It seems that Americans (and people in general, I believe) are very sensitive when it comes symbols and quotes of all sort. Rhetoric drives a lot of what we do, after all. It also seems that most memorable American presidents had at least one phrase in their inaugural speech that become a global symbol of what America stands for. For instance, Kennedy uttered the world famous ”Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” in his inaugural speech, while Roosevelt cornered the equally famous “There is nothing to fear but fear itself”. I wonder what Obama’s historic catch-all phrase will be:
I have three candidates so far:
1. The world is changing and we are changing with it.
2. You will be remembered not but what you destroy, but by what you have built. (I have to pay royalties to somebody else for spotting this one)
3. In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned.
Any more ideas?
I think “yes, we can” caught on already.
Hey! Nice to hear from you. I keep reading your blog every now and then and realize I miss NY soooo much. I’m sure “Yes, we can” is already popular, but that’s more of a tagline. I was thinking of a longer phrase, something deeper and more carefully crafted that he said during the speech… like JFP and FDR…
Mai Corina. Ce ne-a invatat pe noi sfanta facultate de stiinte politice? NICIODATA sa nu comparam situatii de NECOMPARAT. Ce naiba!
))
Comment-ul asta era pt postul anterior.
This is probably to trivial, but catches a century-long American dilemma: “The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works”
I personally liked the “For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness” part and this opening sentence but it is not really catchwork-like.
I think the ones you have spotted are not real catch-words nor are mine. The problem with such a media-savvy politician that he will produce this kind of well-written sentences by the dozen. I think currently the “Yes, we can” sticks to him, and if he fails, it will be a kind of nickname, too.
Hey Corina, NY misses you too
Dupa ce am scris am realizat ca tu cautai specific din discursul inaugural. But, as well written and emotional his speech was, nothing stood out as words to engrave in stone.
I think that only looking back we’ll be able to find a phrase that will have meaning (eventually). So far, overall, “yes, we can” (that you’ll find in the inaugural speech as “All this we can do”) and “There is not a liberal America and a conservative America – there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America – there’s the United States of America”, seem to have resonated most with Americans.
And the latter might become of most importance if any racial tension might occur in the near future (predicted and feared by many Americans). So, in the end, just like I said, we’ll live and learn.
Great men are born great ideas. Obama is no exception
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