David Eisenhower: A Tale of Two Speeches
[David Eisenhower is director of the Institute for Public Service at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of "Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969."]
On Tuesday, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. Shortly after his speech, a spokesman for the Republican Party will offer a televised rebuttal. And if the evening unfolds as usual, the speeches will be followed with contentious commentary by partisans on the left and the right, and forecasts of gridlock in the new Congress.
But perhaps this year the usual divisions will soften: The recent tragedy in Tucson has brought calls for civility and cooperation.
At many important moments of national challenge, a divided American electorate has devised ways to move forward. Fifty years ago, in January 1961, two historic addresses delivered within 70 hours of each other articulated the ways Americans, despite their differences, could unite around certain ideals.
On Jan. 17, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a historic farewell address, followed on Jan. 20 by President John F. Kennedy's storied inaugural address. These two speeches, delivered by political opponents, offer obvious contrasts in style and political philosophy. But the addresses converged on key points, namely on questions of citizenship in the modern age and on the belief that the American system of self-government can rise to any challenge...
Read entire article at LA Times
On Tuesday, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. Shortly after his speech, a spokesman for the Republican Party will offer a televised rebuttal. And if the evening unfolds as usual, the speeches will be followed with contentious commentary by partisans on the left and the right, and forecasts of gridlock in the new Congress.
But perhaps this year the usual divisions will soften: The recent tragedy in Tucson has brought calls for civility and cooperation.
At many important moments of national challenge, a divided American electorate has devised ways to move forward. Fifty years ago, in January 1961, two historic addresses delivered within 70 hours of each other articulated the ways Americans, despite their differences, could unite around certain ideals.
On Jan. 17, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a historic farewell address, followed on Jan. 20 by President John F. Kennedy's storied inaugural address. These two speeches, delivered by political opponents, offer obvious contrasts in style and political philosophy. But the addresses converged on key points, namely on questions of citizenship in the modern age and on the belief that the American system of self-government can rise to any challenge...