Every now and then a politician and/or a pundit with whom I disagree offers a nugget of perspective that I find, well, agreeable.
Such was the case recently in a commentary written for CNN by a former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives who raked President Obama over the coals for what he called the president’s constant trip to “fantasyland.”
I refer to Newt Gingrich, one of the smarter conservatives around – but also one of the more bombastic.
I’ll stipulate up front that I disagree with Gingrich’s wholesale analysis that Obama is a failed president.
But then he offered this tidbit of “truth” as he sees it, and frankly, so do I.
He referred to a recent speech in which the president used the first-person pronoun – “I,” “my” and “me” – 207 times. That was 207 times in a single speech, according to Newtie.
Bingo, Mr. Speaker. The president’s use of that personal pronoun annoys the daylights out of me as well.
I’ve noticed almost from the day the president took office in January 2009.
At the very beginning, it was an impressive display of ownership that the young president had demonstrated as he took office to tackle the horrible economic crisis that threatened to swallow up the nation’s financial infrastructure.
Nearly six years into his presidency, and after a stunning re-election victory in 2012, I am finding the use of the first-person pronoun a bit of a distraction.
Listen to the president’s speeches or off-the-cuff public comments. He refers to “my administration,” “my vice president,” “my attorney general,” “my national security team,” “my economic advisers,” etc., etc., etc.
Let’s not draw any inaccurate conclusions here. I continue to believe that Barack Obama has done a good job in fixing the economic crisis he inherited. I also believe he is correct in relying more heavily on diplomacy than military action whenever crises erupt.
However, I do not believe taking ownership of the responsibilities of a high public office means that you can take possession of the office itself.
The government belongs to us, citizens who take the time to vote on those who seek to operate the government on our behalf. Yes, I mean those who actually vote, although I certainly recognize that non-voters’ tax money is just as important to funding the government as those who have cast ballots.
Therefore, it would seem more appropriate for the president to perhaps use the second-person pronoun – “your” attorney general, “your” vice president and so on – when referring to the tough issues that face those who run “your” government.
All these folks work for us – you and me – not the guy who sits in that big Oval Office.
