John Avlon writes there are several defining features of successful inauguration speeches, including a memorable line that relies on repetition of a phrase with a twist and an update on the American story, connecting the past with the present and the future.
These are the words that begin to define a presidency — reminding us that, at its best, politics is history in the present tense. Not all inaugural addresses are created equal — many are too long and consequently forgettable. Others make the mistake of laying out a specific policy agenda, rather than setting a broad direction toward a new horizon. But an inaugural is preeminently a speech about the new president’s values — about how he sees the world and America’s role in it. At best it offers a unifying vision and the promise of new beginnings. Most are remembered — if at all — for a single phrase that becomes shorthand for the entire speech. And if you listen closely, these lines often share a similar structure. This is the one of the secrets to what makes a great inaugural address. Thomas Jefferson called for an end to partisan rancor after the brutal 1800 campaign, declaring: “Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.” Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural was just 701 words long, but it contained this crystalizing phrase as a guide toward reconciliation at the end of Civil War: “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” In the depths of the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed: “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” As the greatest generation took the helm during the Cold War, John F. Kennedy declared, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” These are American catechism, lines that are repeated across generations, giving us a common language for our civic religion. And there’s a pattern at work: it’s repetition of a phrase with a twist, which makes them instantly memorable.
