The Trump Inaugural - One for the Ages?

Trump’s Inaugural – One for the Ages?
The View from the Middle

The measure of every inaugural address rests in a combination of the words articulated but also the delivery of their messages. I can still remember seeing John Kennedy’s breath in that cold morning in 1961 as he implored us to “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. I can also recall the great communicator, Ronald Reagan, as he suggested that “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government IS the problem…”
While Donald Trump adequately delivered his speech today, I don’t think he delivered it with the same affect of Kennedy or Reagan. To insure, however, that I captured the essence of his speech, I printed the transcript and read his words, which I think may elevate this speech to a more memorable level.
Personally, I was looking for a message of unity, and I was disturbed when some commentators insinuated that he didn’t deliver it. After reviewing the transcript, I found at least nine accounts on unity. In fact, I concluded that unity was the major theme. So, what else had the talking heads missed?
President Trump had some great one-liners, all under the theme of unity. The first one that stuck out to me was short but inclusive and positive as he said that, “We (all) share one heart, one home and one glorious destiny.” We are all together in this struggle called life, and while we have different approaches to resolving issues, we must remember that we share the same goals. We all want smart kids, less violent crime and less poverty and misery. It is these goals the bind us together.
He next opened the door to healthy debate as he said that, “We must speak out minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.” This is an open door to Democrats and event the “never Trump” Republicans to have a dialogue in pursuit of progress and solutions. We all must admit that Donald Trump has already demonstrated this ability as we have watched his cabinet nominees differ from his positions with his encouragement. We have also watched the eclectic collection of people he has met at Trump Tower including Kanye West, Al Gore, Steve Harvey, Andrew Cuomo and Martin Luther King III.
And possibly my favorite line of the speech was, “whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the wind-swept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they will their hearts with the same dreams and they are infused with the breath of life by the same Almighty Creator.” Is there a race or gender or faith that wishes for poverty and government dependency? No! We are all born with the same aspirations for success and righteousness and freedom to pursue our own beliefs and goals. And who didn’t like the line that stated, “When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.”
Even his condemnations were non-partisan, and unbiased. He criticized Democrats and Republicans and the mainstream media alike as he said, “For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while ‘the people’ have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians (Democrat and Republican) prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.”
At a time when 81% of Americans don’t trust our government, this is not only the prevailing sentiment of the citizenry, but this statement actually captures the truth. And, THIS is what Americans are sick of and what swept Donald Trump into the White House.
He started slow and a little dark, but ended strong and aspirational with the vision of those two kids in urban Detroit and the wind-swept plains of Nebraska. Some have called this the “Forgotten Man” speech, although those words were only used once in the speech. I will call this the “Unity” speech because of its dominant theme.
If you have not read this speech, I would encourage you to do so with an open mind. The words may go down in history as the right message for the right time for the American people.