My inauguration post
This was originally a reply on a friend's post, but it got long so I decided to keep the rambles on my own lj.
Over the past few years, I've started playing a game where I imagine what I'd do or say if I could meet the president and had to condense all my complicated thoughts and emotions about his policies and job into a quick sound byte. Playing this game with Bush is always frustrating and difficult; for Obama, it's been easy so far. I think I'd say, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Please don't screw this up."
(First, on Obama's safety: yeah, there's always a risk of some whackjob who thinks he'll "save the world" for his aryan brethren, or get a date with Jodie Foster, or whatever. But keep in mind, those who worry, that Obama has hundreds of the best-trained guard dogs there are, who get paid solely to sprint around in snazzy suits with Sig Sauers in their pockets, worrying about Obama's safety. And somehow, I think our worry is a lot less productive or effective than theirs. So if you find your attention turning that way, think of something else. It will make your outlook saner and more positive, in the long run.)
My dad and I had some really heated political discussions when the primaries were just gearing up last year. He felt a heavy pall of doom hanging over the Democrats, because in his opinion neither of the frontrunners was electable on the national stage: Clinton because she's a douchebag (we agreed on this point) and Obama because he's black. I said dad was giving too much voting weight to the dixiecrat elements of the Democratic party.
It's a rare moment when someone is glad to hear, "I told you so," as I expect my dad would be if I twitted him about this. :)
I can't blame somebody of my dad's generation for being pessimistic- when he was a boy, he could turn on the news and see white people turning hoses on blacks because they had the nerve to want to be treated like people. That's the perspective from which Obama's success is so mind-blowing. In one generation, from "no dogs or negroes allowed" to a black "leader of the free world." God damn!
Actually, I can't blame anybody for being pessimistic after the past 8 years. The Bush presidency really ground us down and left a lot of us, me included, feeling like the Cassandras of America. I've spent the past two presidential terms vascillating between fury and despairing resignation, especially after the brief hopes of the 2004 election were extinguished by a vote that convinced me that 50% of America was terminally stupid. It's hard to feel hope coming out of that.
But, you know, that's one of the things I like about Obama. Contrary to Republican smears, his hope isn't pie-in-the-sky. He doesn't tell us that if we just go to the mall or wave our flags real hard, all our problems will be solved. Every speech where he talks about hope, he also talks about responsibility and hard work. His message today wasn't, "Time to party America!" it was "Thanks, folks- let's get moving." It was Obama rolling up his sleeves, ready to get down to business.
Obama isn't perfect, he's not the most liberal guy, and I don't always agree with him. But I think, at the end of the day, that he's a pretty decent guy. Not in the "good to have a beer with" sense, but in the sense that he seems to really mean what he says when he talks about not compromising our constitutional ideals, and trying to enact policies that will help people. He's very smart, he surrounds himself with smart, competent people rather than cronies, and I believe that there is substance behind his speeches and that he has the smarts and charisma he needs to make a plan and carry it out. Thus, despite my jadedness, I find myself sometimes believing him when he says, "this is what we will accomplish."
And not just "we" as in our leaders...Obama's message is that we, the people, can and should own our country's actions, and that we can and should be ready to work towards our country's goals. Part of a president's role- especially a president in times of crisis- is not just to make policy, but to LEAD- to marshal the resources of the nation, including its people, and direct them where they will do the most good. Obama talks about a civilian service corps, and about citizens serving the country outside of a military role, and I think I agree with him. There's a prevailing attitude in this country that apart from those who contribute by joining the armed forces, the only role a citizen needs to have in this country is paying her taxes. I think Obama's right to call that into question, and surprisingly, I think I trust him enough to be led by him. Not just in the voting and paying taxes sense, but in the sense of taking action, in the area where he determines people's efforts are most needed.
Obama's vision of an America restored- ethically decent, economically strong, globally respected, and justifiably proud of its virtues- is a vision I can believe in and get behind. Not a perfect America, but an America that's more like the one I knew growing up: a country with problems, but a country that tries to do the right thing because it stands for something bigger. That's the message I've heard in all his speeches...that we DO stand for something bigger, and its our responsibility to live up to it. That prosperity and respect aren't things that we can sit back and expect to roll in because we're entitled to them, but things we are fully capable of earning if we just make the effort.
I believe it. We believe it. I'm waiting for you to start the work, Mr. President- and waiting for your instructions.
Yes we can!!
Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can.
Over the past few years, I've started playing a game where I imagine what I'd do or say if I could meet the president and had to condense all my complicated thoughts and emotions about his policies and job into a quick sound byte. Playing this game with Bush is always frustrating and difficult; for Obama, it's been easy so far. I think I'd say, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Please don't screw this up."
(First, on Obama's safety: yeah, there's always a risk of some whackjob who thinks he'll "save the world" for his aryan brethren, or get a date with Jodie Foster, or whatever. But keep in mind, those who worry, that Obama has hundreds of the best-trained guard dogs there are, who get paid solely to sprint around in snazzy suits with Sig Sauers in their pockets, worrying about Obama's safety. And somehow, I think our worry is a lot less productive or effective than theirs. So if you find your attention turning that way, think of something else. It will make your outlook saner and more positive, in the long run.)
My dad and I had some really heated political discussions when the primaries were just gearing up last year. He felt a heavy pall of doom hanging over the Democrats, because in his opinion neither of the frontrunners was electable on the national stage: Clinton because she's a douchebag (we agreed on this point) and Obama because he's black. I said dad was giving too much voting weight to the dixiecrat elements of the Democratic party.
It's a rare moment when someone is glad to hear, "I told you so," as I expect my dad would be if I twitted him about this. :)
I can't blame somebody of my dad's generation for being pessimistic- when he was a boy, he could turn on the news and see white people turning hoses on blacks because they had the nerve to want to be treated like people. That's the perspective from which Obama's success is so mind-blowing. In one generation, from "no dogs or negroes allowed" to a black "leader of the free world." God damn!
Actually, I can't blame anybody for being pessimistic after the past 8 years. The Bush presidency really ground us down and left a lot of us, me included, feeling like the Cassandras of America. I've spent the past two presidential terms vascillating between fury and despairing resignation, especially after the brief hopes of the 2004 election were extinguished by a vote that convinced me that 50% of America was terminally stupid. It's hard to feel hope coming out of that.
But, you know, that's one of the things I like about Obama. Contrary to Republican smears, his hope isn't pie-in-the-sky. He doesn't tell us that if we just go to the mall or wave our flags real hard, all our problems will be solved. Every speech where he talks about hope, he also talks about responsibility and hard work. His message today wasn't, "Time to party America!" it was "Thanks, folks- let's get moving." It was Obama rolling up his sleeves, ready to get down to business.
Obama isn't perfect, he's not the most liberal guy, and I don't always agree with him. But I think, at the end of the day, that he's a pretty decent guy. Not in the "good to have a beer with" sense, but in the sense that he seems to really mean what he says when he talks about not compromising our constitutional ideals, and trying to enact policies that will help people. He's very smart, he surrounds himself with smart, competent people rather than cronies, and I believe that there is substance behind his speeches and that he has the smarts and charisma he needs to make a plan and carry it out. Thus, despite my jadedness, I find myself sometimes believing him when he says, "this is what we will accomplish."
And not just "we" as in our leaders...Obama's message is that we, the people, can and should own our country's actions, and that we can and should be ready to work towards our country's goals. Part of a president's role- especially a president in times of crisis- is not just to make policy, but to LEAD- to marshal the resources of the nation, including its people, and direct them where they will do the most good. Obama talks about a civilian service corps, and about citizens serving the country outside of a military role, and I think I agree with him. There's a prevailing attitude in this country that apart from those who contribute by joining the armed forces, the only role a citizen needs to have in this country is paying her taxes. I think Obama's right to call that into question, and surprisingly, I think I trust him enough to be led by him. Not just in the voting and paying taxes sense, but in the sense of taking action, in the area where he determines people's efforts are most needed.
Obama's vision of an America restored- ethically decent, economically strong, globally respected, and justifiably proud of its virtues- is a vision I can believe in and get behind. Not a perfect America, but an America that's more like the one I knew growing up: a country with problems, but a country that tries to do the right thing because it stands for something bigger. That's the message I've heard in all his speeches...that we DO stand for something bigger, and its our responsibility to live up to it. That prosperity and respect aren't things that we can sit back and expect to roll in because we're entitled to them, but things we are fully capable of earning if we just make the effort.
I believe it. We believe it. I'm waiting for you to start the work, Mr. President- and waiting for your instructions.
Yes we can!!
Yes we can to justice and equality. Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity. Yes we can heal this nation. Yes we can repair this world. Yes we can.