A New American Clean Energy Economy

There were many important sections, moments, and turns of phrase in President Obama's State of the Union address earlier this week. Much of the speech revolved around the American economy and other domestic topics. In one section in particular, Barack Obama made a point that cannot be stressed enough. He talked about the US's place in the global energy economy.

For many reasons, investing heavily in scientific research across the board is a smart idea. Investing today in research for clean energy technologies is an even smarter idea. As Obama said,

The nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy.

In countless cases throughout the last several hundred years, it has been the access to energy that has dictated whether a nation's power grows or dwindles. In the 21st century it will be no different. If the United States does not become the dominant leader in new energy technology, it will gradually lose its edge militarily, politically, and economically.

Long gone are the days when the US could get most of its energy from domestic sources, and even harnessing all of the country's reserves without any attention to environmental preservation would not change that fact. However, the culture of assured access to limitless energy is pervasive and implacable. Replacing this with a new national identity of scientific progress through hard work and tough decisions is the right thing to do.

It's extraordinary how inventive one can be with ethanol right now
-Daniel Yergin

The need for leadership with class and honor to match their hubris has been in existence for a long time. At the current moment, as has happened many times in the past, the quality of leadership- from Wilson to Grayson, and Beck to Olbermann, vapid partisan noisemaking appears as virulent and infectious as the Swine Flu.

It is always difficult to not panic and declare the end of journalism, the fall of American Democracy, the coming apocalypse in 2012, or what have you. There have been questions about the virility of the American Dollar before. Similarly, as President Obama has pointed out, FDR faced much of the same rhetoric 70 years ago about health care in America.

What is needed is more leadership like that of President Obama, of Senator John McCain. And Ms Noonan is right, elders are needed to set the standards and hand down the lore.

O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.
-Shakespeare, Ceasar III, II

The Right Words

Few among the leaders of any country posses the antique skill of oratory. Few politicians or businessmen drive policy and the future through the strength of their performance behind the rostrum. But when a leader comes forward who can move people with words, who can turn the malcontent into supporters, give the saddened new hope, or put the strength of righteousness into believers, that leader rises to the top.

However, there is no guarantee that any great orator will use the skill for good. The world is not as simple as fiction or pundits would make it, and there is no easy slogan to drive popular opinion in the right way. With the amount of information available to any person with access to the internet, no politician can get away with saying things that are completely unsubstantiated for long. On the other hand, with the amount of information available, a politician who can give people shivers down their spines with the first syllable can get away with saying almost anything.

Evoking the emotions of a nation through oratory raises the stakes on issues both mundane and MAD. It is easy to repeat and whitewash small details into news fiascoes, drawing attention from what matters. The tools of any leader are greatly enhanced by the ability to stand and look a crowd and a camera in the eye and give them something in which they can believe. However, an orator is responsible for the effects of his or her words, and must be careful to use only The Right Words

“There is nothing in the world like a persuasive speech to fuddle the mental apparatus and upset the convictions and debauch the emotions of an audience not practiced in the tricks and delusions of oratory”

Mark Twain