Inaugural Poetry, Part 3: The Buckeye, Silver, and Empire States

A collection of thoughts from gubernatorial inaugural addresses.

Ohio: John Kasich
Thank you, Babe.

You know, my inauguration,
the conductor of a great orchestra,
with all of you playing an instrument in that orchestra,
my inauguration is your inauguration.

You know, I’m only a servant.
I am only a servant, a public servant.
I report to the people. I report to you, the people.

And when I wake up every morning, I’ll say my prayers,
I’ll hug my family,
and I will focus on Ohio’s economy.

Nothing, nothing can stand in our way.
I am a servant of the Lord.
I am a servant of the Lord. 

You see, Ohio has wide horizons, we have unlimited
opportunity. Ohio is an exciting place. And I have
come to understand as a grown man what Ohio is all about.
We are about common sense.
We are about common sense.

Get ready for an exciting time. Put on the seat belt
because we’re going. The weeds have grown up.
The obstacles at times seemed great.
The light is dimmed in our great state. 

Our enemy. Our enemy is not our people
or our assets or our great cities. Our enemy,
our enemy is the status quo.
The status quo, the dark side of human nature
that shuts down dreams and basks in fear.
The status quo, the dark side of human nature
that shuts down dreams. 

Our enemies…They refuse to help raise the bar.
And as our mother used to tell us,
Donna, raise the bar.

The people who refuse the power of team
and refuse to raise the bar are weak.
We will defeat them. We will defeat them together.
Well, as far as it relates to our enemies,
we can make them allies. 

We are not Republicans. We are not Democrats.
We are not liberals. And we are not conservatives.
We are Ohioans. We are Buckeyes together. 

It’s our mountain to climb. Can you see it?
Can you see that mountain? I know you can.


Nevada: Brian Sandoval
I am reminded of the struggles and triumphs
that have shaped our state.
I am reminded of opportunities realized through
the courage of our forbearers.

We live in a time when the odds seem to be against us.
The earth has shifted beneath our feet.
And for some, the results have been disastrous.
But character is measured in times of crisis.

People say Nevada is at the top of all the bad lists,
and the bottom of all the good lists.
This perception cannot – and will not – be our reality.
These are our times.

Optimism is the foundation of courage.
And rarely has our state been so in need of courage.
Perhaps never has optimism been so necessary
for citizens who hunger for a Nevada
filled with promise, progress, and prosperity.

History unfolds around us.
We must choose between indecision and action,
between complacency and courage,
between the status quo and what might be.

The Nevada I know will choose action, courage
and opportunity. We will choose optimism.
I know this in my heart.

New York: Andrew Cuomo
From the falls of Niagara to the
powerful waves of Montauk,
we have it all and everything in between. 
 
We really have every asset that man or God
could be expected to give to a place.
That is the State of New York,
and I saw that up close and personal.

Our expectation is that the politicians and the
elected officials of people are now going to do
what the people voted for
and what the people need.
Nothing is going up in their lives.

It is a time for deeds, not words,
and results, not rhetoric. It is time
for a bold agenda and immediate action.

There is no more waiting for tomorrow
and there are
no more baby steps, my friends. 

Look at the commitment, look at the resources.
They could have built a building
in one-tenth of the time,
with one-tenth of the expense
and one-tenth of the effort.
That’s not what they wanted. 

They wanted to make a statement
when they built this institution of government.
Why? Because the government is them.

It is not an alien force…