This speech from President Obama moved and impressed me in several ways. This was an issue he had been passionately fighting for. By his own admission, the day of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting was one of his worst days as President.

There are good lessons here in how to advocate for a cause in the right way.

• He thanks the two senators who went against the grain and supported the bill.
• He doesn’t pull any punches in holding congress accountable for their actions. And he does it gracefully never once making personal or crass insults. He acknowledges that they are good people but they caved in to pressure.
• He explains to the people how gun lobbyists managed to block a common sense law that 90% Americans support, warns against the danger this trend presents and what they need to learn from the other side about achieving their goals.
• He speaks to the voice of moral conscience inside both senators and the American voters. Who are we here to serve? Have we forgotten so easily and moved on? By doing so, he appeals to the best in people, inspiring them to live up to higher standards.
• He finally ends with a promise of commitment to the issue and a call to action.

Throughout the speech, we can hear the thread of disappointment and frustration. But he (and his speech writers) didn’t let those emotions get in the way of what needed to be conveyed.

The cause is bigger than personal emotions. And we can’t afford to give up. Two important lessons to remember.

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