Make or Break?

Two hours after President Obama delivered his inaugural address, New York Times blogger Timothy Egan characterized sacrifice as "the theme that will carry or break the new president."

Obama is by no means the first American president to call for "a new era of responsibility," nor will he be the last. But on the heels of a disastrous presidency that squandered international goodwill and trillions of dollars by barreling headlong into Iraq, neglected New Orleans, and oversaw a massive financial collapse, rarely has a concept as mundane as responsibility sounded so enticing. It's safe to assume that far more than the 1.8 million Americans who crowded the Capitol on Tuesday are looking to Obama to tell them what they can do to feel good about their country and their future.

I wouldn't be the first to argue that it can be hard to predict exactly where Obama will lead us. Most expect him to be more pragmatist than ideologue. When it comes to sacrifice, the jury's still out.

One of the president's first acts of office was to freeze the salaries of senior White House staff. He's also promised to cut unspecified underperforming government programs. But will he go so far as to curtail entitlement spending (something that 43 would have been more than happy to do if given the opportunity that Obama apparently has)? What are the "duties to ourselves, our nation and the world" that Obama says we must undertake in order to fulfill "price and the promise of citizenship"? And if we can no longer afford to put off unpleasant decisions, how can we afford to borrow and spend close to a trillion dollars on new government programs and tax cuts intended to stimulate the economy?

According to Obama's speech, the American story "has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame." This is surely a convenient characterization of our country at a time when people are increasingly forced to make do with less. But I think it's worth taking a second look. Those who prefer leisure over work. Who exactly wouldn't fit in that category?

Isn't the American story - the American Dream - about the pursuit of happiness? Do we wish to be defined by slavery, sweatshops, and modern-day workaholism, or by the fruits of the eight-hour workday - the freedom to spend time with loved ones, go shopping, watch TV, cook, go for a walk, or do whatever else we damn please? Which story motivates millions around the world to seek a new life in these United States each year? Probably the one that allows that there's far more to being an American than toiling for the greater good.

So when Obama lionizes those who "struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life," let us not forget that their goal was not the sacrifice, the price of citizenship, but for us to live that better life. That is the promise of America.