On the topic of a literary president

During the course of the 2008 presidential campaign, a lot was made of Barack Obama’s knack for words and ability to turn a phrase. I admit it was his speech four years ago that first drew me to him and gave me some hope that there still exist politicians who have the ability to inspire.

I found it more than a little annoying that his ability to articulate was often dismissed as just words without actions to back them up, campaign rhetoric, or mere eloquence. For one thing, I come from a Christian tradition that believes words are powerful, creative, and can bring life or death. Second, as an English major and one who loves to read artfully crafted writing, I am overjoyed with the knowledge that our president will no longer sound quite so idiotic.

There’s a great article from the AP about the reaction of American writers to an Obama presidency. I love what Rick Moody says at the end.

But I think the larger issue [of having a literary president] is cultural. There’s a trickle down from the top in the way art exists inside and outside of the culture as a whole. Here in the USA, you could feel in the Bush years how little regard there was for it. People who disliked art, literature, dance, fine arts, they had a lot of cover for this antipathy. There’s reason to believe that we are in for a much better period.

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