board he had just appointed. It sounded as if he thought he owned the people he selected or appointed to office -- and that's the way George Bush always sounded to me. And the way he acted towards most of his subordinates. (Not of course, including Vice President Cheney.) He threw in two "I'm"s and two "I've"s that didn't seem as annoying as the others.

Abraham Lincoln was able to get through the entire Gettysburg Address without using "I" once. John F. Kennedy, in his 1,366 word Inaugural Address used "I" only four times. Once as he took his oath of office, "For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago."; and three times when he promised to defend America, "In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation." He used it to acknowledge and accept a burden, not to glorify himself.

It was a different Obama, with a different voice, that I heard on Friday. He appeared to be flip and full of himself. His wise crack about Nancy Reagan's séances would have been a scandal had it flowed from the mouth of poor Joe Biden, but Obama was spared much press comment. (He did later call Mrs. Reagan to apologize.)

Now is the time for Barack Obama to appear modest and humble in the wake of his great triumph. John Kennedy and Barack share a speech writer, Ted Sorensen. It was Sorensen who has been given credit for the inaugural address. Both Barack and Kennedy were great orators, able to change men's minds with words. Kennedy often used words written by Sorensen. I think it would behoove Obama to do more of the same. Modesty is a virtue, even if you don't have anything to be modest about.

Comments

[allonfla]

This is absolutely ridiculous! A lot of people claim that Obama gets too much of a free pass, but in reality he is held to the sometimes impossibly high standards of his critics and his supporters. Yes, he has an ego. So do all the previous Presidents who thought they could lead the country better than their opponents. So do all people who are driven like Palin, McCain, Clinton, Clinton II. But Obama knows when to be humble. On election night he didn't come out hooten and hollerin about his win. He didn't come down on the losers. He recognized the people that helped him and he asked for the help of those that did not support him. I also thought it was very big of him to say that there is only one President at a time. Do you really think that the Obama we have seen this whole time was all fake? from that one conference on that one day, you've concluded that Obama is getting too big for his britches? Is that fair?

[DS3M]

Not to seem obtuse, but isn't there a vast difference when speaking as President-Elect versus President?

I mean, GWB is still in office, and as Obama has stated, one president at a time, please.

Let's not compare apples to Oranges.
A press Conference the week of being elected
or
Gettysburg Address
or
JFK's inaugural...

Lighten up capt.

[Sumocat]

How do you tell the American people what you've been doing without referring to yourself? In that opening speech, he gave a recap of his activities and offered personal thanks to President Bush for meeting with him. How impersonal would it be to refer to his team as "the" transition team or to thank President Bush without saying "I'm thankful"? For the purpose of the press conference, I see no way to avoid self-reference without depersonalizing the matter.

[schatsie]

look, he's locked in a pitched battle with the Bushies who want to give away trillions of dollars before he is inaugurated.... I don't give a darn what he says about himself in the next 10 weeks... I just hope that we can do a better job of tracking the money than the CPA did in Iraq...After all who but a Republican could lose 8 BILLION Dollars...Now we have 700 Billion at risk and probably more...

I am praying to god that in the next 8 years we can have a renaisance in health care.. the idea that we can spend trillions on a war in Iraq and Bush promised them universal health care and now we have the cluster f of Wall Street, but the lady on the street cannot get a mammogram at anything but Rolls Royce prices...is just ludicrous....

[mamak]

Mr. Schonfeld,

Somehow I think you're thinking a little too much into it. I too did raise my eyebrow when he said about Nancy Reagan other than that I think he wants to have some fun after the hard campaign.

But I take your point, many people will be watching his moves and parsing his words closely. On the modesty part, I believe you are wrong. You regard him like a close relative that might embarass you by not behaving the way you think he should behave, ..maybe because you justified that you support him for being modest in the first place...or something else....But Obama is very grounded although he might fly high sometimes....

cheers

[4wehttam]

I rather think Obama is more modest than anyone in his situation would be three days after a historical win. The use of the word arrogant is unjust.

[HangInThere]

I think countrygranny nailed it: Obama's use of "i" seemed perfectly normal and natural, and I thought him meticulous in avoiding the appearance of taking over the president's role prematurely. In general the conference showed him to be thoughtful and serious. His Nancy R. gaffe was, admittedly, a gaffe - no excuses, a dumb moment by a smart guy, presumably trying to lighten up a bit when he knew that his overall tone was heavy. I'll note that your own parenthetical admission that he apologized ("He did later call ...") seemed rather reluctant.
Oh, yes ... you used "I", referring to yourself, 3 times in your opening paragraph. Wow!

[QuietAmerican]

You may have a point, but surely must take into consideration that on Friday Obama was almost certainly still emotionally, physically and psychologically exhausted, and so, understandably, not at his Obama best.

Given that, if there were ever a time for preening, it might be immediately after a grueling, hard-fought campaign in which you overcame two towering opponents, and at which not only a majority of the nation, but a majority of the world, erupted in sheer joy at the announcement of your victory.

Granted, we've all fallen hard for the humble, strong, calm, loving Obama -- and he knows it. He is nothing if not a man who is involved in a continual loop of self-reflection. I would be surprised if the "Friday Obama" makes an appearance again anytime soon.

[countrygranny]

It seems to me that the President-elect was merely taking the short path to referencing these individuals and groups. He is after all, not yet the president, so technically there can be no chief of staff to anyone other than to Obama himself, hence, he is Obama's chief of staff. Vice-president-elect Biden is not yet the vice-president of the United States so to refer to him is Obama's vice-president is technically correct as well. Lighten up! His decision not to use terms suggesting that he is already in office is quite humbling and modest in itself.

[Reese Schonfeld - Huffpost Blogger]

As I take your point, Obama should have said, "My Vice President-Elect". Technically he could've said "The Vice President-Elect", and we both would've felt better.

[IndyReader]

Sometimes I wonder about people. He wasn't orating, he was speaking of what he intended. It's pretty hard to not use =I= in that situation. I don't think Obama should have to conform to your notion of how he should be.