Today marks the anniversary of the first ever Presidential Inaugural Address under the Constitution. Let’s look at five that stand out. April 30, 1789, George Washington’s First Inaugural: Neither the Constitution nor Congress required Washington to deliver an inaugural. But Washington set the bar high for his successors. The only president to be unanimously elected, Washington admitted that he had hoped to retire to Mount Vernon, but, he declared, “I was summoned by my country, whose voice I can never hear but with veneration and love.” His presence was a …
While he spoke about moving forward, and promised change as we look toward the future, in fact President Obama’s inaugural address was firmly entrenched in discredited policies of the past; policies that never worked. For example: “Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to …
Just like all his other speeches, President Barack Obama’s inaugural address delivered lofty rhetoric yesterday, but as is often the case with Obama, the speech provided more heat than light when it came to tough issues. Seeking to set a tone of accountability, Obama said: 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. … The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and …
