Washington, D.C., January 21, 2009
A Defining Moment – Barack Obama’s Inaugural Speech
By Reinhard Bütikofer
At his inauguration, the new U.S. President Barack Obama gave an impressive speech. Some phrases he chose might become proverbial. But beyond the rhetorical brilliance, Obama’s speech got its power from aiming at nothing less than a renewal of the promise of democracy in America. Obama did not quote President Lincoln’s famous words from the Gettysburg Address: “government of the people, for the people, by the people“. But in front of over one million people Obama appealed to the inherent power of this ideal. To participate in the inauguration at the bottom of Capitol Hill and to be able to get at least a few long-distance looks at the podium at which Obama spoke, we had to get an early start. In honor of this special day the African-American bus driver to the Metro station in a Washington suburb let us ride without having to pay the fare. Metro was already very crowded before six a.m. A large area of streets around the Capitol had been closed for pedestrians. And the crowd quickly backed up. Wherever I got in line, there were thousands of people, all with purple access tickets, who waited for many hours. Some sent SMSs to a number provided by Obama’s people to find out why things were not moving along, and read aloud the soothing answers they received. After waiting in the cold for four and a half hours I was finally “in”. The crowd’s mood was expectant; they were ready to be thrilled with what most people could only view on giant TV screens. Bill Clinton is announced – big applause. Laura Bush and Lynn Cheney are greeted with calls: “And good bye, folks!“ When George W. Bush and Dick Cheney appear in person the shouting gets louder: “No!“ An older woman says indignantly: “This won’t do, you can’t disrespect the President.“ Others call: “Let’s throw shoes!“
Smart Choices, Strong Words When Rick Warren, the controversial conservative pastor from a Californian parish, gives the invocation, it becomes apparent that this choice by Obama was smart. Warren says that Martin Luther King would probably be rejoicing in heaven over the election of an African-American President. Warren emphasizes that America is unified by fighting for liberty and justice for all, not by religion, or family background, or race. He calls on all Americans to stand together - this is what really matters to the President: That a conservative broadcasts this message to the 46 percent of Republican voters who did not vote for Obama. Because there is a real danger that Obama’s agenda might run into major roadblocks of the right. Obama has decided to counter this danger by a strategy of embrace, not by open confrontation. This is the reason for Rick Page 1 of 4
Warren. This is why there was a luncheon with leading conservative journalists in the week before the inauguration, about which one of the participants said afterwards that they discussed more substance with Obama in the course of the lunch than with Bush in the course of years. This is why there was a dinner in honor of John McCain, Obama’s opponent, on the eve of the inauguration, although Sarah Palin had not been invited – friendship does not go quite that far. When Barack Obama gives his address after being sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, after just a few sentences he addresses the crises being experienced by the United States. Obama immediately puts down a marker. The gathering clouds and raging storms are not the work of individuals who want to do evil, who are greedy and irresponsible, but are also the result of “our errors” of not having promptly recognized the signs of the time and not having acted appropriately and sustainably. In describing the external threats Obama avoids the term “terrorism“. Also, Obama does not use his time to chastise the banks or their managers. He does not want to mobilize people by giving the impression to his listeners of being on the righteous side facing enemies. He wants to have people reach the understanding that “we, the people” have to take a new approach. Obama attacks the sense of defeat that accepts decline as inevitable. His message is: We, the people, can meet the challenges if we place hope over fear, and unity of purpose over discord.
Moving Beyond Dogmatic Trench Warfare Obama’s second argument is that in order to move ahead again we must overcome the futile and wasteful dogmatic trench warfare of the past. There is more behind this than a centrist sensibility. Obama names some of the ideological fronts. And he gets quite poignant here. He calls the dispute about “big government“ or “small government“ “childish”. He easily dismisses the entire ideology which has been dominant since Ronald Reagan – the less state there is, the better – and its left-wing statist counterpart in one sentence. What is important, he says, is that the government works. Obama also wants to leave behind the argument over the m arket economy. We must not leave the market, in spite of its creativity, to itself because then it might get out of control. These principles represent truly a sea change. Reagan is out, Roosevelt is in again. It is a fundamental turn to the left, which, out of a sense of caution, is explicitly presented in pragmatic terms. But the fights for it will be fierce. In spite of all his talk of reconciliation Obama probably has no illusions about it. Resistance will be offered not only by Republicans but also by conservative Democrats, the so-called “Blue Dogs“. As his approach shows, Obama has obviously learned some lessons from Reagan like he also learned from Bush’s decline. The former was successful, among other things, because he was able to sell his own ideology as pragmatic-plausible common sense. The latter failed, among other things, because his ideology revealed itself as fanaticism. Obama will try to avoid everything that might lead him into the trap of a new fanaticism. But he definitely wants fundamental change. Obama explicitly deals with those who argue that you must not tackle too many big challenges all at once. He scolds the cynics. (I have to think of the Chancellor who relegates climate change again to secondary rank because of the financial and economic crisis.) Obama says: “We do not have too many big plans. (…) The ground has shifted beneath us.“ Only he who Page 2 of 4
aims at a fundamental renewal in many areas is acting responsibly. “Be realistic, demand the impossible“, was the demand of the Spontis 40 years ago. Obama translates this into a generally comprehensible language and sets the sights for his Administration high: “We must dust ourselves off and ‚remake’ America.“ “Renewal“ would be too weak a translation for the word “remake“. “Re-inventing” is not meant either. Perhaps we could put it like this: We have to let America grow up anew from its roots.
An Appeal to Classical American Values Obama openly appeals to classical American values. The challenges may be new and also the methods to master them; but the old values apply. And precisely at this point, where values are at issue, there is the sharpest differentiation from Bush – without mentioning him by name. The point here is “to re-establish the vital trust between a people and their government”. Tremendous cheers rise from the listeners! It would be “false to choose between our safety and our ideals“. A line that will live on! Even more cheers! This encompasses everything, Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and illegal listening programs - and so on. This is one of the emotional highlights of the speech. Obama also promises a new direction in foreign policy. Fascism and communism, he reminds us, have been defeated not only by military superiority. And he draws the conclusion: “Our security emanates from the justness of our cause.“ Without questioning in any way a very robust military side of foreign policy Obama places the accent differently. Bill Clinton had said it well during the Democratic Party convention in Denver. What has to count is “the power of our example, not the example of our power“. The four foreign policy topics that are mentioned are Iraq, Afghanistan, disarmament, and climate change. There is no specific mention of Europe. Even with this new President Europe will have to learn that it will be relevant to U.S. foreign policy only to the degree to which it will show its ability to contribute more than words to meeting global challenges. However, Obama explicitly addresses the Islamic world and offers it a path forward “based on mutual interests and mutual respect“. There is brief mention made of “the suffering outside our borders” and the thoughtless use of natural resources which must not be ignored any longer. Obama does not announce any initiatives in this speech; he calls for, and promises, a new U.S. attitude in foreign policy: America as partner. This will not be easy but it is a great promise for all friends of America and the greatest imaginable challenge to all its adversaries. Finally, President Obama returns to the theme which candidate Obama had preached for two years during the campaign. It is the theme of responsibility of all citizens for themselves, their society, their government, and their world. How often had Obama said in speeches that the hope for change was based on having many people become involved. This has especially appealed to young people. Now that it is time to govern, he articulates the same message in terms of responsibility. He calls for a “new era of responsibility“. “Ultimately“ it depends on the people. He appeals to a “spirit of service“, to finding meaning in something greater than oneself. “This moment will define a generation“, Obama says. That is his hope.
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After the inauguration had come to an end, there was one more especially strong round of applause. It was for the images of Ex-President Bush, who got on a helicopter on his way to Texas. When the helicopter flew over the crowd there was a tremendous cheer: We finally are rid of him. After the speech the mood is joyful on the streets. The reactions are varied. Two men show a banner with the writing “We have overcome“. One man sells T-shirts with the slogan: “Everything’s better with Obama“. An acquaintance says: “Poor Obama. Tomorrow morning, he must get up and do something“. Obama will have his first meetings with his military and security advisers.
Reinhard Bütikofer was one of two national chairpersons of the German political party Alliance 90/the Greens.. See also the homepage of Reinhard Bütikofer (http://reinhard-buetikofer.de/)
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