When Barack Obama was running for president of the United States he electrified the country and the world with his vision of possibility for our nation and our world. His promise to unite people of all different backgrounds to the greater good worked, and a black man won the will of the nation.
Obama’s greatest challenge may have been that his message of hope and change felt like a magic spell, a promise to erase the bad parts of our world and replace them with all the good things that we want and need. Couched in the most eloquent language of possibility, Obama’s words inspired most of us to think differently about the ways in which we consider others and choose to live our lives. In a visceral way, this visionary man convinced a nation to behave better and to believe in the goodness of all of us. He reminded our nation of the very values upon which it was founded.
Fast-forward two years to Barack Obama actually serving as president. What a difference there is between theoretically believing in the virtue of the Golden Rule and abiding by it. The president has consistently worked hard to inspire members of Congress to work together to solve the nation’s problems and to do so with grace and integrity. He started his presidency espousing his full belief that this could be done, that if members of Congress treated each other with professional respect that they could achieve anything. And he was shot down.
If we recall it, we can readily see that he was shut down and turned away time after time when he sought bi-partisan support for policies that he believed were fodder for the change he promised when he was running for office. Instead of that reach across the party divide that he fought so hard to institute, Obama largely got an icy reception as he pushed through historic legislation. Indeed, he even a catcall from Joe Wilson at the last State of the Union calling him a “liar,” an egregious outrage in the land of strict congressional protocol.
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And so, the nation watched this evening at Obama’s second State of the Union address for many reasons. Obviously we all wanted to know what the president had to say and how he might sound today as the nation’s leader after two tough years in office, but also we wanted to see how Congress would behave.
In the wake of the recent alleged assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, in Tucson, Arizona which surely added a pall to the normally rousing partisan energy in the chamber during this pivotal speech, the president had many jobs to do. He had already set the tone for the State of the Union at the memorial for those who lost their lives in Tucson a little more than two weeks ago. He implored Congress to put down their rhetorical swords and sit together in a show of civility and American unity. That visionary starting point worked. It got members of Congress talking. And plenty of them decided to ask each other out on a “date,” as Senator Barbara Boxer (D., CA) said about her partnership with Senator John Mica (R. Florida). There were all manner of coalitions, from the Arizona legislators who banded together, leaving an empty seat for their stricken colleague, Giffords. There was the bipartisan Congressional Women’s softball league, and plenty more.
As President Obama addressed the Congress and the nation, he did so to what some are calling a lukewarm reception. It’s true that he didn’t receive the rip-roaring partisan ovations that can be typical of a State of the Union address. But to my eyes, it seemed that he got far more bipartisan support for substantive ideas than is commonplace. MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow reported that the president was interrupted 79 times by applause. There were well over a dozen standing ovations that included most of the assembled body. There were no audible outbursts. There were no caught-on-camera rolled eyes or disparaging glances. From the lens of the television cameras it seemed that the president achieved at least one of his clear objectives: to inspire the Congress to behave in a civil and respectful manner.
If it began and ended there, that obviously would not have been enough. The president’s role as the leader of the free world is to light a new fire under the Congress and the nation to believe in the power of civility as we rebuild our nation. He did this effectively. He spoke in detail about the history of our country as well as the challenges it faces now. But again and again Obama emphasized the brilliance of our democracy continually pointing out that yes, democracy requires and allows arguments between opponents, but that this is a good thing, especially if we argue respectfully. He reminded the American people of the unique nature of our country and how precious our way of living is. He encouraged us to embrace who we are and to commit to fighting the good fight in a fair and honorable way. He gave examples about how to give and take in order to push an agenda forward — without being rude or unnecessarily divisive.
As many have said, yes, he was more centrist in his language than in the past. But that is only partly true. From his days on the campaign trail Obama espoused the clear vision that, as Rodney King believed, we can all get along. He fundamentally has always wanted the nation in all of its complexity to come together as one. Only now that the Republicans have taken over control in Congress, however, are his efforts at being conciliatory being noticed by them. (You may recall how frustrated some Democrats were when they were in the majority and the president refused to steamroll legislation through, even as he did get an historic amount of legislation passed. He has always believed in the concept of working together to claim the American dream.) Chances are that plenty of progressive and liberal voters will feel that he didn’t go far enough to their side in his recommendations for how to grow our nation. Naturally, plenty of members of the Tea Party and the Republican Party will not be able to see beyond their own rhetoric to hear what he had to say.
This is to be expected. At the end of the day, though, President Obama did press us all to work together to heal our nation, grow our economy, better educate our children, honor our natural resources and preserve what’s great about this nation that we call home. His focus was set firmly on how America can claim the future and master it so that we remain the world’s greatest leader. The president’s tone was both far-reaching and grounded in examples of how to make his dreams come true. Still, not surprisingly, because he asked Congress and the press for that matter to play nice in the sandbox, the reception was somewhat cool. But maybe that’s part of what civility needs to look like these days. Obama is a cool-headed leader. Perhaps embodying a cool-headed demeanor while navigating the tough times that remain before us will enable lawmakers and citizens alike the ability to stand still and observe the landscape before them before taking action.
It will be interesting to see how civility Obama-style two years into his Presidency plays out on the national stage. As President Obama said, “As contentious and frustrating and messy as our democracy can sometimes be, I know there isn’t a person here who would trade places with any other nation on Earth.
We may have differences in policy, but we all believe in the rights enshrined in our Constitution. We may have different opinions, but we believe in the same promise that says this is a place where you can make it if you try. We may have different backgrounds, but we believe in the same dream that says this is a country where anything’s possible. No matter who you are. No matter where you come from.”
Translating the American dream into concrete action that continues to vibrate with the president’s graceful demeanor seems far-reaching given where the country stands right now — with millions sinking due to lost jobs, others worried about what’s next, still others mad about what they and their families no longer have. Human nature tends to provoke people to resort to their worst behavior when times are dire (hence Tucson and so many other recent out-of-control violent actions). It remains to be seen if this president’s way of choosing to interact with the American people and the world even during the most difficult times is resonant enough to inspire us all to remember what our parents surely taught us: to treat people the way that we want to be treated.
