Obama's Three Clichés

Barack Obama has been crowned the king of all orators and the man that can inspire with his speeches among media elites. These speeches have a common theme: they are riddled with three now-cliché words: Change, Unity and Hope. They are not just stand-alone clichés, they depend upon each other. It is clear to see these have become just empty buzzwords to draw some cheers.

Change

During the recent Nevada Democrat debate, Obama mentioned change 15 times in the 28 responses he gave, just over once every two answers. He particularly emphasised that his win in Iowa was because he could deliver the kind of "change" that Americans were looking for. Exactly how he would achieve this change, however, still remains a bit of a mystery.

In his victory speech in South Carolina, Barack Obama said the word "change" almost once every minute. "We are hungry for change", "change we seek will not come easy", "we are looking for more than just a change of party in the White House. We're looking to fundamentally change the status quo in Washington". If Obama was hungry for change, why has he not introduced legislation in the Senate to kick-start that change? He says he wants to fundamentally change the status quo in Washington desptie being a part of, and maintaining, that status quo.

Certainly the change will not come easy, but you can always have hope, right?

Hope

"That change will take time. There will be setbacks, and false starts, and sometimes we will make mistakes. But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope."

Indeed, when change does not come easy, hope is your friend.

During his speech on Martin Luther King Day, Omaba said, "And if enough of our voices join together; we can bring those walls tumbling down. The walls of Jericho can finally come tumbling down. That is our hope – but only if we pray together, and work together, and march together." Remember folks, hope requires us to "join together" to bring those walls tumbling down. What's required is unity.

Unity

"Unity is the great need of the hour – the great need of this hour. Not because it sounds pleasant or because it makes us feel good, but because it's the only way we can overcome the essential deficit that exists in this country.

Those 'deficits' include "when there is Scooter Libby justice for some and Jena justice for others". What about Bill Clinton justice for some and OJ Simpson justice for others?

Obama goes on to say, "But of course, true unity cannot be so easily won. It starts with a change in attitudes." So there it is, in full circle: Change requires hope, hope requires unity and unity requires change. Without any one of those you can't have the others, and without any one of them you can't have an Obama speech.

I still have hope that Obama's partisanship clouded in calls for unity can lead to a change in approach from buzzwords and clichés towards some policies that can unite us and give us hope for how he'd change Washington. Right now, actions speak louder than words, and the silence is deafening.