There was no shortage of powerful imagery on Barack Obama’s Inauguration Day, starting with the confident man who defied all political conventions — that he was too young, too inexperienced, too black or not black enough — to stand on the steps of the Capitol and take the oath of office in a city and a country that are still racially divided in many shameful ways. And there was the crowd that for a day, and we hope much longer, defied those divisions. By the hundreds of thousands they came from every part of a nation that has rarely been in such peril and yet is so optimistic about its new leader.
In his Inaugural Address, President Obama gave them the clarity and the respect for which all Americans have hungered. In about 20 minutes, he swept away eight years of President George Bush’s false choices and failed policies and promised to recommit to America’s most cherished ideals…
As the day continued with a parade and parties and balls, the image that stayed with us was the way the 44th president managed to embrace the symbolism and rise above it. It filled us with hope that with Mr. Obama’s help, this battered nation will be able to draw together and mend itself.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
I believe very firmly in self fulfilling prophecies. I believe that if you do believe something enough you begin to behave in such a way that your prophecy will become true. I hate using the word prophecy here. It sounds so ethereal when it’s really not that at all. It’s a very tangible and explainable thing. You want something (belief that you can have it) and so you do the things that will get it for you. Simple. That being said, I think that we, as a nation, have a leader who has a “prophecy” for us and that if we listen and get enough people to buy in then yes, the ground will prove to have truly shifted.
I’ve been thinking quite a lot about material that encompasses your question about whether “enough of us have been shaken from our (collective) torpor”. All the twitter and noise would suggest that the President was elected by “THE LEFT” and there is plenty of inane discussion already about how long it will take for him to potentially “alienate his base”.
“Bosh”. 87% of the people who cast ballots in the Iowa caucuses were white, anglo-saxon types from a part of the country not known for inclining leftward. The consummately skilled Obama worked the ‘big mo’ from Iowa all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue and he did it by convincing people of all different kinds of colors, shapes and political persuasions that he was a darn good bet for their support in his quest for the privilege of the highest office in the land.
It is a good thing that he has the support of labor. It is a good thing that he has the support of Kucinichers, New Agers, Queer Nation activists, and other holders of rather extreme views. The health of a nation can be gauged to some extent by the degree to which it makes a place for the eccentric. (I would attribute that thought if I could only remember who thought it.).
The point is – the Left did not elect Barack Obama. I think it entirely more likely that Americans shaken out of their torpor elected Barack Obama. I read from his public statements that he believes that to be true as well.
He is calling on Americans to bend the oar. I’m betting that grown-up Americans will get off their asses and contribute to the common weal as their circumstances permit.
Great thoughts friends. I think Carl’s correct – Obama appeals to what’s right about people, not their ideology or prejudice. I would have said what Smoochie says differently, but I like her way. Obama is what he believes, and it’s infectious. I’m actually thinking about what I can do. I’ll bet there are lots of others thinking that way too. And I like thinking about it…