Barack H. Obama, the 44th and second consecutive president of the United States, made his second inaugural speech in Washington DC on January 21, 2013, based on the official theme “Faith in America’s Future” to commemorate the United States’ perseverance and unity. The spirit of the speech was classical American. In clear tone and riding high on victory, it emphasized hard work, collective actions, self-reliance, and being liberal.
Beginning his speech by embracing the fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the President later contrasted the same by claiming that “individual freedoms ultimately require collective action” (Politico Staff). The President sounded more socialist than Marxist when he hinted that elite public servants like him control the means of production and progression.
Unlike his contemporaries earlier, the president did not reach out to the opposition party in his speech, earning their ire. The declaration of liberal agenda for the second term along with dismissal of the notion that “entitlement programs make America a ‘nation of takers,’” (Politico Staff) ruffled conservative feathers.
He talked of climate change, immigration, and gay rights, but excluded the deficit, suggesting lack of interest or deliberate ignorance of the issue and its probable resolution. Also, conveniently kept out were the nation’s economic and security problems, highlighting the President’s failure to address the national deficit in the first term and unwillingness to tackle it now. The liberal agenda was, however, elegantly rendered to the progressive American population. The President’s take on climate change seems to have positively set in motion a deliberate yet aggressive campaign endorsing his executive powers.
In summary, the President mostly talked about things he cares for and his liberal worldview. Overall, the speech was a “parallel universe speech,” a variant of many other presidential speeches; it had its merit and was true and promising.
Work Cited
Politico Staff. “President Barack Obama's 2013 inaugural address (full speech transcript, video).” Politico on the Web 21 Jan, 2013.
