PrintApril 8, 2009
Obama has Levitas, not Gravitas
Last year, candidate Obama was praised for his gravitas, but now President Obama has shown he has far more levitas.
In Latin, Gravitas means “dignity, seriousness and duty”, whereas Levitas means “lightness, levity, fickleness”.
During his visit to Jordan, last year, the Washington Post reported:
In Latin, Gravitas means “dignity, seriousness and duty”, whereas Levitas means “lightness, levity, fickleness”.
During his visit to Jordan, last year, the Washington Post reported:
And, as he has done before in the course of the campaign, Obama seemed to be up to the moment -- sensing the need to convey gravitas and bipartisanship while also strongly defending his own beliefs about America's role in Iraq and the broader Middle East.
But since Obama has become president, we find that he lacks many of the characteristics of gravitas. He was the first president to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. When the president jokes about affairs of state with a comedian, this is levity or levitas.
Obama campaigned against earmarks, but he signed the pork-laden Omnibus spending without hesitation. This is fickle or levitas.
During his European trip, Obama apologized for just everything America bashers have complained about, from Guantanamo to the economy. This is not how a statesman projects America’s foreign policy. It is far better to build upon the previous administration, not to denigrate it. This is not gravitas, but levitas.
Since Obama had a thin resume when he was elected, we hoped he would grow in the office and exhibit the seriousness of purpose and dignity the office requires, especially when representing America abroad. This is the gravitas we needed. But instead, we got far more levitas.
