Forwarding the Conversation

Last week, President Obama outlined his agenda to a joint session of Congress. He will tackle green jobs, health care, education, and will slash the budget deficit. I’ve spoken with a number of people who have watched the speech and I’ve heard mixed reviews. Some thought it was too broad, while others thought it was just right. Some said there weren’t enough specifics, while others reported feeling hopeful and inspired by rhetoric.

Whether you thought the speech was effective or not it doesn’t matter. Our new President has outlined a bold agenda for the next four years. I believe that by giving a speech – void of the minutiae – he appealed to our highest ideals. He was saying that we are on a journey for which there is no charted course. He was saying that while we may not know the territory, we do know the destination. Isn’t that what JFK did when he challenged America to land a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s? At the time he had no idea how we would get there, and in 1969 we landed a man on the moon.

Big dreams and high ideals make America great, and Obama’s speech left filled me with hope and optimism. I don’t quite know how we’ll get there, but I know that we will – somehow… someway.