Politicians everywhere spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make their every phrase memorable. But be honest – can you ever actually remember anything they say? The harder they try to sound like ‘statesmen’, the more pompous and pathetic it gets – yes, Dave and Nick, I am talking to you. What’s painfully clear is that the art of oratory is dying out, and few of our leaders have the balls or the skill to save it.
Happily, though, one of the very few keeping rhetoric alive beyond mere soundbites also happens to be the world’s most powerful man – though having said that, he’s not bad at soundbites, either. So how can you profit (ie, plagiarise) from his gift of the gab? Look no further than our list of the 25 best Obama-isms, covering everything from health reform to hip-hop.
1. ‘The role of citizen in a democracy does not end with your vote.’ (2012)
2. ‘Focussing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it’s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realise your true potential.’
3. ‘If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep on walking, eventually you’ll make progress.’ (2006)
4. ‘The thing about Hip-Hop today is it’s smart, it’s insightful. The way they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable.’ (2010)
5. ‘We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.’ (2009)
6.’In the end, this is what this election’s about – do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?’ (2008)
7. ‘It is time to give Iraqis their country back.’ (2007)
8. ‘We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.’ (2008)
9. (In response to presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s economic policies): ‘The 1980s are calling!’ (2012)
10. We need to make progress on some important issues. Take the sequester – Republicans fell in love with the whole thing, and now they can’t stop talking about how much they hate it. It’s like we’re trapped in a Taylor Swift album.’ (2013)
11. ‘Americans still believe in an America where anything’s possible – they just don’t think their leaders do.’ (2008)
12. ‘Lincoln – they used to talk about him almost as bad as they talk about me. So democracy has never been for the faint of heart…’ (2011)
13. (When asked whether he’d asked for advice from his predecessors before taking office): ‘I’ve spoken to all the living presidents… (but) I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any seances.’ (2009)
14. ‘If we think we can just use the same partisan playbook where we just challenge our opponent’s patriotism to win an election, then the American people will lose. The times are too serious for this kind of politics.’ (2008)
15. ‘My advisors were a little worried about the new rap entrance music – they’re a little more traditional. They suggested I start with some jokes at my own expense – just to take myself down a peg. I was like, “guys, guys, after four and a half years, how many pegs are there left?”.’ (2013)
16. ‘Change doesn’t come from Washington; change comes to Washington.’ (2008)
17. ‘Those who have the privilege to serve this country have an obligation to do our job as best we can… that’s why disagreement cannot mean dysfunction… the American people’s hopes and dreams are what matters, not ours.’ (2013)
18. ‘I don’t want to pit Red America against Blue America – I want to be President of the United States of America.’ (2007)
19. ‘Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us.’ (2008)
20. ‘What Washington needs is adult supervision.’ (2006)
21. ‘What we need in Washington is not more political tactics – we need more good ideas.’ (2009)
22. ‘You can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.’ (2009)
23. ‘It’s important to realise I was actually black before the election.’ (2009)
24. ‘Now, when you first become president, one of the questions people ask you is, “what’s really going on in Area 51?” … oh, I think I just became the first president to ever publicly mention Area 51… how’s that?’ (2013)
25. ‘Some things are beyond my control. For example, this whole controversy about Jay-Z going to Cuba – it’s unbelievable! I’ve got 99 problems, now Jay-Z is one.’ (2013)
By Digby Warde-Aldam
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