Jan 22, 2009 10:15
For days before the inauguration, people all around me were talking about how thrilled they were about a new president. They felt hope and excitement. All I have been feeling is numb.
I'm really thrilled to see some diversity in our executive office, but that inaugural address left me flat. I was hoping for something revolutionary, but instead I heard more sliding to the middle. It frustrates me terribly to see opportunity in the current situation and not see someone who now holds such power taking a more transformative approach.
While listening to the address, I wasn't able to put my finger on what bothered me about it so I've been noodling over it ever since and there are several things:
- if you're going to sound like a preacher, you'd better do it well
- there was a lot in the address that sounded recycled (later analysts recalled and recounted the words of former presidents and I realized that's what I was hearing, their echoes)
- the call to action didn't actually do that, it just asked nicely
I'm still waiting for the revolution.
politics