I feel insignificant, yet full of responsibility
Powerless, yet so full of purpose
Overwhelmed, yet granted understanding
I feel humbled
Humbled in the presence of great words
Words that empowered without focus,
Gave determination without direction,
Emboldened without substance
Mass confusion is now shattered with the immaculate clarity of hope,
and purpose, redefining our mystifying existence.
The lines have been drawn,
Our values are fixed,
Our vision cloudless,
Our hearts one
Now will someone tell me how I can find a damn job?
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The speech was eloquent yet somber. Highlighting the failures of the past eight years while looking forward. A statement of principles and ideals that have made us great before and can do so again. Rejecting the unilateral and lawless actions of the Bush administration with Bush and Cheney sitting mere feet away. A call to sacrifice that has been all too rare during the last administration. The underlying recognition that "we the people" must unite to face the monumental challenges ahead.
ReplyDeleteAn Inaugural speech is not a policy speech (that's for the State of The Union) but a broad inspirational speech which sets the tone and aspirations for the new administration while reaffirming the greatness of America. It compares favorably with FDR's First Inaugural.
FDR:
This Nation asks for action, and action now.
Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our natural resources.
Obama:
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.
The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.
We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.
We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality...
BarackMan-The Dark Knight
ReplyDeleteI think the reverberations of Obama's victory will be felt in ways we cannot comprehend today. Obama's success will be measured in not only how he helps get America back on track but also in how he heals America's wounded psyche. During the Bush years we citizens have been kids tormented by an alcoholic abusive national father and are now suffering from PTSD. That is why "hope" is so important. One must feel that tomorrow must be better than today. That we are not in decline but still have great things yet to achieve. And when people are optimistic they invest, produce and spend. We also sacrifice and volunteer to help others. During my peak of Bush hatred (2003-2006) I was rooting for the whole damn system to collapse. If Bush can wage war whenever he wants and has contempt for the law then the only way it would stop is if the whole machine would just break down. Now with Obama in power I feel good about the prospects for the future and I'm rooting for a fast recovery. Not that I believe that the "messiah" will bring about "utopia" but that we will at least be headed in the right direction. The same way that people were optimistic under Reagan even if they disagreed with him. I think that overnight black kids in urban schools will stay in rather than drop out just because of the example of Obama. On NPR this morning I heard a black woman say she hasn't worn red white and blue in over 30 years but is now. And how she never said "in liberty and justice for all" in the Pledge of Alligence because it wasn't true. I think we'll be seeing black people dressed like Apollo Creed and James Brown dancing to "Living in America" in Rocky IV from now on. The conservatives won't be grilling people about why they aren't wearing flag pins from now on. I don't hate Bush any more, I'm over it. I also realize we had to have Bush to get Obama. Just like we had to have a crappy movie like "Batman and Robin" to eventually get the awesome "Dark Knight." Same role but the former was an incompetent mess and the latter had to overcome the bad taste left with people by being intelligent and serious. Barack is the Dark Knight (and his new limo is the Batmobile).