OK, bust out the Kool-Aid…
Here is my take on Obama’s speech: I actually think the toned down, somewhat somber address confirms what has been on display for quite a while: Obama is indeed mature, focused, and quite different (refreshingly so). I think the easiest thing for him would have been to deliver a speech that was 90% ra-ra “look at what we (I) did” celebratory chest thumping, and he certainly had every right to do so. And, to a certain extent, America had every reason to desire one day in unadulterated cheerleader mode (bye Bush, hello Obama: we finally have a new administration that wants to tackle some of the issues). But I think–while it is exceedingly challenging for most people, even politicians, to craft a soaring rhetorical speech with readymade sound bites–it is, ironically, fairly simple for Obama to do that, owing to his gifts and intelligence. In other words, he could easily, in my opinion, have given a speech long on style and short on substance, and very few–if any–would have faulted him for it (indeed, there would have been immediate if superficial accolades showered down on him had he played to the crowd in that way). The fact that some folks were (understandably) underwhelmed speaks to the strengths Obama has shown all along: every time there is an obvious, easy, or predictable response or strategy, he seems to instinctually go the other way. The way that eschews instant gratification and takes into account longer term benefit. For instance: never taking the bait from Palin, picking Hillary as SOS, going out of his way to reconcile with, and even prop up Lieberman (!) and McCain (!!), and generally seeking inclusion rather than exclusion.
What I took away from his speech was, reduced to simple terms: “Okay folks, we know we won (in a landslide), we’ve seen from the crowd assembled here, the Obama merchandise selling out everywhere, the concert extravaganza on Sunday, et cetera, that the good guys are back, and that it’s about change and a new day. Great. But times are tough right now, and I not only want to address the very real crises we face (which, lest we forget, are almost entirely the result of the man sitting next to me here, our former POTUS), and I want to be clear about where we are, and what we have to do. And more, I’m going to ask everyone to be adults and face this head-on; it’s going to take collective awareness and work, and I’m counting on everyone to be on board…and along the way, for the good of the nation, I’m going to do my best to entice the opposition to be on board–if for no other reason than we need as many people as possible involved to get us out of this mess.”
My more symbolic, subtle take, is that Obama really is an “old soul”; he is not only wise beyond his years, he gets it. He seems to understand the notion that partisanship has been done, and that the old playbook has resulted–at least in recent history–in the Clinton and Bush II eras: hyper-partisanship, and political recalcitrance for its own sake, where a great deal of energy was wasted fighting. Is that still going to exist? Of course it is: just look at the insufferable Rush Limbaugh actively hoping Obama fails–for the good of the Republican party. Of course, it’s the liberals who hate America, and aren’t real patriots, right? Or how about Bush’s former speech writer (in WP on Thur) practically fantasizing about a terrorist attack on our soil so that it will simultaneously validate Bush (as if the two would be at all related) and cripple Obama. We actually have the hard-core, lunatic Right-wing now predicting (and all but praying for) the unthinkable to happen: a terror attack on our turf. Now that Bush is out, it’s not only conceivable, but in many ways, preferable for this to happen. Because of how it would play politically. This is disgusting. And, of course, typical. Understandable, too. What else have they got? Nothing but fear itself, and fear has sold so well in the recent past. It would seem that the expiration date has come and gone, but if you’ve got fuck-all else to offer, you might as well fall back on what comes naturally. Of course the upside, for Obama (and for us) is that the more he unifies the country, the more these freaks and fools will stand out. The loony Right will be increasingly easy to marginalize in the years ahead, and that is yet another signal of almost miraculous progress. And perhaps that is the ultimate accomplishment of Obama’s victory. You don’t even need to taste the Kool-Aid to find satisfaction in that scenario.
Thoughts?
