I'm sorry, but I'm going to get on my soapbox for a moment. I have been exceedingly frustrated by the argument made by Hillary Clinton's campaign for president that words and speeches don't matter. She has backed off this claim trying to frame the debate slightly different, and here is a clip of a recent speech:
"Tonight I want to talk to you about the choice you have in this election and why that choice matters. It is about picking a president who relies not just on words but on work, on hard work to get America back to work. That's our goal!" Hillary ClintonWell, I'm here to tell you that words do matter, contrary to this argument laid before us. That's a ridiculous claim, and it only goes to reveal the shortsightedness of Hillary's campaign. And I won't even get into the fact that she spent $35 million dollars of her campaign on advisors who came up with this defense. Stating that words don't matter...speeches don't matter, is like saying music doesn't matter. Poetry doesn't matter. Language doesn't matter. I take grave offense to that, because I feel truly in my heart that words DO INDEED matter. Words may not mean much to our current president, who has callously tossed out phrases such as "axis of evil" not fully understanding the worldwide implications of such a statement. But words, speeches, and language do matter to people, and they especially matter when you are speaking to the uninspired. Because that's what America has been for quite some time...uninspired. And one of the reasons I can say that I feel inspired at the moment doesn't have to do with a policy stance. It doesn't have to do with an ad campaign. It doesn't have to do with right or wrong. It has to do entirely with words...and the hope, the faith, the unity that come from the language of this current political debate. These are the feelings that people should feel when they enter the political realm, but have sadly forgotten over the last 30 years. Words and language inspire the uninspired...and get people working for the common good that until recently have wallowed in sarcasm, apathy, and self-pity. The divisiveness that has plagued our country and our politics over the last several decades has only driven us further apart and left us feeling impotent about our future. And that has been unfortunate, because human beings are capable of so much more when we work together. Why do people say "I'm only human" when they are speaking about our failures and mistakes? Why don't they repeat that phrase when they witness an act of unbelievable kindness, or something that elevates us all? Because I believe we have lowered our standards. But no longer. It's time for us to raise our standards again...believe in the common good...and strive toward the unity we have been sorely lacking. Words, language, and speeches do indeed matter. Not only for their impact on the human spirit, but also on the will to create a better world for ourselves and our neighbors. Isn't that something we can all agree on? Let's work together for a change instead of against each other. It's the least we can do...we're only human.
Michael
