Monday, June 23, 2008

Vero Possumus

Sen. Obama's campaign has created a seal that can be placed on podiums or rostrums when Obama is speaking. The Latin motto is Vero Possumus, which loosely translates into "Yes, we can." (More literal it is something like "In truth, it is possible." (Source: "The Great Seal of Obama," by John M. Broder, New York Times politics blog, 6/20)

Posted by AboveAvgJane at 6/23/2008 10:35:00 PM
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3 comments:

M said...

As used in the motto, "vero" is an adverb that means "in truth" or "indeed." "Possumus" literally means "we can." The stilted, literal translation would be indeed, we are able; the smoother translation is yes, we can!

Using "vero" adds a dramatic rhetorical feel to the motto.

I knew those three years of high-school Latin would pay off eventually!

Tue Jun 24, 09:48:00 AM 2008
Anonymous said...

There's some dispute as to the actual meaning.
You see - and again, I have checked with multiple knowledgeable sources on this one, starting with my wife - the verb "possum," which he uses here, is a "modal" verb that needs a "complementary infinitive" to complete its action or meaning. As my wife pointed out, my 10-year-old son's Latin textbook** uses the example "hoc facere possum," meaning "I am able to do this," as the proper usage. In plain English, what this means is that "vero possumus" translates roughly as "truly I am able to," and you can't say "I am able to" in Latin without saying what it is you are able to do.

In anycase, it was a little presumptuous of Senator Obama to give himself a seal.

So much so, that they're not going to use it again. Unless of course, he's elected.

Tue Jun 24, 12:10:00 PM 2008
AboveAvgJane said...

Michele,

Thank you for the explication; my Latin is rusty.

Alex,

Thanks for stopping by. Perhaps this conversation will encourage an open comments policy over at PAWaterCooler?

Tue Jun 24, 05:47:00 PM 2008

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