The Inaugural Address

A couple of brief, non-mind blowing thoughts: In this address, Obama appeals repeatedly to tradition and to an American idea. And he has the right idea of tradition--that it doesn't require not moving or changing, but rather requires change as that tradition is applied to new circumstances. I'm a big fan of obligations to posterity: "We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity." (This seems to be a primary foundation on which environmentalism is being based--something about intergenerational justice.)

However, I was discouraged by his appeals to progress and optimism. Of course, it's not sexy, but if we're going to "save the environment," it involves sacrifice--a message no politician is eager to give.

This was also a radically democratic speech, that put him alongside all of us as citizens: "We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity."

And

"You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course. You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals."

On the one hand, how nice--to encourage the American people by putting yourself right alongside them. On the other hand, how silly--to act as if being president is just another form of being a citizen, and as if my impact on the debates of our time is comparable to Obama's. I mean, I know this blog has a rabidly expanding readership and all, but ...

Finally, I found this line confusing: "Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time." How is political action not a statement about what the role of government ought to be? Even if, as a result of progress, that dubious daemon, the role of government changes in the future, the positions that are taken through political action still say something normative. You can't just push aside philosophy in favor of practical politics, because practical politics still has a philosophy underneath.