Peggy Noonan is out with an interesting column on the state of the presidential race. Her general thesis is that Mitt Romney has been able to coast of late — that he has adopted a sort of rope-a-dope strategy of lying low while President Obama commits gaffes — but that this has a short shelf life.
She’s right. At some point, Romney must provide a compelling vision.
But I do have to quibble with one small point. She argues Obama’s eloquence is overrated, asking rhetorically: “Do you remember any phrase or sentence the president has said in a speech or statement the past 3½ years? One? Anything, in all that talking, that entered your head and stayed there? You do not. He is interesting, his words are not.”
It’s hard to argue with Noonan, inasmuch as she is responsible for many of the best — most memorable — phrases in the history of recent political rhetoric.
But comparing Obama and his speechwriters to Reagan and Noonan isn’t fair to Obama. Lots of other politicians have been successful — and even daresay eloquent — without reaching their level of greatness.
Noonan is looking for those single moments of clarity, but that doesn’t necessarily define eloquence. I think we would all agree, for example, that Bill Clinton was a skilled communicator — especially talented as an emoter. Yet Clinton’s most memorable line is probably: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.” (Another of his famous lines — “The era of big government is over” — is memorable because of the “man bites dog” irony.) By Noonan’s definition, Clinton, a popular two-term president who was known as a good communicator, seems to lack any great rhetorical moments.
Conversely, George W. Bush is not generally thought of as “eloquent,” yet he actually gave us some memorable lines, such as “Axis of Evil, “We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail,” and others.
Was Bush more eloquent than Clinton?
The great lines are often a response to challenging events — when leaders rise to the occasion. Reagan’s finest lines probably came on the 40th anniversary of D-Day — immediately following the Challenger disaster — and at Brandenburg Gate. Bush’s greatest lines came after 9-11 — bullhorn in hand. Robert F. Kennedy’s most memorable rhetorical moment was perhaps in Indianapolis, after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
But these are special occasions. A lot of politicians have been successful without being memorable. It’s entirely possible to be a very good technical rhetorician, without ever saying something poetic or memorable.
Here is one way to think of it: If Barack Obama were a guitar player, he would perhaps be more like Yngwie Malmsteen or Joe Satriani (technically superior — but lacking any memorable hooks), than, say, a Jimmy Page. If you’re not familiar with Malmsteen or Satriani, you’re not alone. But be advised they are arguably two of the greatest technical guitar players in the world.
Nobody whistles a Malmsteen song. And, so far, Barack Obama lacks a “Tear down this Wall!” moment. That doesn’t mean he isn’t eloquent.