Sunday, June 06, 2004
Mr. Reagan's Own Words on his Presidency
His final speech from the Oval office the day before the end of his term.
UPDATE: A revealing comment from a reader of The Corner on the effect of this speech of Mr. Reagan's:
I think the answer is clear. While there are obviously stylistic and rhetorical techniques used in that speech that one can study, an effort that I encourage since learning more about rhetorical techniques makes one a better citizen, the most important reason is this: Mr. Reagan honestly was thankful for the help the American people had given him, and proud of America and her people. He was no cynical actor, or wily fox ("We did a lot of good"--compare that speech of Mr. Clinton's to this one). He was simply a great, honest statesman.
UPDATE: A revealing comment from a reader of The Corner on the effect of this speech of Mr. Reagan's:
Sitting and watching the President's final White House speech from January 1989, one gets the distinct impression that he is speaking and thanking YOU for helping him during his 8 years in office. He is not speaking down to you, not telling you of HIS glories, of his accomplishments. Instead, he tells of a job well done by US ALL-all American citizens. As you listen to him recount the 8 years of his presidency, he makes you feel proud that in some small way, we helped HIM!!
How did he do that??
I think the answer is clear. While there are obviously stylistic and rhetorical techniques used in that speech that one can study, an effort that I encourage since learning more about rhetorical techniques makes one a better citizen, the most important reason is this: Mr. Reagan honestly was thankful for the help the American people had given him, and proud of America and her people. He was no cynical actor, or wily fox ("We did a lot of good"--compare that speech of Mr. Clinton's to this one). He was simply a great, honest statesman.
Comments:
Post a Comment
