What I loved about this speech was the twist on a tradition started by Ronald Reagen in 1982. That was the year Reagan invited a civil service worker with the everyman name of Lenny Skutnik to sit in the audience and be recognized. Skutnik only days before the speech had rescued a passenger from a jet that had plunged into the Potomac River.
Since then, Presidents have brought in "heroes" to applaud. Obama did something different: the people he called out were heroes, yes, like the 102-year-old woman who waited in line for hours before she finally was able to vote. But they also put a human face, a name, to problems the American people face and which Congress ought to work to help solve: voting rights, gun violence.
Well - I have no comment as I was watching the Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday evening and only have news recaps available.
ReplyDeleteWhat I loved about this speech was the twist on a tradition started by Ronald Reagen in 1982. That was the year Reagan invited a civil service worker with the everyman name of Lenny Skutnik to sit in the audience and be recognized. Skutnik only days before the speech had rescued a passenger from a jet that had plunged into the Potomac River.
ReplyDeleteSince then, Presidents have brought in "heroes" to applaud. Obama did something different: the people he called out were heroes, yes, like the 102-year-old woman who waited in line for hours before she finally was able to vote. But they also put a human face, a name, to problems the American people face and which Congress ought to work to help solve: voting rights, gun violence.