The royal “I”
In speeches, world leaders usually employ what’s called the “royal we” (latin: pluralis majestatis) to emphasize that he or she is speaking for a government or their people. The use of the first person plural is also common in newspapers, where editorialists express their opinions after the word we to indicate that they speak for a group, such as an editorial board.
American presidents have traditionally used it as well. Not only is it an acknowledgement of a team effort in government, but also implies a certain humility; or like we say in the Midwest, it indicates that a speaker hasn’t gotten too big for his britches.
Contrast that with our new president. Barack Obama never uses the royal we; he only uses the word “I”. President Obama told the nation’s mayors that, “I will not tolerate any compromise or shortcuts” in the way he intends stimulus money to be used. Since the president rarely speaks without a teleprompter, we can assume it was a deliberate use of the word “I”. Behind closed doors, he reportedly shot down Republicans seeking input on the stimulus with the admonition, “I won.” It ended any notion of compromise and drove home the point that there’s a new sheriff in town.
When President Obama appointed his inaugural cabinet, news pundits asked how he would be able to control a room full of large egos. We now have the answer: By having the biggest ego of them all.
