Posted January 21st, 2009 @ 02:26pm by Erik J. Barzeski
I didn't watch the inauguration today, and I was surprised at how many people did.
I love to watch history in the making, but history in this case was made back in November, not today. Today was but a formality.
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Posted 21 Jan 2009 at 4:11pm #
yeah, the inauguration ceremony doesn't even have to happen at all.
The constitution says that the president-elect becomes president at noon. Nothing has to be done.. it's all automatic once the clock reaches the right time.
Posted 21 Jan 2009 at 4:46pm #
Yeah, but the moment, the history was made by the entire collective experience...the crowd who gathered, brimming with a particularly stratospheric level of passion for this particular president...what he signifies, what he may be able to do, what he portends for our troubled country.
I was born when Eisenhower was president, Erik, and I've never, ever seen this much transformative emotion. It's as if we've finally taken a step out of the evolutionary ooze. Obama's speech was a clarion call to service and a vivid reminder of what we respresent as a nation in this world.
And watching it in HD was just icing on the cake. You missed out. If you get a chance to see some of it (and the more long-form, the better), I highly recommend it.
Posted 21 Jan 2009 at 5:58pm #
[quote comment="52384"]I was born when Eisenhower was president, Erik, and I've never, ever seen this much transformative emotion.[/quote]
That's your opinion, and the opinion of about 54% of others.
I, and the roughly 46% of other people in the country, don't feel nearly as hopeful as you seem to. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad Bush is gone - but I'm a political skeptic and I've heard all this "change" talk before. "Change" is the talk every time we elect a new President. We're always promised change. We'll see.
People got on Bush for his "for us or against us" mentality - rightfully so - but the whole "unity" thing Obama's going on smells eerily similar. If I disagree with his position on something, what, the Obama-ites are gonna tell me I'm not being American and that I should support our President in the name of unity? Sounds awfully familiar…
In short, I don't get my hopes up, but it'll be quite awhile (years) before I make any judgment, either. Again, I'm skeptical, but neutral.