Frum declares that, “however beautifully written, a speech can only be made great by the presidency that follows”:
A speech can fail all by itself. Its ideas can be weak, its language can be foggy. But even if the ideas are clear and the words crisp, an inaugural address can be deemed “great” only if it is followed by actions that make good on its lofty words. This is why we still remember the mighty words of Lincoln and FDR and why we forget almost all the others.
David Shipley wants a workmanlike speech:
I’ve come to believe that the most memorable inaugural address would be one that doesn’t sound like an inaugural address. … How much better to craft something granular, programmatic. Almost a State of the Union — but short. It certainly suits the moment — one when Americans are avidly hoping for detailed structural reform on specific issues. Bill Clinton famously declared that the era of big government was over. Can’t the era of big rhetoric be over, too?
Tomasky hopes for a “tough” speech:
He needs to send a signal in his address that he means business and that he’s figured out who’s boss. … That doesn’t mean an explicitly partisan speech about specific policies. That would be, in addition to inappropriate, crushingly dull. It does mean a speech in which he puts forward an idea about the country that is pointed and that can’t be expressed in the usual inoffensive platitudes.
First Read expects familiar themes:
Looking back at some of the most recent second inaugural addresses, they’ve typically been a continuation of that president’s first-term message (and re-election theme). For Bill Clinton, it was preparing the country for the 21st Century. For George W. Bush, it was security and freedom. And if that continuation theme is any guide, expect Obama to talk A LOT about rebuilding the middle class. After all, it was the central theme of his re-election campaign.
And Beinart thinks Obama needs to defend the role of government:
Obama will not win every skirmish with the Republican Congress in his second term. But to achieve his goal of being a transformational president, he must decisively win the overarching struggle over whether post-financial crisis America requires more government or less. His second inaugural will be judged on how well he defines the terms of that debate.
(Photo: People wave American flags as people gather near the U.S. Capitol building on the National Mall for the Inauguration ceremony on January 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Barack Obama, will be ceremonially sworn in for his second term today. By Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
The Dish 