Govern in Poetry
By TIMOTHY EGAN, NYT
In advance of a long drive through the coulee country of eastern Washington, my friend Sam gave me an audio companion — a CD of the greatest presidential speeches of the 20th century. Um, thanks. I would sooner listen to Sarah Palin on Aristotle — you got that Greek philosophy thing going there — than hear the scratchy voices of long-dead politicians.
But between the pockmarked barrens of the desert West, those voices came alive, at times making thrilling music on behalf of the American struggle. Teddy Roosevelt, incongruously high-pitched, on a progressive future. His cousin Franklin on Social Security for old people left penniless during the Great Depression. Ronald Reagan hitting his spots at the D-Day commemoration. And overshadowing all, John F. Kennedy, who could make the most prosaic subjects into poetry.
What struck me, listening to these ghosts from White Houses past, was how they put the language to good use on behalf of lasting, life-altering change. Mario Cuomo’s dictum — campaign in poetry, govern in prose — had it wrong. Kennedy had it right: “If more politicians knew poetry,” he said, “and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a better place.”
Today, wallowing in the worst slump of his presidency, President Obama should reach for some words that will outlive him. This guy can write and he can speak, but he’s put those talents in a drawer for much of his presidency. In just the last few weeks, though, Obama has shown that his lyrical gifts could still get him off a road leading to yet another mediocre presidency.
(More here.)
In advance of a long drive through the coulee country of eastern Washington, my friend Sam gave me an audio companion — a CD of the greatest presidential speeches of the 20th century. Um, thanks. I would sooner listen to Sarah Palin on Aristotle — you got that Greek philosophy thing going there — than hear the scratchy voices of long-dead politicians.
But between the pockmarked barrens of the desert West, those voices came alive, at times making thrilling music on behalf of the American struggle. Teddy Roosevelt, incongruously high-pitched, on a progressive future. His cousin Franklin on Social Security for old people left penniless during the Great Depression. Ronald Reagan hitting his spots at the D-Day commemoration. And overshadowing all, John F. Kennedy, who could make the most prosaic subjects into poetry.
What struck me, listening to these ghosts from White Houses past, was how they put the language to good use on behalf of lasting, life-altering change. Mario Cuomo’s dictum — campaign in poetry, govern in prose — had it wrong. Kennedy had it right: “If more politicians knew poetry,” he said, “and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a better place.”
Today, wallowing in the worst slump of his presidency, President Obama should reach for some words that will outlive him. This guy can write and he can speak, but he’s put those talents in a drawer for much of his presidency. In just the last few weeks, though, Obama has shown that his lyrical gifts could still get him off a road leading to yet another mediocre presidency.
(More here.)
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