Obama's big speech: A call for responsibility?

He's been too somber, some say. Too dire. "Yes, we can" is now "Yes, we're in deep trouble."

Of the criticisms Barack Obama has faced early in his presidency, one constant is tone. In warning Congress and the rest of us about the necessity of stimulus and rescue plans, he has fatigued many Americans who already are fretted, who already feel the weight of our uncertain future.

Tomorrow night, in what is effectively his first State of the Union address, Obama faces a prime-time challenge. How firmly does he continue to shake our shoulders with the truly significant troubles this economy is facing? How does he turn our vision forward - not with the sunny sentence or two that he's offered in some speeches, but a full accounting of where he is pointing us, and why that will work?

(Update: One clue, from the Associated Press: Obama pledged today to cut the budget deficit in half by the end of his first term in office. The promise accomplishes at least two things. It attempts to answer fears and criticisms that his stimulus and rescue plans will leave us with overwhelming debt. It also previews a possible theme for tomorrow - that if his administration is willing to make hard choices and sacrifices, we should be ready to do the same.)

(Update N0. 2: Our political professor, Wake Forest's Allan Louden, says Obama should stick with the steady and sober.

Louden, a renowned political communications scholar, says:

Obama’s speech tonight, while not a formal State-of-the-Union, is taking on the trappings of the formal address. A joint session of Congress will gather tonight, pay homage, and go about their business shortly after the president departs the hall.

Obama’s reason for addressing congress, like most modern day State-of-the-Union speeches, is not to address congress but rather to pressure lawmakers by “Going Public,” If congress were the direct target there are more direct lines of communication, less fraught with expectations and opposition ammunition.

“Going Public” can delineate the civic debate, but also can be overdone. Effective presidential speech making seemingly has the greatest sway when the speech wakes-up latent public concern. A breakthrough speech usually assumes the need to refresh public response; a megaphone calling out a dormant citizenry. But that is not the world Obama encounters tonight.

Currently we have a media saturated political culture, a public already at full attention to economic crisis, and a president who seemingly speaks daily to the people. The risk for tonight’s speech is one of overexposure. Pundits are lining up proclaiming what Obama much accomplish tonight, while the reality is the speech will likely be forgotten in the next news cycle.

Obama is better off reinforcing a sober reassuring, albeit dull, speech. His steadiness is a more central message than fulfilling short term political expectations.

-

What do you want to hear tomorrow night. What balance do you want of hopeful and sober, itemized and inspirational? Tell us here or in the comments.