It's 3:00am in the East Village and the streets are still buzzing with the sounds of car horns, guitars and homemade percussion. This party promises to go all night. Forget for a moment the magnitude of tonight's outcome. Forget America's inexhaustible capacity for reinvention or the sweeping policy changes which tonight's victory will usher in. Forget slavery and segregation; the injustices of the past or the supreme court justices that will almost certainly be appointed under an Obama presidency. Others will comment on such matters.
What interests me above all is that America finally, and once again, has a true 'Communicator in Chief'. With his ability to use language, discourse, tone and even humor to such dramatic effect, Barack Obama has the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the Presidency's greatest archetypes. Leaders like Lincoln, FDR, and JFK had not only the courage to act but, crucially also, the power to persuade - and in coupling the two were able to bring around substantial change at a time when the country and the world needed it the most.
1 comment:
He's a PR guy. It takes one to know one. I think the major hurdle that he has to overcome is the cynicism that he is all talk and needs to show major accomplishments. The first 100 days will be crucial but in the meantime, every PR will revel in the the masterclass he gave through his speech in Chicago.
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