Did Biden stick the landing? A critical analysis of the 59th inaugural address

Inaugural addresses act like oral histories, adding new chapters to our national narrative. And above all, they’re often well-written and delivered by orators who can stick the landing.

I aspired to be a political speechwriter prior to my adventures in higher education administration. I studied the craft under Professor Mark Siegel at the George Washington University. Siegel was a pro. He worked in the Carter administration and would write speeches for luminaries across the globe. He once missed a lecture because he was on assignment for the late Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan.

We spent significant class time studying the inaugural address—its history, purpose, and structure. According to Siegel, inaugurals that endure are those that meet the moment. They reflect the times. They put our country’s tradition of a peaceful transition of power into context. They act like oral histories, adding new chapters to our national narrative. And above all, they’re well-written and delivered by orators who can stick the landing.

I learned from Professor Siegel that speechwriters listen for what’s often called the “master line.” It’s the passage that resonates and best captures an inaugural’s thesis. New presidents and their speechwriters are conscious of this rhetorical device. They typically drop the line early and branch off from the theme or build to the moment. If you’re looking for a clue, the language is often preceded by a prompt, something like, “and so my fellow Americans …”

Franklin Roosevelt’s inaugural master line, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” is in the first paragraph. Ronald Reagan also went early with his declaration that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Conversely, John F. Kennedy saved his big moment for the end with a call to service: “Ask not what your country can do for you …”

President Joseph Biden delivered our nation’s 59th inaugural address this week. We know through news reports that a plea for “unity” would pervade—he used the word 12 times throughout. But his signature line speaks to something that some may take for granted. Look at the news headlines and clips on television—it’s right there:

“And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.”

Like FDR, Biden goes early with his theme and puts the moment into context, a simple reminder of the miracle of our country’s commitment to self-governance. It should be noted that Biden isn’t the first president to use a unity theme. Dwight Eisenhower spoke of the “necessity and by belief that the strength of all free peoples lies in unity; their danger, in discord.” Then Richard Nixon, who in his first inaugural said, “We are torn by division, wanting unity. We see around us empty lives, wanting fulfillment.” While Eisenhower looked outward at a post-World War II geopolitical landscape, Nixon looked within and reflected on the turbulence of the late 1960s, an era often compared to the challenges of today.

But Biden goes further. One could argue that he does something in this speech that no president since Abraham Lincoln in 1861 felt necessary—appeal to the “better angels of our nature” toward quelling intentions of insurrection. He acknowledges that while democracy has prevailed, it stands on soft ground. It won’t last if recent events become prologue and further calcify into mainstream culture. This, he argues, is our existential challenge. While previous presidents have rallied the country to face a common external foe—fascism, communism, war on terror, etc.—Biden walks a more delicate tightrope. The antagonist in his story is from within. It’s here that he delivers his second key message:

“We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility.”

To scan early news coverage is to see that the statement had its desired effect, especially globally. The Daily Telegraph, a major U.K. daily, pulled the quote as its headline, so did Reuters and other wire services.

Listen to any conventional political speech—candidate announcement, nomination acceptance, fundraising pitch, the inaugural, etc.—and the structure is consistent. It’s a story featuring a challenge, a solution, and a hero. Biden’s inaugural is no different. He presents many challenges—“anger, resentment, hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness”—and a solution—unity. The last piece is the hero. This is where the orator can sometimes lose the audience. Great speeches, according to Professor Siegel, are those that only the speaker can give. They’re personal and authentic; they feel like the dialogue the actor on stage should be giving. While we all know that speechwriters are involved, for a moment we picture the speaker scratching down the copy on the back of an envelope.

Did Biden rise to the occasion? He did. To use marketing language, he’s built a personal brand over decades of public service. He’s affable and empathetic, plainspoken and pragmatic. He’s Uncle Joe. He opened his campaign nearly two years ago with a message of “restoring the soul of America.” For the most part he never deviated from that theme. You could find it in almost every speech. He brought it back this week, although with a slight twist:

“On this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.”

And so, it all comes full circle. Based on the outcome of the last election, we know there is still a market in the political landscape for integrity, (“I will give you my word”), truth (“I will always level with you”), and faith in our institutions (“I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy”).

As I think back on Professor Siegel’s class, I wonder what grade he would give Biden’s inaugural address. My guess: a high mark. It had all the conventions: optimism and big ideas, triumph over adversity, and best of all, the promise of a happy ending.

Will President Biden be the hero in this story? That’s to be seen. That’s the best part of history: seeing what will happen next. But on this day, January 20, 2021, after all that he has endured through decades in the public eye, and the bruises that come with it, Biden was still standing.

He stuck the landing.

Matthew Nehmer, Ph.D., is president of The Colleges of Law.

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