THE QUESTION
Recovering his leadership mojo?
Imagine you are a speech writer working on this week's State of the Union address. Draft a memorable passage that would allow the president to get his leadership mojo back.
Posted by Steve Pearlstein and Raju Narisetti on January 25, 2010 3:27 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Give them iPads!
"To my fellow Democrats: You've squandered a lot of opportunity this year making yourselves caricatures of the broken system. To my Republican opposition: Don't be smug.
Posted by Paul Schmitz, on January 27, 2010 4:08 PM
The SOTU first draft
"The work is hard but history tells us we have only one choice: to push through the changes we need. (Mention previous eight years, skillfully point out that none of the current problems are actually my fault)."
Posted by Coro Fellows, on January 27, 2010 12:57 PM
'Populist bigotry'
"I should have recognized earlier the desperate and futile barriers my opponents have built. My 'restless dream' has turned into a nightmare for the American people."
Posted by Warren Bennis, on January 27, 2010 6:09 AM
'Jobs, jobs and more jobs'
President Obama has to get back to what he did so well on the campaign trail: demonstrating in plain language that he understands people's difficulties.
Posted by Yash Gupta, on January 26, 2010 3:35 PM
'You still believe'
"The avalanche of problems now facing us has not buried my belief in change. Deep down, you still believe in change too."
Posted by Katherine Tyler Scott, on January 26, 2010 3:29 PM
Busting the filibuster
Hope is the belief that what is desirable is possible.
Posted by Juana Bordas, on January 26, 2010 3:05 PM
'Price of liberty'
We cannot accept the bureaucratic bungling that almost allowed a terrorist to blow up a plane at Christmas. We must and will be more vigilant.
Posted by Michael Maccoby, on January 26, 2010 2:56 PM
An emotional face
Dear Mr. President: Stop assuming people think logically and act rationally. Think instead about the emotions you want the American public to embody - and then display them yourself.
Posted by Carol Kinsey Goman, on January 26, 2010 5:58 AM
A seductive opportunity
The president needs to demonstrate a level of humility and awareness that this is "his shift," and things are very problematic in a number of areas.
Posted by John H. Cochran, MD, on January 26, 2010 5:52 AM
Not a natural disaster
The fire that nearly melted down the greatest economy on earth was an act of arson, and wealth inoculates no one from American justice.
Posted by Andy Stern, on January 25, 2010 4:05 PM
The politics of small things
Government isn't about serving the little things. It's about dreaming the big things and reaching for them.
Posted by Donald Kettl, on January 25, 2010 4:01 PM
Beyond partisan bickering
"The stakes are high. The time for action is now. Let's get to work."
Posted by John Baldoni, on January 25, 2010 3:56 PM
'Where I went wrong'
"This past year too much of our attention in Washington has been directed at institutions in crisis: banks, auto companies and health care. I did not pay enough attention to you."
Posted by Howard Gardner, on January 25, 2010 3:47 PM
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PLMichaelsArtist-at-Large: We don't talk enough about the meaning of "the pursuit of happiness". I think that too many Americans define this goal as the pursuit of m...
eliseom: I am not very happy about the State of the Union. Something gone wrong when according to the polls the American people are more concerned w...
bgPhil: My fellow citizens. I am sorry for the path down which I have taken this great country. It is clear to me now that a collectivist state is...
