As a follow up to Booman’s post from yesterday late morning, this is what I have been feeling, hearing, reading….
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Just reading and hearing and seeing the change in people’s overall attitude – here in the US and just as importantly abroad – in the past 48 hours has been simply amazing. Except for an incredibly small, unimportant and quite honestly, laughable minority trying desperately to sound relevant, the mood has changed pretty drastically. Which is so important as much of the machine that put the republican Party in power recently is the divisive, petty crap that, quite frankly, got us all into this mess we are now in.
We can finally exhale.
We are on the road to respectability around the world. Our President personally reached out to different parties in the Middle East, is ready to sign Executive Orders reversing some of the worst policies of the last 8 years, completely eviscerated the entire premise of the Bush administration in his Inaugural Address and put a freeze on the eleventh hour Bush regulations.
In his first day.
Even though I wasn’t his biggest supporter (and many of you know), his biggest quality to me was that he was able to make people believe that they can make a difference, and how he could motivate people to get involved. Which is precisely what is needed now.
We can now be taken seriously in worldwide matters. Our views will instantly have infinitely more credibility. And we are instantly in a better bargaining position than two days ago, two weeks ago, two months ago or two years ago.
Sure, the economy still sucks, unemployment is through the roof, we are still in Iraq and there are urgent things that need to be dealt with regarding healthcare, the environment, education and infrastructure. But at least we can now try and do something that is serious about it as opposed to using it as an excuse to funnel more money to wealthy corrupt cronies.
In foreign policy matters, countries around the world and in domestic matters, people here in the US didn’t want to do anything for Bush because he didn’t really care about doing anything for them. Same for Cheney, for that matter. People want to help themselves and as we have seen since November, seem to think that they may finally have a chance to make things a little better for themselves and their children.
I certainly feel that way about my son now.
And after reading, watching and seeing all that I have over the past few days, it’s like we are getting a do-over.
Your son, although unaware as of yet has something very cool in common with my son, who is VERY aware at his ripe old age of “I’ll be ten in 3 weeks!!!”
He has known 2 presidents in his life.
One White, One Black.
Even though he knows its historic, it will forever be NORMAL for him.
I may not agree with everything President Obama may do, but by God, its good to see the smartest man in the room be in charge for a change.
Amen!
I was happy and thrilled on Inauguration Day. But I’m finding I still have a residual “Bush Tension”. After eight years of being braced for figurative body blows, one after the other, I’m having a hard time “feeling” that good things are going to happen. After all these years of knowing that Bush was doing Very Bad Things and waiting for The Next Very Bad Thing I’ve grown wary and cynical.
I DO believe that Obama will do his best to do Very Good Things, but I’m not feeling it yet. Know what I mean?
Yes. For me, it’s difficult to see the darkness in our national soul exposed so thoroughly for the past 8 years & then, by virtue of a single election, perceive redemption.
Just look at the stock market! It’s down again today ! We had the biggest drop ever on an inauguration day! It’s Obama’s fault! So much for CHANGE! We’re all gonna die!!!
Oh, Teh Stoopid!
JUST.SHOOT.ME
Think about it. The rise of political blogs has occurred entirely within the Bush Administration. So, any time a discussion is initiated about the White House or the Executive Branch, I’m fully programmed to reflexively cringe. Every speech, every press conference, every policy, every signing statement, etc.
As an indication of how programmed I was to expect the worst from Bush…on Tuesday, I joined an inaugural party about 11 am, and asked those present if Bush had issued any last minute pardons for his cronies. That he hadn’t was more of a surprise than if he had.
Now, I feel a sense of election night euphoria whenever I read any White House news development. “Reset button” indeed. After 8+ years of Bush Bad News (including the FL election fiasco), it will take awhile before I no longer feel some elation when reading the latest news about the White House.
And as much excitement as we’ve already seen about Obama, I look forward to the reaction President Obama will get as he starts to take trips overseas. A sense of election night euphoria will arise again.