Barack Obama's 2009 Inaugural Address: Tone

    Barack Obama's 2009 Inaugural Address: Tone

      Optimistic

      Optimism equals hope. Seriously, they're almost synonyms.

      So it's no surprise that the dude on the "Hope" poster gave an optimistic inaugural address. "On this day," he says, "we have chosen hope over fear" (7.1). Is there a draft in here or did the newly elected leader of the free world just throw some super subtle shade? That has to be the most optimistic-sounding yet understated diss of one's political opponents ever.

      Obama needed to face his job with optimism; he signed up to handle a national crisis when he won by a landslide over John McCain in the Electoral College.