Hank Kalet

Barack Obama is now president of the United States.

And with his swearing in just a little while ago, we have a clean break with the failures not only of the last eight years but of the last 40 — at least rhetorically.

The new president, in offering the traditional inaugural address, made it plain that the nation faces serious challenges —

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

But also that we are not defined by these circumstances, that these “indicators of crisis” and the “sapping of confidence across our land,” the “nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights,” can and will be met by a renewed sense of purpose.

Obama, in his nearly 20-minute address, proclaimed “an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics” and called on the nation and its politicians to “set aside childish things.”

The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

The United States he described is a resilient one that has allowed itself to become complacent, one that has been all too willing to proclaim its own greatness as its leaders protect their own “narrow interests.” It is a time that has “surely passed.”

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to
meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

I would add: “We have no choice.”

We’ve spent too many years tied to the false promise of conservatism, to the ideology that paints government as the problem, to politicians who have tossed average Americans into the river of uncertainty while they work diligently on behalf of the campaign contributors and business interests that have sold the nation that same river.

The failure of the financial system, the erosion of our manufacturing base and our transformation into a service culture, the never-ending movement of jobs overseas, the widening gulf between the rich and the middle class and poor, the slow death of our cities and — despite the historic ascension for the first time of an African-American to the presidency — the seemingly intractable and worsening resegregation of American society stand as a testament to the failure of the the conservative creed and a fractured party system that does little more than engender conflict.

Obama said called it “the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long,” adding that they “no longer apply.”

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control – and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart – not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

You can read this as a rebuke of the Bush administration — as it surely is. But it also is a rebuke of the Clinton years and every presidency going back to Nixon. The last time we had a president who truly focused on improving the lives of everyone was Lyndon Johnson (civil rights legislation, the Great Society war on poverty), who managed to squander his political capital on the war in Vietnam and doom a surprisingly progressive agenda.

Obama also signaled a break on foreign policy, though not as much of a break as is needed. He talked of American ideals and the charter (i.c., the Constitution and Bill of Rights) that “assure(s) the rule of law and the rights of man” and that cannot be relinquished “for expedience’s sake.”

He also spoke of alliances, telling the rest of the world that “America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.”

Again, it was a stirring rebuke and rebirth — but still tinged with a dangerous edge of American exceptionalism, that elevates the United States above other nations. To be sure, he calls on us to temper ouir power with our humility:

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

In the end, what was most stirring about the speech was Obama’s recognition that “our patchwork heritage is a strength (and) not a weakness.”

We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

To that I can only add, amen.