I have made it a recurring theme of comments and front page postings to impress how important speaking and communicating is to leadership, particularly in the political arena. The power and effect of inspirational rhetoric cannot be overstated, most especially in democracies.
On October 5, 1995, the alumni organization, West Point Association of Graduates, awarded their prestigious Sylvanus Thayer Award before the student body, faculty and friends of the military academy. Famous recipients, beginning 50 years ago in 1958, include General Douglas MacArthur, Neil Armstrong, Reverend Theodore Hesburgh, Ronald Reagan and Senator Barry Goldwater. As one of only two women to ever receive this outstanding honor, the honoree that year struggled, near the end of her life, against the severe ravages of multiple sclerosis to give what is one of the most inspiring and patriotic speeches I have ever heard. Three months, one week and five days later, that horrible disease took her life far too soon, just shy of her sixtieth birthday.
The speech in audio is here with a full text included.
It occurred to me as I listened to this speech, the contrast of honor and dignity and love of country could not have been more stark between this great orator and a black woman who said recently only now was she finally proud of her country. Barbara Jordan was always proud to be an American and I, in turn, am very proud to have been born and raised in the same hometown of Houston. I was also struck by the notion she missed her calling in life. Had Barbara Jordan been my commanding officer, I would have fought to the gates of hell with her. Take the time to listen to this speech and I think you will feel the same.
Her biography is here.
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12 Responses to “On the Power of Rhetoric - One Woman’s Words”Search
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She should have been President. She could have been. It’s a shame she was not.
A remarkable, fine, patriotic lady whose shoelaces most contemporary Democrats are not fit to tie.
In most ways I strongly differ with the political viewpoints of Barbara Jordan. But I find her more admirable than almost any living politician. I would have voted for her for president in a heartbeat.
Her intelligence was noteworthy, her work ethic was extraordinary and her integrity was absolute. The fact that a person like Sheila Jackson Lee could claim to fill her shoes is a sign of how far our country has fallen from its former greatness.
Hard to believe the same district who gave us Barbara Jordan also gave us Craig Washington and Queen Sheila…both of them added together could not carry Ms. Jordan’s water…
Hard to believe the same district who gave us Barbara Jordan also gave us Craig Washington and Queen Sheila…both of them added together could not carry Ms. Jordan’s water…
Where have all the people on the left like Ms. Jordan gone? Where also have all the people on the right like President Eisenhower gone? We have a severe shortage of elected leaders with the sense of “Duty, honor, country.” that the West Point grads, Ms. Jordan & President Eisenhower, et al. exemplify.
My parents, born in 1938 and 1940, were not the most racially tolerant people on earth - but, they had a tremendous amount of respect for Barbara Jordan. Her name was revered in my young household.
Texpat I agree. Barbara Jordan was my hero. I first noticed her during the Nixon fiasco. When she spoke, I stopped and listened.
I’ll go out on a limb on this one given the conversation so far, but I’ve never really understood the whole Barbara Jordan thing.
I just don’t get why there’s so much adoration for her - why everyone says she was somehow “different” from your run of the mill statist left wing Democrat member of Congress. Judged on her actual policy record, she was as liberal as they come and the big government fruits of her legislative career were every bit as harmful as anything her successor Sheila Jackson Lee has ever done. Or Nancy Pelosi for that matter.
Do any of the people praising her gravitas here know that she was also one of the principal authors of the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act, aka the law that is basically responsible for tanking the U.S. housing market and the economy with it?
Or that she was an avowed abortionist for her entire life?
And for anyone who things Barbara Jordan was “above” the puerile race-baiting demagoguery of the 18th District’s current occupant, go read her testimony against Robert Bork’s nomination to the supreme court in which she labeled him a throwback to segregation and implied that he supported poll taxes and racial barriers that would make it impossible for her, as a black woman, to be elected to anything.
I’m sorry if this sounds callous, but there’s gotta be more that defines a person than simply being able to deliver a rousing speech. Sure, Jordan was a great and moving speaker. But judge her on what she actually did.
When we pick our political leaders based on their speaking ability rather than their records we end up with Bill Clintons and Barack Obamas.
Phil, It seemed to me during the Watergate hearings, she was the only person who asked good questions. I heard a lot of rhetoric from others, but she wanted to know facts. I was so impressed.
Onto the words of another great American…
“Can’t we all just get along…”
aw - Part of the reason why I was never impressed by that because I don’t generally view Watergate the same way that it is taught in the history books.
I don’t condone corruption in itself, but the Democrat impeachers were the bad guys in that one. McGovern’s campaign apparatus was the first genuinely communist ticket of a major political party in U.S. history. Before then, the Dem candidates had been socialist-lite with a strong national defense component. That applies to FDR, Truman, JFK, LBJ, and Humphrey. Then they went all out commie with McGovern and the 1972 convention reforms. Those reforms were overtly intended to expunge the conservative wing of the Democratic party after it unexpectedly handed a couple primary victories to George Wallace.
There are plenty of problems with Watergate’s planning, execution, and the administration’s handling of the fallout, but there is no doubt in my mind that Mitchell told the truth when he said it was motivated by a genuine fear of communist infiltration in the DNC. It was at worst a minor political intrigue gone wrong. Similar things happen in every single election except that they either go unnoticed or, when caught, nobody makes a big deal since the victim was a Republican (i.e. is hacking Sarah Palin’s private email account any less “bad” than a botched attempt to bug a DNC phone?).
I guess that’s my whole problem with Jordan’s supposed watergate prowess. Sure, she stated the case against Nixon in a very eloquent and probing way. But that doesn’t change the fact that she was still batting for the wrong team.