Thoughs on Jan 20th

Friday, January 23, 2009

Was it possible to watch the inauguration on Tuesday and avoid at least a small tug in your gut from the obvious tide of emotion?

Some will say yes, for me, while I was not sobbing with joy I did experience an intense rush of relief. Relief, followed by a looming awareness of intense anxiety. The anxiety one feels when something you very much want to believe in actually has to live up to your expectations. I think that queasy anticipation is what has kept me from writing about Tuesday thus far. I was waiting to see how things would begin to fall out -- to see whether it was actually possible for Barack Obama to live up to his oratory.

Frequently, when I hear President Obama speak, I get the uncanny feeling that he's putting into words something I consider an essential truth -- but couldn't articulate for myself if my life depended on it. Others have pointed out that this is part of Obama's political skill; the generalities he expresses can be interpreted in myriad ways, at once satisfying many disparate outlooks and philosophies. I agree, though it's not necessarily a negative truth. His words resonate with and comfort an undeniable majority. Comfort at a time when so much is uncomfortable has value. However, it is then our responsibility to take these amorphous messages and look beyond his words to his actions when we assess whether our expectations are being met.

So, I cross my fingers and hope that his inaugural address, or my understanding of it, is realized.

Things that I like so far:
-Executive orders that rebuke executive privilege and keep lobbyists at bay.
-Executive orders that shut down Guantanamo, and prisons we didn't even know existed.
-The BarackBerry, because at some point the White House will have to catch up to keep up.
-McCain making trouble.

Things that I do not like so much:
-Partisan ridiculousness in congress, on the part of the Democrats.
-Indications of future P/VP rifts.