Barack Obama Tucson memorial speech
Barack Obama, then-president of the United States, delivered a speech at the Together We Thrive: Tucson and America memorial on January 12, 2011, held in the McKale Center on the University of Arizona campus.
Obama began writing his speech the day of the shooting, discussing the matter with young Pentecostal clergyman, Joshua DuBois, head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
He quoted from Psalm 46, verses 4 and 5,[4] and then summarized the events of the previous Saturday morning, when six people were killed and Gabby Giffords was shot through the head, while "gathered outside a supermarket to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and free speech."
Six times over, he devoted four or five sentences each to summarizing the lives of the six who were killed: Judge John Roll, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwan Stoddard, Congressional aide Gabe Zimmerman and Christina-Taylor Green.
After referencing heaven and rain puddles there, and "commitment as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit", he closed the speech with a blessing.
"[6] History professor Ellen Fitzpatrick of the University of New Hampshire said that, "It was really a sign of what we expect from our president, that is what a leader does in a time of crisis and division and tragedy is to reduce, not heighten tensions.
The report said that "the aftermath of the deadly shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., dominated the public's news interest last week as President Obama's speech at a memorial service won praise—across party lines—among those who had read or heard about the event."
"[9] One week after the speech, John Harwood of CNBC reported that a poll conducted by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found that Obama's job approval rating had increased from 45% to 53% in the past month.
Harwood said that Obama was "strengthened by his adjustment to Republican gains and his response to the Tucson shootings", and that as a result, he "approaches next week's State of the Union address with renewed political momentum".
[10] While Obama's speech was widely praised, some television viewers felt that excessive applause and cheering from the audience created an inappropriate pep rally-like atmosphere at the service.
"[12] Charles Krauthammer praised the speech, especially in regards to Obama's mention of Gifford's opening her eyes for the first time: "the way he seized the moment and he brought the audience to that and became so inspirational" was "quite remarkable and extremely effective."
"[14] McCain also said that Obama had "movingly mourned and honored the victims", and "encouraged every American who participates in our political debates—whether we are on the left or right or in the media—to aspire to a more generous appreciation of one another and a more modest one of ourselves.
"[15] The Wall Street Journal reported that praise for the speech came from conservative pundits such as Charles Krauthammer and prominent Republicans including Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty and Ed Rollins.
[17] Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly wrote an opinion piece in the Boston Herald, saying, "In an excellent speech eulogizing the six dead and paying respect to the critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Obama appealed to the nation to cool down and stop the nonsense."
David Jackson of USA Today wrote that "A little more than a week after the deadly shooting in Arizona, it seems clear that President Obama's political standing is stronger."
Describing the impact of Obama's speech, he said that it had "won near-universal praise, his approval ratings are back at 50% or higher in several polls, and many commentators put him in an improved position for re-election in 2012.
"[19] Discussing the speechwriting process, Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that the speech was "memorable" and that it "has gotten good reviews, for content and hitting the right pitch".
[20] In Slate, legal analyst Dahlia Lithwick wrote that "President Obama's speech in Tucson last night should be ranked with his greatest oratorical moments, largely because in the end he was brave enough to sidestep politics and ideology, and speak instead of love, and family, and the need for kindness.
"[22] Political science professor Clifford Orwin of the University of Toronto wrote that "Mr. Obama rose above tacky surroundings to deliver the best speech of his career.
"[27] It also noted "a religious approach in phase with a deeply believing America"[28] L'Express claimed that "many people compare his moving appeal to national mourning and solidarity within this ordeal, on January 12, to the decisive Bill Clinton speech after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, or the day after 9/11 George W. Bush discourse".
