Transcending Politics: Barack Obama’s Celebration Of Christina Taylor Green’s Legacy

The reviews are in and nearly everyone agrees that Barack Obama‘s speech last night at theTuscon Memorial Service was one of his finer moments. The calm, sober, and transcendent oratory had the exact right tone, which is a remarkable achievement given the odd “pep rally” reaction by students in attendance. But among many moving moments, the biggest tear jerker was the President’s celebration of the life of Christina Taylor Green, the 9 year-old who lost her life Saturday afternoon.

In hindsight, it was a dangerous oratorical tactic: the focus on the tragic loss of a doe-eyed and beautifully innocent child risked drawing reasonable charges of exploitation. But the context by which Obama introduced Christina’s spirit — in a way that defied any political split — instead focused a country’s attention on the her new and hopeful awareness of American democracy. It was within that impossibly pure frame of reference that made it difficult for anyone listening to not be moved to tears; emotions that seemed to instantly start the healing that the country so sorely needed.

It’s been said before but it bears repeating: the President was at his absolute best in this instance, but not as a politician, or even a statesman. Barack Obama was at the top of his game because he was suddenly, and quite clearly, speaking as the father of two girls, just another parent who was imagining the heartbreak that Christina’s parents were surely enduring. In fact, in hindsight it’s rather remarkable that he was able to keep it together at that moment, and not break down. The reference to her 9/11 birth date only added more poetic context, and the inclusion of “jumping in rain puddles” was nearly Shakespearean. In short, it was a beautiful moment.

Amidst the horror of the events of last weekend, and the dispiriting finger-pointing and exploitation that followed, America needed something that could begin to make sense of something so tragically nonsensical, and transcend the toxic climate of discourse that followed. The President’s insistence that we as a country live up to the expectation of Christina Taylor Green is the single greatest legacy that one can imagine. And while nothing will make up for the loss of a beautiful young girl, if the country enjoys a kinder, gentler and more respectful discourse that follows, it will be the best we can do to honor the sad loss of Christina Taylor Green.

Watch a report of the moment in the speech from Fox News (a transcript of that portion of the speech follows the video):

Obama’s Prepared Remarks:

That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.

Christina was given to us on September 11th, 2001, one of 50 babies born that day to be pictured in a book called “Faces of Hope.” On either side of her photo in that book were simple wishes for a child’s life. “I hope you help those in need,” read one. “I hope you know all of the words to the National Anthem and sing it with your hand over your heart. I hope you jump in rain puddles.”

If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here on Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.

May God bless and keep those we’ve lost in restful and eternal peace. May He love and watch over the survivors. And may He bless the United States of America.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.