The Pre-Inauguration

First, let me be perfectly clear: I do not believe that anyone who cannot either spell correctly and/or pronounce the word "inauguration" deserves to use it. With that said, listening to interviews on NPR this morning, as part of the "pre-inauguration celebration," I heard comments that gave me cause to pause. One woman ranting, "I love him, I love him, I love him," about the President-elect. Does she not know that she does not know him? She may admire/ respect/ support the politician who has been elected to office, and that is good, but how can she (so adamantly) love anyone she does not know? It scares me that we have generations of people who incorporate complete strangers into their lives via the media, MySpace, FaceBook, et al, and other public forums. We bring strangers into our homes, trust them with our most intimate secrets, and then cannot cope with their betrayal of us. People, we need a reality check.

Obama is also not a hero and/or a super-hero, as so many Americans are averring. He cannot fly faster than a speeding bullet and/or leap buildings with a single bound: he's just a poltician who has been elected President. We've been hero-ing again this week, not just with Obama, but with the pilot of a plane who, thank God, somehow spash-landed in the Hudson River without any of the expected results: plane cartwheeling, breaking apart, sinking like a stone, passengers thrown into the freezing water, chaos. It worked, which makes it a damn fine landing, but heroic? I'm not sure. If it hadn't worked well, the lawsuits would already be filed and the pilot would be the no-good bastard who killed all those people. And, by-the-by, listening to the news readers mispronounce Chesley's name drove me crazy! Your hero is CHES-ley, NOT CHEL-sey! Get it right, already.

But getting back to the pre-inauguration build-up, a conversation was conducted with political pundits offering their take on Obama, and, at one point, I guffawed. The gist of the conversation was the expectations for Obama, or, as Oprah announced to the world, "THE ONE." The question followed, "So, when can we expect to see water turned into wine? Or the waters of the Potomac parted?"

This witty repartee led me to think about our mostly unrealistic expectations for our Presidents, none of whom can live up to their hyped public persona because they have to work within a framework of our political system. Currently, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have turned the spotlight on themselves and away from their positions as servants of the people who elected them to office. The power that these two politicians exercise is frightening. Pelosi and Reid completely denied support to any Bush policy or practice, creating a hostile political environment for even good programs to be adopted. I still believe that their purpose was to discredit any/all Republican candidates for office in the run-up to the national election, and, more specifically, to elect Barack Obama. Their strategy worked, but in the process, created a power base that may become a hindrance to the Obama presidency, rather than a help.

If Obama gets on their bad side, he can expect to experience first-hand their political clout because these two politicians have become the decision-makers in Washington politics. Obama will have to tread softly -- or wield a big stick -- if he wants to actually become the most powerful leader of the free world. Perhaps his philosophy is to keep friends close, and enemies closer? I'm sure there will be a political pissing contest, and I sincerely hope that the President will win it, because as long as Pelosi and Reid wear the crowns, Obama will have to dance to their tune.

I looked, along with the rest of the world, for the change that has been promised, and I'm disappointed that the Obama presidency seems to be headed toward a mirror image of the Clinton presidency. I wanted to see fresh faces, names I didn't recognize, hear new ideas, be challenged by new strategies; instead, I'm seeing the reruns of a past presidency, and I'm not sure why. Obama disappointed me with his selection of Joe Biden for VP, and he continues to recyle good ole boys from past administrations. I know he believes in going green, but Obama is taking his zest for repurposing and reusing a bit too far.

Is Obama going along to get along, establishing his willingness to make nice, until he has his power base established and can head in his direction? Time will tell.

Estimates are that millions of people will crowd into the Washington, DC area for the Inauguration, standing room only, during a very cold winter. If that happens, not only will public transportation be brought to its knees, but there will be total gridlock on the surrounding roadways both coming in and leaving the event. Five thousand portapotties have been put in place, but ... how much toilet paper? There is NEVER enough toilet paper in a portapotty. Twenty giant screens have been placed around the Mall so people who insert themselves personally into this historical moment can watch it on TV because, let me tell you, I've been on the Mall on the 4th of July, and only those sitting on the uphill side of the massive open space see anything! And there isn't much uphill side.

It's the beginning of change in the US of A, and change isn't bad or good, it's just different. We all have our own agendas, our own expectations for the future, but we share a collective set of expectations, too. We want this new administration not just to be different, but to make a difference, and the only way that is going to happen is if it's change we can believe in, change we can help make happen, and change that is going to lead us toward, rather than away from. I'm still hoping for the best, but I always prepare for the worst: I always have extra rolls of toilet paper, just in case!