Spring Break
Editorial
Obama speaks to the people
Issue date: 2/26/09 Section: Opinion
It's no secret that the country is in economic turmoil. Though rates haven't hit Great Depression-esque levels, it's safe to say everyone has been affected, or knows someone who has been affected, by the recession. President Barack Obama acknowledged this and laid out how he plans to bring the country back from the brink (so to speak) Tuesday in his first speech to a joint session of Congress.
Like any president thrust into the political limelight during a time of national turmoil, Obama has been criticized nine ways since Tuesday. It's important to keep in mind everything this man has on his plate, and remember that at the end of the day, he is still a man made of flesh and blood, like all of us mere mortals.
Obama's speech recognized the needs of the country as a whole and, using the undeniably moving rhetorical style he has become renowned for, promised to help the American people and government work in conjunction to reach the glorified dream we have been chasing since our forefathers landed on this soil. He outlined his plan to attain this dream and described his economic agenda in enough detail that the average listener could understand and form an opinion on the proposed policies.
The president touched upon everything that has been on the minds of the American people: government power, education costs, unemployment, the war in Iraq and debt, debt and more debt. The oration was well-organized and beneath all the fancy stories lay a foundation of serious strategy. Behind every well-placed anecdote was a message and a way for people to relate to their new leader.
Job recreation, re-starting lending programs and investing in education, health care and energy are parts of Obama's economic agenda. He highlighted the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which aims to bolster employment, and revealed his campaign's most recent attempt to make his plans available to the masses, recovery.gov. With all these earnest attempts to connect to the American people, it's tempting to jump on the bandwagon of potentially positive change.
Give it time. Sure, the plans are ambitious and may even seem a little out-of-reach at present, but where would this country have gotten without dreams bigger than heads can contain and a little hope? At the end of the day, that's what it's all about, chasing a dream.
Skeptics, beware: before long, many will be won over by Obama's unwavering optimism and clear-cut goals. The winds of change are not only blowing through the blue states anymore.
Like any president thrust into the political limelight during a time of national turmoil, Obama has been criticized nine ways since Tuesday. It's important to keep in mind everything this man has on his plate, and remember that at the end of the day, he is still a man made of flesh and blood, like all of us mere mortals.
Obama's speech recognized the needs of the country as a whole and, using the undeniably moving rhetorical style he has become renowned for, promised to help the American people and government work in conjunction to reach the glorified dream we have been chasing since our forefathers landed on this soil. He outlined his plan to attain this dream and described his economic agenda in enough detail that the average listener could understand and form an opinion on the proposed policies.
The president touched upon everything that has been on the minds of the American people: government power, education costs, unemployment, the war in Iraq and debt, debt and more debt. The oration was well-organized and beneath all the fancy stories lay a foundation of serious strategy. Behind every well-placed anecdote was a message and a way for people to relate to their new leader.
Job recreation, re-starting lending programs and investing in education, health care and energy are parts of Obama's economic agenda. He highlighted the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which aims to bolster employment, and revealed his campaign's most recent attempt to make his plans available to the masses, recovery.gov. With all these earnest attempts to connect to the American people, it's tempting to jump on the bandwagon of potentially positive change.
Give it time. Sure, the plans are ambitious and may even seem a little out-of-reach at present, but where would this country have gotten without dreams bigger than heads can contain and a little hope? At the end of the day, that's what it's all about, chasing a dream.
Skeptics, beware: before long, many will be won over by Obama's unwavering optimism and clear-cut goals. The winds of change are not only blowing through the blue states anymore.
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