morning brew
I'm sitting in Morning Brew, nice little coffee shop in Kailua, contemplating all the work I could do today. But not quite yet. This is a nice spot to get some food and coffee and work for a while. The food is actually really good -- currently eating a breakfast burrito that's heavy on the fresh veggies. The coffee here is good too, although the chai is better (and is actually chai, not syrup from a carton). Nice artwork on the walls and a big menu, too. The acoustics here could definitely use some softening, though. All the ambient noise, especially from the steamer, makes it hard for me to overhear the class about PR in times of crises that is rolling at the table next to me, and both are drowning out the Dave Matthews on the stereo. This must be a live recording, actually -- maybe Dave with Tim Reynolds. A few songs ago he was playing Daniel Lanois' "The Maker". Love that song.
Tuesday night was awesome. I've never felt better about an election in my life. In fact, the only time I remember feeling real elation was when Bill Clinton won in 1992. (2006 was good, but it was more relief than joy.) I'm remembering how Clinton seemed like such a fresh face and brought all the trappings of a new era with him. He gave real support to public education, made some good environmental moves at the end of his tenure (quickly undone by the Cheney administration), tried to enact universal health coverage, and seemed to make some real progress with on an Israel-Palestine solution. He also helped bring us Don't Ask, Don't Tell; NAFTA; the DLC era of the Democratic Party; the Defense of Marriage Act; more deregulation which is biting us now; and, of course, sex with White House interns. So now, with Obama elected, millions of first-time voters, more joy about politics than I've felt before, I'm trying to remember not to expect miracles. Obama will hopefully be the leader, communicator, and consensus builder that we've been missing for... well, longer than my life. But he's not going to lay hands on the country and heal it. He's not going stand the government on its head. Picking Emanuel for chief of staff is the move of a savvy politician, not a revolutionizer. Obama is smart enough to know that change comes slowly, in fits and starts, with pain along the way. I'm very hopeful he'll be able to lead us through the dark valley ahead.
Tuesday night was awesome. I've never felt better about an election in my life. In fact, the only time I remember feeling real elation was when Bill Clinton won in 1992. (2006 was good, but it was more relief than joy.) I'm remembering how Clinton seemed like such a fresh face and brought all the trappings of a new era with him. He gave real support to public education, made some good environmental moves at the end of his tenure (quickly undone by the Cheney administration), tried to enact universal health coverage, and seemed to make some real progress with on an Israel-Palestine solution. He also helped bring us Don't Ask, Don't Tell; NAFTA; the DLC era of the Democratic Party; the Defense of Marriage Act; more deregulation which is biting us now; and, of course, sex with White House interns. So now, with Obama elected, millions of first-time voters, more joy about politics than I've felt before, I'm trying to remember not to expect miracles. Obama will hopefully be the leader, communicator, and consensus builder that we've been missing for... well, longer than my life. But he's not going to lay hands on the country and heal it. He's not going stand the government on its head. Picking Emanuel for chief of staff is the move of a savvy politician, not a revolutionizer. Obama is smart enough to know that change comes slowly, in fits and starts, with pain along the way. I'm very hopeful he'll be able to lead us through the dark valley ahead.