Archive: Opinions

Editorial"Ask not what your country can do for you," John F. Kennedy famously told Americans in his inaugural speech after he defeated Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election.   "Ask what you can do for your country."  That one line caught fire in the American imagination, spurring a surge in volunteerism and public service.  In 1962 he said, ""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."  And within a decade Americans stood on the moon.

Whatever you thought of Kennedy as a President you had to admit he had a way with words that could inspire masses of people into significant action.  And whatever you think of Barak Obama I think most people agree that he will be the first president since Kennedy to have that oratory talent.  Oh, you might argue that Ronald Regan had the talent.  I think he could be enormously persuasive, but he was more low key.  He kidded you into action.  Kennedy and Obama rouse the rabble, as it were, with emotionally inspiring language.

I have always thought that the best leaders are those who can inspire.  But history has also shown that the worst leaders share that talent.  So the question is how our President Elect will use his talent.  Most of Obama's campaign was based on words, not on deeds.  That's what you have to do when you haven't built a record.  The trick is to get people to believe your words and to believe you will do what you say you will, even if you haven't done it before.  I think the key thing Obama promised that he hasn't done before is uniting the country, crossing party lines to heal the giant rift that split our country over the past 16 years.

Kennedy made some whopper newbie mistakes, most notably taking the country to the brink of a nuclear war by playing a game of chicken with Nikita Khrushchev when the Soviets decided to plant nukes in Cuba, a little too close to our back yard.  Some of Obama's responses to current events during the campaign echoed Kennedy's struggle with inexperience.  Of course a president has better advisors than a candidate does, or so we all hope.  So we'll probably survive, even if mistakes are made.

For the most part what Obama had to say in the campaign resonated with Americans to the point where the majority were willing to take that leap of faith and vote for him, even though the words many politicians say don't necessarily find their way into action, especially on the national stage.  We Americans are an optimistic people, always looking for the best in people.  That's why we are always surprised when the French call us names, or radicals try to destroy us.  There is reason to be optimistic about our new president.

If he can actually fix some of the things we all think are wrong with America, all power to him!  The key element, I think, is to unite the nation.  To actually cross those party lines and get the country moving in productive ways.  To remind Democrats and Republicans that we are all Americans and that the constant infighting, cynical political strategies, and party warfare just get in the way of doing the work of the country.  If he can do that I think he will be the most successful president in a long time.

Maybe Kennedy spoiled me, because I have yearned for an inspirational president since he was assassinated in 1963.  We live in a remarkable country even with all of our warts.  The fact that we have had 43 peaceful transfers of power (well, 42.  When George Washington came to power the transition wasn't exactly peaceful.  But then we had a good reason for that) is unique in the world.  We're about to have our 44th.

The thing is that presidents inspire us with more than just words.  The really great ones inspire us with deeds.  I am told that Harry Truman wasn't that popular when he was in office.  Roosevelt was a hard act to follow.  But Truman is remembered as one of our greatest presidents because of what he did and how he took responsibility for it.  So it will be especially important for all Americans to see to it that President Obama backs up his words with deeds.  That combination could make Obama one of our greatest presidents if he is up to it.

I think a lot of Americans are optimistic.  We are ready to be inspired.

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