January 29 - Noisy, messy and complicated

By Magdalena I. García

On Wednesday night President Obama delivered his first State of the Union Address. The eyes of the nation were glued to the TV screens—or in my case, the ears, because I was listening to the speech as I did some light computer work. We listened attentively as the President who campaigned on a promise of change tried hard to explain to all of us why some things still have not changed, while others perhaps have taken a turn for the worse.

As expected, President Obama parked for a while by many subjects: the economy, the recession, the financial system, the housing-market crisis, taxes, unemployment, innovation, clean energy, exports, education, public health, healthcare reform, government spending, campaign financing, national security, the military, arms control, global responsibility. But he drove by too quickly as he approached other topics, like civil rights; at least some of us would have liked to hear a bit more on gay, women, and immigrant rights.

The address was delivered with a nice balance of seriousness and humor (a little more passion at times would have been great, but I guess that would be asking for an out-of-character performance, or perhaps trying to stereotype him as a Black preacher). It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was a good speech. Here are my favorite quotes:

“ ... But remember this – I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I could do it alone. Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That’s just how it is.

“Those of us in public office can respond to this reality by playing it safe and avoid telling hard truths and pointing fingers. We can do what’s necessary to keep our poll numbers high, and get through the next election instead of doing what’s best for the next generation....”

Well said, Mr. President. I’m glad to be part of this democracy. And I’m also glad to be part of a “noisy and messy and complicated” Christian denomination. Let’s hope and pray for more leaders—inside government and inside the church—with the courage to at least attempt doing not what is expedient, but what is right.