Are inaugural addresses good predictors of a presidents future policies and accomplishments?
In general, they are pretty much more ceremonial than anything else. More often than not, presidential inaugural addresses are a superficial indication – and I use that word “superficial” precisely because superficial is exactly what most of them are except about the four best of them. Probably Obama’s will be No. 5 in the mix. Q: What are your top four inaugural addresses and why are they at the top? A: Well, because they did precisely what you have asked – they predicted the outcomes or the possible effectiveness of the new president and his proposed polices. In the case of Washington’s, his address was important because it was the first and was the one that lent itself to the direction of the nation at that time; and of course, Lincoln’s inaugural address (1861), because it set the tone and pattern for the direction of the nation at a time much similar to ours. The nation was in utter turmoil and he had to attempt to accomplish so much in such little time. … Q: I presume FDR’s 193
