美国国家公共电台 NPR Fathers Of Our Country: How U.S. Presidents Exercised Moral Leadership In Crisis

 

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

On Tuesday afternoon, three days after clashes between white nationalists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, President Trump¹ took questions from reporters, and he insisted that both sides were to blame for the violence.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you putting what you're calling the alt-left and white supremacists on the same moral plane?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I'm not putting anybody on a moral plane. What I'm saying is this. You had a group on one side, and you had a group on the other, and they came at each other with clubs. And it was vicious, and it was horrible.

SIEGEL: It was a departure from the usual remarks we hear from presidents, as our co-host Audie Cornish reports.

AUDIE CORNISH, BYLINE²: Throughout our history, presidents have sought to demonstrate moral leadership in times of crisis. We take for granted that presidents will offer clarity and vision after an event like Charlottesville. But why? How far back does this go? We asked Barbara Perry. She's a presidential historian at the University of Virginia.

BARBARA PERRY: I have traced this back to the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln of course at the battlefield in 1863 to consecrate³ it. He ties us all to our common heritage. Now, we at that point are in a civil war, and the North and South are split apart. But he points to the fact that our common heritage is that our forefathers⁴ came upon this continent and created a new nation dedicated⁵ to the proposition that all men are created equal. And so he's looking past the Civil War, and he's looking to bring us back together. And so to me, it is the ultimate presidential speech of unification, grief, calming but also uplifting and inspirational.

CORNISH: Another speech you've talked about is John F. Kennedy, June 1963.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JOHN F KENNEDY: Good evening, my fellow citizens.

CORNISH: And this was a televised address to the nation essentially⁶ responding to the famous incident where the Alabama National Guard had to be called in to help desegregate the education system after Governor Wallace was standing⁷ in the schoolhouse doors, so to speak.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KENNEDY: We are confronted primarily with a moral issue.

PERRY: President Kennedy had tried to walk a fine line between the Southern segregationists in his own party in the South and the civil rights wing of the Democratic Party. He had of course seen what was happening at the University of Alabama, and he had seen the water cannons⁸ and the police dogs used against the young African-American peaceful protesters in the streets of Birmingham. And it pushed him over that line. And the new line was to declare that the crusade for civil rights was a moral crusade.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KENNEDY: The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities.

PERRY: And so it is at that point then that he takes on the legislation to send to Congress that will become the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

CORNISH: I want to fast forward to 2001. This is when President George W. Bush gives a speech at the Islamic Center of Washington, D.C., right after the 9/11 attacks.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GEORGE W BUSH: These acts of violence against innocents violate the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith.

PERRY: He rose to the occasion to calm the waters, to go to those who were of the same religion but certainly not of the same political persuasion⁹ as the terrorists who perpetrated 9/11. And I think he should be given all credit for virtually no violence breaking out against American Muslims at that time and would also note...

CORNISH: And his language is very literal in terms of how he says he doesn't want people to be in fear.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BUSH: Women who cover their heads in this country must feel comfortable going outside their homes. Moms who wear cover must not be intimidated¹⁰ in America. That's not the America I know.

CORNISH: It's not some fancy, dressed-up speech. He basically says, this is how I want us to behave.

PERRY: Yes. He not only models the behavior, but he gives a roadmap for that behavior.

CORNISH: To your mind, what is the responsibility of a president in critical moments? Is it to soothe¹¹? Is it to challenge? Does there have to be a call to action?

PERRY: I think at the very least, there has to be a soothing¹² and comforting component¹³. And we call George Washington the father of our country, and we look to fathers. And someday we hope we'll have presidents that we consider the mothers of our country. But up to this point, we view them as fathers. We view them as the heads of our family.

The president is the very first symbol of American government that children comprehend. And the studies show that from the ages of 5 and 6 years old, they know about presidents. And that's why it's so important for him to model the proper behavior for us.

CORNISH: I think about how difficult this is now in the last couple of years. President Barack Obama was known for his oratory¹⁴ and relied heavily on speeches with mixed results. I think the best-known one took place after the mass shooting in downtown Charleston, S.C. This was a shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BARACK OBAMA: He's given us the chance where we've been lost to find our best selves. We may not have earned it, this grace, with our rancor¹⁵ and complacency and shortsightedness and fear of each other, but we got it all the same.

CORNISH: This felt like a very churchlike setting. It was in an arena¹⁶, but it still had the - a pastoral feel.

PERRY: It absolutely did. And I'll always remember watching and seeing the African-American clerics behind the president. And I think that that caused the President to feel very comfortable in that setting and to take on the cadence¹⁷ and the rhythms of African-American liturgy¹⁸ and prompted him to break into the hymn¹⁹ "Amazing Grace."

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

OBAMA: (Singing) Amazing grace...

(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: (Singing) ...How sweet the sound.

CORNISH: Aren't there limits to rhetoric²⁰, though?

PERRY: I think there are limits. Of course there are limits to presidential power. I think of the - President Obama's speeches after the horrific shooting at Newtown in which he called for more severe gun control. And he was unable to get that passed through Congress. So the president is not always successful in the persuasion in terms of policy outcomes.

CORNISH: Have we also possibly reached a moment where we simply don't look to the presidency²¹ for that moral guidance?

PERRY: Well, we've certainly grown more skeptical²² about all government. And I should go back to President Kennedy. In that era, the Gallup polls that would ask, do you have faith and confidence in the federal government to do the right thing - three quarters of Americans would say yes. That figure has dropped to 25 percent and even lower. And sadly, I think it has been jaded²³ particularly by the incumbent²⁴ president.

CORNISH: What do you mean by that, though?

PERRY: The precedent²⁵ that Donald Trump has set now I think unfortunately is not to set that moral course, to conflate two sides in an issue in which the - I think the vast majority of Americans, including members of his own party, are seeing the side of those fighting for justice and equality and liberty as being...

CORNISH: But that his supporters agree with him, right? So is this something to do with the idea of a president not feeling you have to unite beyond your own base?

PERRY: Well, when we talk about Trump's supporters, we're talking about the base of about 35 percent of the American people. So this is setting a precedent for the president siding with a one-third of the American people I think to the detriment²⁶ of setting a moral tone for the majority of Americans who believe in equality and freedom and liberty.

CORNISH: Barbara Perry is director of presidential studies at the Miller²⁷ Center at the University of Virginia. Thank you for speaking with ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

PERRY: It's my pleasure and honor.

(SOUNDBITE OF TREVOR LAWRENCE JR.'S "CORNERSTONE")

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 consecrate   

v.使圣化，奉…为神圣；尊崇；奉献

参考例句：

• Consecrate your life to the church.把你的生命奉献给教堂吧。
• The priest promised God he would consecrate his life to helping the poor.牧师对上帝允诺他将献身帮助穷人。

4 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 persuasion   

n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派

参考例句：

• He decided to leave only after much persuasion.经过多方劝说，他才决定离开。
• After a lot of persuasion,she agreed to go.经过多次劝说后，她同意去了。

10 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

12 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

13 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

14 oratory   

n.演讲术；词藻华丽的言辞

参考例句：

• I admire the oratory of some politicians.我佩服某些政治家的辩才。
• He dazzled the crowd with his oratory.他的雄辩口才使听众赞叹不已。

15 rancor   

n.深仇，积怨

参考例句：

• I have no rancor against him.我对他无怨无仇。
• Their rancor dated from a political dogfight between them.他们的积怨来自于他们之间在政治上的狗咬狗。

16 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

17 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

18 liturgy   

n.礼拜仪式

参考例句：

• A clergyman read the liturgy from the prayer-book.一名牧师照着祈祷书念祷文。
• The mass is the church a kind of liturgy.弥撒是教会的一种礼拜仪式。

19 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

20 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

21 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

22 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

23 jaded   

adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
• Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

25 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

26 detriment   

n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源

参考例句：

• Smoking is a detriment to one's health.吸烟危害健康。
• His lack of education is a serious detriment to his career.他的未受教育对他的事业是一种严重的妨碍。

27 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。