It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything. The holidays and then getting back into the swing of things has kept me pretty busy. But, work is going as per usual. So, now is the perfect time to start procrastinating. Thus begins the blogging…
Today, January 20th 2009, marks an incredible day in our history and I’d be remiss not to mention it at all in my blog. If you don’t already know what I’m talking about … c’mon! Crawl out from under that rock. No. On second thought, stay there.
Today, the 44th president of the United States of America took the oath of office. But, he’s not just the 44th President. Barack Obama is the very first black president to take the oath of office. And, he’s not just any black man. President Obama comes across as an incredibly charismatic leader with vision. People have stopped comparing him to Kennedy because that, apparently, is aiming too low.
I wanted to write about a few observations I made while watching President Obama address the record breaking crowd that had gathered to witness the historic event. My first observation is about the crowd that had gathered. I also immediately recognized a distinct echo of Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you…” speech. Lastly, I wanted to mention the clear condemnation of his predecessor.
1. Hands up if you didn’t see the inauguration
The enormous size of the crowd was the first thing I noticed when I eagerly flicked the television on. People were packed, side by side, right from the white house all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. That’s about a 2 mile stretch. That was just in front of the white house. As the inauguration progressed, images of Times Square and other areas where people had gathered were shown. Across the country and across the globe masses of people gathered to see the newly inaugurated leader address the nation. I had never seen anything quite like it. If you haven’t seen it for yourself, I’d encourage you to Google around for pictures of the crowds gathered for the show.
One of the amazing things about the speech was that it was a speech that touched everyone differently. I have to admit, as I listened to Obama speak I (a Canadian) found myself swept away by the vision, the message and the energy. I was moved by the speech and found that it reached out to me. Then, the cameras began to seek out individual faces in the crowds. I noticed all people, black, white, man, woman and even child, were enthralled with Obama. Each person looked as though they were listening to Obama address them personally. Obama will be a remarkable leader for his ability to develop a personal relationship with someone without ever even meeting them. For that skill, or characteristic, people will follow Obama to great ends.
2. The Message - responsibility
Yesterday, Obama kicked off his “service” campaign. He is trying to capitalize on people’s responsibility to serve their country in one capacity or another. The “meat” of the program involves recruiting people (through various mediums) to perform various service tasks. I have no doubt this initiative will meet success. People are falling over themselves to get the chance to follow Obama’s lead. However, the real importance of this initiative is the symbolism. Obama’s trying to reach out to Americans and instill a sense of responsibility for the country’s future.
This message heavily laced today’s speech. As I mentioned above, there are incredible parallels between Obama’s speech, today, and Kennedy’s cry out to the American people to take responsibility for their situations. I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama eventually shares that Kennedy’s speech was an inspiration for his own.
I suspect there’s also a political motivation for this direction. Generally, people have fallen into the habit of blaming someone, anyone, for the situation they are in. Bush has been a victim of this trend. I’m not saying Bush didn’t deserve the criticism he received, but it has been all too easy to blame him for so many problems the average American faces. Obama knows this and is moving to reverse this trend. His message was clear: “It’s going to suck and it’s really up to you to get yourself out of this mess.” He knows that, in the months ahead, some will be wondering why the switch didn’t flip as soon as Obama took office. He doesn’t want people pointing fingers at him when life still sucks after he’s had a run at it.
3. What was that other guy’s name again?
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden had the best seats in the house. They had a clear view of the hundreds of thousands who had come out to watch them take their oaths. They were right be side the action and all eyes could easily focus on them. Bush, who was sitting just across the isle, had the worst. All eyes could just as easily focus on Bush as Obama roasted him and his administration. Bush had that same view of those hundreds of thousands, but I suspect the feelings were quite different.
Aside from the general thank you for service and the kind note of his “generosity” when it came to the transfer of power, Obama didn’t have many kind things to say about Bush’s administration. Obama’s mastery over rhetoric and speech really comes out in his ability to suck and blow. I mentioned that Obama beseeched Americans to stop blaming and start working. In that same speech he managed to get away with stringing the former president (and cohorts) up for many of the country’s woes.
At one point, Obama said that security would no long come at the costs of American values and ideals. This obviously aimed to criticize Bush’s questionable policies regarding Guantanamo Bay and other responses to the 9/11 attacks. Another example was when Obama discussed the economic situation of the country and chalked it up to people’s greed and “unwillingness to make hard choices.” Upon hearing these points in the speech, Bush probably became very anxious to get away from the cameras and away from the record breaking crowd gathered to hear Obama roast him.
It was an inspirational, uplifting and hopefully message that met all expectations. Obama’s inauguration is one of those historical events that will always have me remembering where I was. I am thrilled to watch this novel, charismatic leader in action. And, I’m excited to watch a master of strategy, rhetoric and intrigue navigate America’s socio-economic, cultural and political waters.
Today, January 20th 2009, marks an incredible day in our history and I’d be remiss not to mention it at all in my blog. If you don’t already know what I’m talking about … c’mon! Crawl out from under that rock. No. On second thought, stay there.
Today, the 44th president of the United States of America took the oath of office. But, he’s not just the 44th President. Barack Obama is the very first black president to take the oath of office. And, he’s not just any black man. President Obama comes across as an incredibly charismatic leader with vision. People have stopped comparing him to Kennedy because that, apparently, is aiming too low.
I wanted to write about a few observations I made while watching President Obama address the record breaking crowd that had gathered to witness the historic event. My first observation is about the crowd that had gathered. I also immediately recognized a distinct echo of Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you…” speech. Lastly, I wanted to mention the clear condemnation of his predecessor.
1. Hands up if you didn’t see the inauguration
The enormous size of the crowd was the first thing I noticed when I eagerly flicked the television on. People were packed, side by side, right from the white house all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. That’s about a 2 mile stretch. That was just in front of the white house. As the inauguration progressed, images of Times Square and other areas where people had gathered were shown. Across the country and across the globe masses of people gathered to see the newly inaugurated leader address the nation. I had never seen anything quite like it. If you haven’t seen it for yourself, I’d encourage you to Google around for pictures of the crowds gathered for the show.
One of the amazing things about the speech was that it was a speech that touched everyone differently. I have to admit, as I listened to Obama speak I (a Canadian) found myself swept away by the vision, the message and the energy. I was moved by the speech and found that it reached out to me. Then, the cameras began to seek out individual faces in the crowds. I noticed all people, black, white, man, woman and even child, were enthralled with Obama. Each person looked as though they were listening to Obama address them personally. Obama will be a remarkable leader for his ability to develop a personal relationship with someone without ever even meeting them. For that skill, or characteristic, people will follow Obama to great ends.
2. The Message - responsibility
Yesterday, Obama kicked off his “service” campaign. He is trying to capitalize on people’s responsibility to serve their country in one capacity or another. The “meat” of the program involves recruiting people (through various mediums) to perform various service tasks. I have no doubt this initiative will meet success. People are falling over themselves to get the chance to follow Obama’s lead. However, the real importance of this initiative is the symbolism. Obama’s trying to reach out to Americans and instill a sense of responsibility for the country’s future.
This message heavily laced today’s speech. As I mentioned above, there are incredible parallels between Obama’s speech, today, and Kennedy’s cry out to the American people to take responsibility for their situations. I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama eventually shares that Kennedy’s speech was an inspiration for his own.
I suspect there’s also a political motivation for this direction. Generally, people have fallen into the habit of blaming someone, anyone, for the situation they are in. Bush has been a victim of this trend. I’m not saying Bush didn’t deserve the criticism he received, but it has been all too easy to blame him for so many problems the average American faces. Obama knows this and is moving to reverse this trend. His message was clear: “It’s going to suck and it’s really up to you to get yourself out of this mess.” He knows that, in the months ahead, some will be wondering why the switch didn’t flip as soon as Obama took office. He doesn’t want people pointing fingers at him when life still sucks after he’s had a run at it.
3. What was that other guy’s name again?
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden had the best seats in the house. They had a clear view of the hundreds of thousands who had come out to watch them take their oaths. They were right be side the action and all eyes could easily focus on them. Bush, who was sitting just across the isle, had the worst. All eyes could just as easily focus on Bush as Obama roasted him and his administration. Bush had that same view of those hundreds of thousands, but I suspect the feelings were quite different.
Aside from the general thank you for service and the kind note of his “generosity” when it came to the transfer of power, Obama didn’t have many kind things to say about Bush’s administration. Obama’s mastery over rhetoric and speech really comes out in his ability to suck and blow. I mentioned that Obama beseeched Americans to stop blaming and start working. In that same speech he managed to get away with stringing the former president (and cohorts) up for many of the country’s woes.
At one point, Obama said that security would no long come at the costs of American values and ideals. This obviously aimed to criticize Bush’s questionable policies regarding Guantanamo Bay and other responses to the 9/11 attacks. Another example was when Obama discussed the economic situation of the country and chalked it up to people’s greed and “unwillingness to make hard choices.” Upon hearing these points in the speech, Bush probably became very anxious to get away from the cameras and away from the record breaking crowd gathered to hear Obama roast him.
It was an inspirational, uplifting and hopefully message that met all expectations. Obama’s inauguration is one of those historical events that will always have me remembering where I was. I am thrilled to watch this novel, charismatic leader in action. And, I’m excited to watch a master of strategy, rhetoric and intrigue navigate America’s socio-economic, cultural and political waters.
