Speech gets high marks
January 20After delivering a speech that drew heavily on America's past, Barack Obama yesterday assumed a post whose occupants are best judged by history. But at least for his first few minutes in office, the jury at Tufts is already in. "I thought it was a really powerful speech," Dan Carol, a Tufts parent who served as the Obama campaign's issues and content director, said of yesterday's inaugural address. "I thought his message about reaching out to other countries and using America's power responsibly … was really a well-stated reason about how important his election is to America's place in the world," he told the Daily. Obama's speech, laden with metaphors, promised a break with his predecessor's policies, a bipartisan approach and an aggressive response to America's foreign policy challenges. And it found a receptive audience on the Tufts campus. In a not-so-veiled swing at George W. Bush, Obama argued that the Constitution need not compete against national security. "As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals," he said. "Our founding fathers … faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake." Obama's camp as far back as November indicated that the then-President-elect would make closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center one of his first priorities, and his rhetoric yesterday lent credence to that promise. "He's already talking about the fact that he's going to close Guantanamo, that torture will no longer be an acceptable instrument of American power … that adhering to the Constitution does not in any way weaken us," Tufts trustee and political fundraiser Alan Solomont told the Daily. "In fact, I think he would say it strengthens us." Hinting at his willingness to reach across the aisle, Obama articulated a philosophy of government based not on size, but rather on effectiveness. "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," he said. "Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end." This pledge comes amidst constant calls from the left for additional regulation, with much of Obama's party clamoring for a reversal of Reagan-era concepts of limited government. Still, Obama indicated that he sees little value in big government across the board and for its own sake. "He reflects a new generation of people who don't care if government moves to the left or the right. They only care if the government gets things done," Solomont, who headed up Obama's New England fundraising effort, said. "It's much more pragmatic and practical and much less ideological." But even as Obama looked forward to future results, he framed his speech with triumphs and values plucked from the nation's past. In particular, he summoned up the words George Washington used to rally his troops in a moment of wintry despair. "I thought it was an interesting combination of the bedrock principles of his camp and the bedrock principles of the country," Carol said. Michael Goldman, a Democratic strategist and an affiliate of Tufts' political science department, said that Obama's backward-looking approach was strategically wise, noting that the new president focused primarily on fixing existing problems. "I was struck by the fact that he didn't get caught up in making promises he couldn't keep," Goldman told the Daily. "There was no talk of new programs, only talk of how we are going to deal with the current … crises." But even when talking about ongoing problems, Obama shied away from specifics. "You don't talk about policies in inaugural addresses," Solomont said. "What he did is he articulated his vision for what he wants … America to do." Obama also avoided harping on the historical significance of becoming the nation's first black president, referring in passing to slavery and touching only briefly on the segregation experienced by his father's generation. "He's never claimed to be an African-American candidate or an African-American president," Solomont said. "He acknowledged the amazing progress that this represents, but he has never projected himself as the African-American president." Carol said that Obama did not need to hammer home the self-evident to get his point across. "I think the significance of [his election] is just pretty obvious," he said. Students also appear to have appreciated Obama's inaugural address. "I believe, as a departure from his former speeches, which were more idealistic, this was more practical and actually address[ed] the real concerns we're going to be facing in the next few years," junior Beata Bujalska, a member of Tufts Students for Obama, said. Junior Ben Silver, a member of the same group, said he was impressed by Obama's forcefully articulated foreign policy stance. While Obama did offer help to those adversaries willing to unclench their fists, he issued a solemn warning to enemies who reject diplomatic solutions. "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you," he said. "I was pleasantly surprised with the force with which he said that if people were to strike out at our freedom and attempt to harm us, that we would strike back with full force," Silver said. Tufts Democrats President Doug Helman, a sophomore, said that Obama's speech was above all memorable. "Regardless of your political persuasion, this is a moment [which] decades from now, you'll remember exactly where you were and what you were doing," he said. Meanwhile, Obama acknowledged at the start of his speech that he is assuming power at a turbulent time, and most insiders expect him to take quick action, especially on the economic front, to turn back the tides. In addition to tackling the economic crisis and closing Guantanamo in the near future, Solomont predicted Obama may also work on funding stem cell research and reducing limitations on foreign aid for countries that support family planning. "This is going to be an active presidency," he said. Tessa Gellerson and Nina Ford contributed reporting to this article.
