![]() ![]() ![]() He spoke of the virus that has killed more than 170,000 Americans, a figure that he uttered slowly enough to have it register with an America growing increasingly numb to death. He appeared justifiably angry about the future of his country, and his words and cadence demanded that we share his alarm. I didn’t see the speech as a fearful one, as some have interpreted it. Obama didn’t betray any worry for his legacy. The tone would evoke disbelief if it weren’t all so real. It recalled what I hear from those close to me as we discuss the daily Trump calamity and its dire repercussions. And the consequences of that failure are severe.” The former president’s tone, as he uttered that last word, matched its definition. Obama noted, above all, that Trump has “shown no interest in putting in the work,” adding that “Donald Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t. The condemnation that followed surely resonated with anyone who has seen an entitled jerk fill a job in which they’ve excelled, and go on to demand a promotion after a slothful performance. “That he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously,” said Obama, his forceful enunciation of Trump’s name reminding us how rarely he speaks it out loud. “I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. However, his praise for them and their respective abilities and American stories came after taking a similar approach to his wife, Michelle, who had also criticized Trump primarily on his poor job performance and failure to uphold the standards of the presidency. In calling Democratic nominee Joe Biden his “brother” and lauding Harris, his running mate, as “an ideal partner who’s more than prepared for the job,” Obama, who remains the North Star in the party’s politics, performed a bit of an anointing. Never again can people plead for the former president to get hyped up or get emotional. But we could hear every word, and notice even the beginning of a sob. It needed the somber, quiet background, as Kamala Harris had immediately afterwards, that underscored the horrible absence of people left by the coronavirus pandemic. ![]() One can only imagine what it would have been like in front of a crowd, but it is good that it wasn’t. This is the speech many on the left have been begging Obama to give. In doing so, he made a passionate argument not merely for his vice president to be elected, but also for the value of the presidency to the public at-large. Returning to Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center - where in 2008, he delivered the famed “A More Perfect Union” address as a candidate for president - the former commander-in-chief once again gave one of the most emotional political speeches of his public life, taking what may be his best chance to speak to all Americans before Election Day to issue a historic indictment both of Donald Trump’s performance on the job and his soiling of the institution itself. President Barack Obama, though, was still performing his former duties on the third night of the Democratic National Convention. Unless they are still performing the responsibilities of the job, why still carry the title? That is something that Americans, by nature, should eschew. President,” when they are now everyday citizens again, confers a certain unintended royalty with the position. Walking up to former officials and saying “Mr. We have a tradition of addressing politicians by their honorifics after they have left office, and it has always made me a bit uneasy. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |