Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan wrote a beautiful piece a couple of weeks ago suggesting that President Obama needs to focus on the bigger, long term strategy for this nation. Noonan writes that Obama needs his, “Sentence,” a single sentence that defines and sums up his presidency.
Noonan suggest the sentence Americans want and need, and would make Obama a good, potentially great man in history, is, “He brought America back from economic collapse and kept us strong and secure in the age of terror.”
Noonan’s sentence is wonderful, poetic, and fine for a secure America but oriented toward dependency on government; “He brought American…” and “Kept us strong and secure…” I would like to build on Noonan’s column with a suggestion for a different kind of a sentence.
I have written several articles about how President Obama has wonderful speaking skills and near messianic popularity. I believe that President Obama should use his speaking skill and popularity to define his presidency in terms of enabling Americans to reach new levels of greatness. I would like to see President Obama’s write his sentence as, “Enabled more Americans to achieve Self-reliance, Independence, and Accomplishment.
Self-reliant, independent, accomplished people pay most of the taxes, give most of the charity, coach most of the teams, help most of the needy, and guide most of the children. President Obama’s legacy will be far greater if he promotes these characteristics in our culture than it will be for all the justices he appoints and new social programs he creates.
A more self-reliant, independent, accomplished culture will need few justices and social programs. That is change we can all thrive under.
