President Barack Obama's Inauguration is Monday. Saint Mary's College's Michael Kramer, a communication studies professor whose expertise is political communication, is happy to talk about the expectations for the second inaugural speech and what to look for and/or post-speech analysis of important parts of the speech and how it's likely to be received.
Here is some of what Kramer says he will speak to:
"Because it's a second inaugural, the president may give less emphasis to trying to unite the people following the election. Although in light of how polarized the country is, he may still try to remind the audience of our nation's timeless values. Because he's been president for four years, he does not need to use the inaugural to demonstrate that he looks and sounds the part. There's also less need to preview how he will govern--the public is already familiar with his philosophy and style of leadership.
He may reference and recommit himself to principles mentioned in his first inaugural four years ago. Although many first inaugurals focus on our historic past, Monday's speech may be more focused on recent history, as Obama reviews the successes and challenges of his first term. He may talk about specific policies as an extension of what happened in his first term, thereby allowing him to argue that the policies have been endorsed by his re-election, but won't get bogged down in policy details."
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