Presidents and What They Say: Does It Matter?

****Please note: this is not a rant or complaint. It's a talk. Since it is political, I think this is the most appropriate community for posting.****

In the United States, we have just inaugurated a new president, one who promises to bring about dramatic change in government and society. The inauguration of every new president is a time for reflection. A president who promises to change the system calls for deep reflection.

I have lived through the terms of twelve elected presidents. Actually, I've lived through thirteen but only clearly remember twelve. I vividly recall Dwight Eisenhower (elected in 1953), and every president after that. In chronological order, they are (leaving out Ford, who was not elected)

Eisenhower (E)
Kennedy (K)
Johnson (J)
Nixon (N)
Carter (C)
Reagan (R)
Bush 1 (I’ll call him B ‘89)
Clinton (C)
Bush 2 (I’ll call him B ‘01)
Obama (O)
Biden (B)
Trump (T)

I certainly have favorites among these presidents, and those I did not appreciate. In no case did I agree with everything a president did.

I thought it would be interesting, as we begin a new chapter in the history of U.S. presidents, to look at their inaugural addresses. What do these speeches tell us about the character of the man, and the way he planned/plans to lead the country? Do they tell us anything meaningful at all? Presidents usually don't write their own speeches, but they certainly do approve them before delivery.

I scoured the speeches for significant terms (what I thought were significant terms) in the inaugural addresses. In each case I looked at the first inaugural address, except for Trump. In that instance, I had to choose between the first and second inaugural addresses, since his terms were not consecutive. He is promising to effect dramatic change in this new term, so I thought the second address would be more relevant.

As I compiled these terms, I noticed some are popular with presidents--hope, for example, and freedom. I found it interesting that the only army general on the list, Eisenhower, chose to use most commonly in his address not expressions of war, but terms of service and congeniality: 'freedom', 'hope', 'dedication', 'humility', and 'my fellow citizens'.

At the very bottom of this blog I have listed the expressions I thought were revealing. Before that, I posted a list of the presidents, with pictures (in chronological order), the most compelling challenges facing each president (in my view) at the start of his term, and the two expressions from my list used most often in the inaugural address.

Next to each term on my list of terms is indicated the number of times a president used that term in his inaugural address.

Included with each profile is the most recent rank in one assessment of presidential achievement: 2024 Presidential Greatness Project Expert Survey Brandon Rottinghaus, University of Houston
Justin S. Vaughn, Coastal Carolina University. The rankings go from 1, the best (which Abraham Lincoln gets) to 45, the worst. As history moves forward and the true impact of each presidency becomes clearer, these rankings will most likely change.

The Presidents

• Eisenhower (E)
  
  _{Wikimedia, public domain}
  Korean War, Invokes 'Domino Theory', McCarthyism, Taiwan/China Conflict, Intervention in Latin America, Bay of Pigs, Support of South Vietnam, Civil Rights Act.
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Freedom', 'Dedication'
  **Rank: 8

• Kennedy (K)
  
  _{Wikimedia public domain}
  Bay of Pigs, Vietnam War, Nuclear Arms Race, Cold War, Civil Rights
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Freedom', Hope'
  **Rank: 10

• Johnson (J)
  
  _{Wikimedia public}
  Vietnam War, Civil Rights, Civil Unrest, Cold War
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Freedom', 'Hope'
  **Rank: 9

• Nixon (N)
  
  _{Wikimedia public}
  Vietnam War, Civil Unrest, Cold War
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Hope', 'Freedom'
  **Rank: 35

• Carter (C)
  
  _{Wikimedia public}
  Inflation, Energy (Oil) Crisis, Middle East Conflict, Civil Rights
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Hope', 'My Fellow' (Americans/Citizens)
  **Rank: 22

• Reagan
  
  _{Wikimedia public domain}
  Iranian Hostage Crisis, Cold War, Nuclear Arms Race, 'Stagflation', National Debt
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Freedom', 'Hope'
  **Rank: 16

• Bush '89
  
  _{Wikimedia public domain}
  Nuclear Arms Race, Iran-Contra Scandal, AIDS, Soviet-U.S. Relations, Tax Policy, Crime, Race
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Democracy', 'Freedom'
  **Rank: 19

• Clinton
  
  _{Wikimedia public domain}
  Taxes, Welfare, Crime, Economy, Somalia, Race
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Hope', 'My Fellow' (Americans/Citizens)
  **Rank: 12

• Bush '01
  
  _{Wikimedia public domain}
  Climate, Leadership, Social Security, Character
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Freedom', 'Hope'
  **Rank: 32

• Obama
  
  _{Wikimedia public domain}
  Economic Crisis, Bank Collapse, Race, Health Care, Terrorism, Iraq War, Afghanistan War
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Crisis', 'Freedom' and 'Hope'--tied
  **Rank: 7

• Biden
  
  _{Wikimedia public domain}
  Political Crisis, Pandemic, Recession, Social Unrest, Racial Unrest, War in Afghanistan
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Democracy', 'My Fellow' (Americans/Citizens)
  **Rank: 14

• Trump
  
  _{Wikimedia public domain}
  Divided Country, Social Malaise, Immigration, Inflation, National Debt, War in Ukraine, War in Gaza
  .......Two most-used terms: 'Like Never Before', 'Crisis' and 'Freedom'--Tied
  **Rank: 45 (His first term)

About the Rankings: Siena College published a list in 2024, which offered rankings for 2022. With reference to the presidents included in this blog, the rankings on the Siena list are cited below. These vary only slightly from the rankings already given.

Eisenhower:6
Kennedy:9
Johnson:8
Nixon:28
Carter:24
Reagan:18
Bush '89:20
Clinton:14
Bush '01:35
Obama:11
Biden:19
Trump:43

The List of Representative Expressions

• Annihilate:
  T, once
• Betrayal:
  T, twice
• Catastrophe/Catastrophic:
  T, once
• Conquer:
  T, once; B ‘89, once; B’01 once; N, twice; K, once
• Cooperation:
  E, once; R, once; O, twice
• Corrupt:
  T, once; O, once
• Crisis:
  T, thrice; B, twice; N, once; R, twice; C, once; O, 4 X
• Dedication:
  E, thrice; C, once
• Democracy:
  T, once; B ‘89, 5 X; B, 11 X; O, once;
• Destroy:
  B, once; O, once; K, twice
• Disaster:
  T, once
• Freedom:
  T, 3X; E, 10 X; K, 4 X; N, 3X; J, twice; C, 4X; R, 8X; B ‘89, 6X; C, 3X; B ‘01 5X; O, 3X
• Hope:
  T, twice; E, 9X; K, 3X; J, 5X; N, 5X; C, 6X; R,4X; C, 3X; B ‘01, 3X; O, 3X; B, 3X
• Humility/Humble:
  E, once; C, once; R, once; B ‘01, once; O, twice; B, twice
• Intimidated:
  T, once
• Like Never Before:
  T, 5X
• My Fellow: (This varies, My Fellow Citizen or My Fellow Americans):
  T, once; E, once; K, twice; J, once; N, twice; R, once; C, 5X; B ‘01, once; O, once; B, 5X
• Radical:
  T, twice
• Vicious:
  T, once
• Violent:
  T, twice

Conclusion
Why did I do this? A lot of research went into this blog, a lot of time invested. It's important to me that I deal not in hyperbole but in facts. Of course, facts can be manipulated. For example, I chose the words to search in each speech. These were determined by what I perceived as the tone and message of each inaugural address. That is a subjective judgement.

The important challenges facing each president changed when they assumed office. For example, George Bush '01 very quickly had to deal with the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York. This led him to wage war in Iraq. This war may have been the most consequential act of his presidency. Yet, it was not a factor in the election or his inaugural address.

Likewise, Jimmy Carter had to deal with the Iran Hostage Crisis. This was a defining event in his presidency. Yet, when he was elected and gave his speech it was not a factor.

We, the citizens of the United States, are in a process of adjustment. We have gone through a few years of political turmoil and at the moment may be as divided as we have ever been in the past (with the exception of the Civil War). Time to reflect. Time for cool heads to prevail. I strive to be one of those cool heads.

Thank you for reading. Peace.