Inauguration Day, 2009

The two most striking bits of news coverage I heard about the results of the 2008 election both came from overseas. The first was an interview with two young women from Iran, who expressed astonishment at the fact that not only did McCain concede that he had lost to Obama, but also made the statement that Obama "is my president, too." The second was a few days later, after a meeting between high-level officers of the Iraqi and US armies. One of the Iraqi officers asked, "Is President Bush going to just allow this to happen?"
I had never really given much thought to the matter-of-fact way we Americans accept the results of elections, whether or not we are happy about who won. Even back in 2000, when the vote was split essentially 50/50 and many Democrats felt that Gore had really won the election, we didn't have to worry about a coup, and nobody carried out nation-wide strikes to cripple the new administration. Now the shoe is on the other foot, and though many conservatives are horrified at the results of the election of 2008, they are preparing for a political rather than military response. Once again, it was the international reaction to the election that opened my eyes - the astonishment and jubilation about the fact that the United States had elected a minority President made it clear that many around the world had not understood we have a democracy that works - those in power really can be voted out of power. No matter whose side you took in this election, you should be proud to be part of that process.
Watching video of President Obama's inauguration brought home to me that I am getting older in a way that the birth of my first grandchild, last month, did not. For the first time, I watched a President who is younger than I. He may not be as young as he looks, but he doesn't remember the assassination of President Kennedy, or elementary school air raid drills, or the craze over the first Beatles albums. He didn't search the newspaper the day after draft numbers were assigned to find his and his friends' birthdays. His children are closer to the age of my grandchild than of my children.
I don't think it was possible to watch today's ceremony without some feeling of wonder at the exuberance of the crowds. You may have been annoyed or exhilarated, horrified or cautiously optimistic, but you couldn't miss the joy of the crowd. It is clear that Barack Obama can never be as big a success as some of his supporters hope, (or as big a disaster as some others fear), but in some ways he is already a legend, and legends can acquire a power of their own - for good or for ill. No living president in my memory held the status of a legend. President Kennedy came the closest, and more after his death than during his life.
In my memory, we Americans haven't been kind to politicians who confronted us with unpleasant facts and asked us to make sacrifices. Think Jimmy Carter. President Obama has, maybe, a better window of opportunity - first, because he is following a president who has become very unpopular; second, because he has not needed to be the messenger of doom. Nevertheless, Americans are notoriously short on patience, and three years from now may be quite ready to blame our new President for on-going problems.
The section of the inaugural speech that is clearest in my mind is the part about how we need to 'put aside childish things'. A news commentator suggested that was meant as a rebuke to Congress. I heard it as a rebuke to all of us, as part of his call to personal responsibility. It isn't the fault of Congress or our recent Presidents that Americans have run up huge personal debts buying fancier cars or televisions than we could really afford. Nobody in government forced us to use our credit cards instead of waiting to save enough money to buy something we wanted but could have lived without. No branch of government pushed us to neglect our health or our children's education in favor of playing video games, sitting in front of the TV, or whatever is our personal favorite way to relax.
I am in the 'cautiously optimistic' camp. I don't expect to agree with everything President Obama does, and I am keenly aware that the Constitution, Congress, the courts, and the people actually hold more power than the President. However, I believe that he is an intelligent and well-meaning man who is going to work very hard to try to do what will benefit our country at a very difficult time in history. If you don't wish him well for the sake of our country, shame on you.