He delivered in every possible way last night. First, in his role as president, head of state and father of the nation. He effortlessly rose above the screaming and sniping of recent days and addressed the full, tragic dimensions of the moment. Second, as a politician. Without for a moment diminishing his sincerity, this was exactly what he needed to do, and needs to do over the next two years - rise above the fray (to be non-political, in a sense), which is very difficult in such a polarised environment. To this end, Sarah Palin's video couldn't have helped him more - it was like the perfect set-up to a slam-dunk. The contrast in style, tone, rhetoric and emotional reach could not have been greater. Each reference to healing, to empathy, seemed like a subtle rebuke to her approach - although he made them without seeming to be political at all. Third, as a character on the stage - he seemed more human, displayed more emotion last night than he is usually able to do in public. He appeared calm but he didn't seem aloof. He came across as somebody who genuinely cares about other people, and about the quality of American life; simply, he communicated love.
It is definitely worth putting twenty minutes aside and watching the whole thing in full. Reading the text alongside the video, you get a sense of how much his delivery brings to the words. The great dramatic highlight of course, is "Gabby opened her eyes"; a phrase he savours and repeats to great effect. Even those hardened Obama-dissers over The Corner were blinking back the tears.
When I said in my last post that this was a speech he was born to make, I meant that, thematically and rhetorically, he was very much on home turf. All his best speeches are about reconciliation and empathy, from the 2004 convention speech that shot him to fame, to the famous race speech during the camapaign. This is where his heart is, as a man and as a politician. Rhetorically, one of his favourite devices is make pen portraits of people, to tell little narratives that illustrate character or make concrete a larger point. Again that was something he did that to poignant effect last night. The most daring and imaginative part of the speech for me was when he moved from his (very artfully articulated) thoughts on the national discourse, to a discussion of how, when we lose a partner or a parent, we have cause to reflect and to take a step back, just as - he suggested - is appropriate at this moment. To move from the political to the personal and back like this is...well, it's audacious. A word we haven't heard around Obama in a while.
This was by far the best moment of his presidency to date. But it leaves a question. An effective president needs to be a preacher and a persuader. He or she must be able to command the better angels of the nation's nature, and at the same time attend to the more prosaic business of persuading people to make or accept political change, in the teeth of opposition. Obama has reminded us just how wonderfully he can play the preacher. But if he is to be a great president, he will have to get better than he has proved to be, thus far, as persuader-in-chief. Can he repeat this kind of performance, and achieve a comparable effect, on a big political issue?
Notice also how, when going through the "pen portraits" of the victims, he never once mentions the gunman, nor does he mention "shot" or "died" or any other terms of violence, even when describing the very moment they died. Focusing on the positive and leaving the reader/viewer to complete the scene in their heads makes for very effective story telling.
Posted by: Malthe | January 14, 2011 at 06:50 AM
I would have missed this if you hadn't posted. Thanks for that.
Posted by: Account Deleted | January 18, 2011 at 04:39 AM
BREAKING NEWS - The speculation is over, S&S confirmed that the anonymous author of “O - A Presidential Novel” is E.A. Blayre III.
His other books:
http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000190526
Posted by: Danny | January 21, 2011 at 03:32 PM