Having to earn a living really puts a dent in blogging time. Thus, the 2-day delay in this post.
The inauguration of Barack Obama was historical — not because of Obama per se, not even because a black man is now the president (even though that is historical per se). To me, this inauguration was so special because it brought into reality a hope, a yearning, a belief that we, as a country, were better and brighter and more compassionate than we have acted for the past eight years.
This is not a Bush bash. Not totally. Bush didn’t rape the civil justice system, the economic system, our political pull overseas, or our standing in the world by himself. He had plenty of ready accomplices. And those accomplices were in power for 8 long years.
Until I saw McCain’s concession speech, I didn’t believe that Obama had won the election. Until I saw the clock strike noon eastern time on January 20, 2009, I was still in disbelief that Obama would be the president.
Again, this isn’t so much about Obama as it is about the culmination of an entire movement that is so much bigger than Obama. As I’ve repeatedly written, Obama wasn’t my first or second choice for president. This isn’t about him the person. It’s about the fact that those of us who felt completely stifled, repressed, and defeated by the Bush Administration and its policies came together and voted that way of governing out.
I’ll repeat. Those of us who felt like the policies of Bush had to end worked together and won. In the most powerful country on earth, with more at stake than any other real estate on the globe, we peacefully won and, hopefully, took back the power from those who gave far too much to corporate interests.
That is incredibly empowering. To a much, much smaller degree, I watched the inauguration and felt like we had been liberated like some colonial protectorate throwing off the chains of its imperial taskmaster. It really was that kind of feeling because an entire philosophy lost power and a totally different philosophy took power.
I hope this all makes sense. I’m trying to explain that, contrary to what far too many Republicans are saying, this isn’t about Obama. Obama is nothing more than the symbol for something much larger. I don’t think Obama is a messiah, a prophet, a god king or any of the other names thrown at him.
It’s about a majority of voters standing together and saying, “Enough. We don’t want to continue those policies. We want to try a new way. And we will overcome the staggering power of inertia and incumbency.” (Yes, I know McCain wasn’t the incumbent; the point being that he was a continuance, in large part, of Bush’s policies.) And we succeeded.
This inauguration was an historic event. Not because of the man taking the oath, but because that man was taking the oath. In other words, we put him there. We succeeded in changing things in this country. Obama is just the way we chose to do it.
There’s plenty of time ahead to praise or rail against Obama as president. For now, I’m just going to go about my day with a big smile knowing that this hugely imperfect democracy of ours worked. That, in and of itself, is a joyous thing.