I’m all for hope and change, anything is better than were we’ve been for the past eight years. But there is a frightening truth in the old saying; “the higher you climb the harder you fall”. When Bush Jr failed in something we all just took it as a matter of course. With President Obama there’s such great and dire need to believe, to keep faith and hold on to hope. So when he promises the moon I get worried.
I don’t need him to cure cancer. I don’t need to hear that Americans can achieve anything and everything. And America doesn’t need him to fix healthcare, education and every other problem under the sun, in four years. We just need him to help us survive. We need him to make us believe we can survive.
Hope is ethereal, beyond that which allows us to touch and analyze. It makes us breath again, when despair has choked us for so long. But no one should ever place the heavy burden of impossible expectations on it. Hope will never endure under such pressure. It is only there to let us pick ourselves up from the pit of hopelessness, not to solve problems or cure disease.
I fear President Obama may have let himself be lifted too high on the power rush of his current job. It happens to the best of us and he is only human after all. But I have faith that, when life hands him his first massive defeat, when he makes that first unavoidable life and death mistake, he will pull his head out of the clouds and regain the posture that propelled him through the election. I have faith. I just don’t particularly look forward to the process.
We finally have a US President who can speak in full sentences, who can take responsibility for mistakes made and have a stated interest in hearing dissenting opinions. The past few weeks have been filled with joyous relief for those few facts alone! But the challenges the US and the world face are enormous and with the recent debates on the economic crisis I can’t help but feel President Obama may be a little too limited in his perception of potential solutions.
The problem for our new President is that he has to do the impossible, and he has to do it fast. Unfortunately, even for the truly great, it’s easy to get caught up in the eye of the storm and not see what goes on beyond the immediate wall of despair and destruction. From my perspective this stimulus bill, although certainly much needed and done with the best of intentions, is a dangerous gamble. Consuming your way out of debt is only effective if there is a prospect of new funds on the horizon. As far as I can tell, this bill will only increase the national debt with very little influx of pure capital. In my humble opinion the US economy is in far too deep a recession to come out of it just by adding billions of borrowed dollars on some domestic touch ups.
I fully understand the thought process behind the stimulus bill and the need to get Americans back to work. And personally I can’t wait for the United States to join us in the 21st century when it comes to internet access, environmental developments, education and healthcare. But I can’t imagine anyone believing this is going to be enough. This stimulus bill is like adding oil in a car to make the engine run more smoothly when it is in fact all out of gas!
The effort that goes into the sheer political practicality of passing a bill as massive as this stimulus package is mindboggling. What is commonly referred to as pork is the price you pay to get politicians with very different agendas to come together to achieve a mutual goal. This is what politics is at its core; bargaining, squabbling and endless compromises until all agree but no one is happy. It’s the price we pay for democracy. A sovereign King can decide on any action he pleases, a democracy has to find ways to make hundreds of vastly different individuals with, in many cases opposing agendas, agree on one course of action, in theory as much of a challenge as in reality.
But to survive this recession, depression, slump or whatever you want to call it, the US desperately needs to pump gas into its engine, and fast. America’s debt is today so high it defies human comprehension. This debt is only going to get higher during the next few years, with all the bailouts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan still needing funds. This debt can never be fully paid by American taxes or consumer spending.
What the US needs is external funds flooding into the country, money not attached to business deals or political deals, but pure profit. The only way this is going to happen is if America can come up with something to sell to the world that’s worth buying.
Today the whole world suffers from the economic crisis, every nation in its own way. The first instinct is of course to look to one’s own welfare with a deadly protectionism as a result. We are all dependent on the free flow of goods and funds to maintain our level of comfort and if the US were to close the door on fair trade and withdraw inward (effectively abandoning capitalism for planed economy) it would have disastrous effects on the entire balance of the global community. Where America goes, the world goes…
The only way to save the US economy, and in effect the worlds, is to make full use of the means available in the realm of the global community. But if Americans keep making up the rules as it suites them no one else is going to play along. President Obama will then be left standing alone, with his fancy new roads and shiny new houses and a national debt that will make the United States of America effectively bought and paid for by foreign nations and conglomerates.
Innovations and foreign relations should be President Obama’s main focus, in my opinion. This is where the money is and the solution to America’s many problems. One new invention is not going to be enough, nor will one solution ever be enough. But President Obama won the worlds approval through this recent election. He should capitalize on that now. The influx of money into his suffering nation depends on whether we believe America is once again worth investing in and if American products are worth paying for. If we are still ignored, as we have been for the past eight years, if the current President insists on pressing the idea that saving American jobs at all cost is the only solution then I fear, as great a man as I believe he is, President Obama will inevitably fail.
One of the most important rules of capitalism state that if a product can be produced at a smaller price with same quality in, let’s say India as opposed to Indiana, then that’s where it needs to be produced. The country that has a higher living cost and its workers therefore are unable to live on a the salaries the workers can, in for example India, will just have to find other things to do for profit, things that are too complex to be done in India, or other developing nations. Clinging to jobs that rightfully belong to people in poorer nations, simply because Americans lack the imagination or the education they should have considering the nations collective wealth, is inexcusable!
We shall soon see which road President Obama chooses for his country. What I hope for is that he will find the courage to let go of some type of jobs and businesses in order to allow the world to help fuel the American wonder once more. But if he ignores the needs of the other nations across the globe, which many of his fellow countrymen will insist on, I fear it will fasten the decent into despair for all nations, including the US. The American dream needs new material, new inventions and new ideas!!
President Obama won the election on the idea that anything is possible, that the American spirit can survive anything. This is a noble idea and in some ways it’s absolutely true. I just hope he doesn’t put too much faith in the premise that the only thing Americans need is more jobs and a house to live in. Investing in the future is a good thing. Giving people jobs is a good thing. But America has lost more than just jobs and houses. And it will take more than what Americans themselves can muster to get out of this recession.
I hope President Obama and his countrymen will realize in time that all humans are a part of this now, the world is one and the American engine needs to run smoothly, not just for its own sake but for all of us.
I’ve heard over and over today, that Barack Obama is historic because he is the first African-American to be President of the United States. Personally I couldn’t care less if his skin was white, black or green. To me it’s an historic day because he makes me care, because suddenly millions of people all over the world care. We listened to his amazing speech, actually listened. We heard his words, not just casually caught a sentence or two from occasional tidbits on TV. He touches me, us, out here in the world, as well as in living rooms all over America. That is historic! At least it hasn’t happened before in my lifetime.
I just played a few minutes of Bush Jr, inaugural speech from 2001 on YouTube. On a factual level he said almost exactly the same things President Obama did. But he never reached me, never made me believe it. He said things like “Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation, and this is my solemn pledge; I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity.” Sounds good, but not nearly as good as President Obama’s words;
“America; In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations”.
These are words to inspire, to reach out and grab you!! These are the words worthy of a President. I even watched Kennedy’s speech to compare but I wasn’t nearly as impressed. Perhaps it just wasn’t my era. Obama will surely be my Kennedy though, and for that I am truly grateful.
As I watched Bush’s speech I noted the comments below it. Apparently there are those Americans who will miss him. One person asked if those who claimed to hate Bush even knew why. I have to confess my main reasons are somewhat childish. I hate how his words belittle me, make me feel less worthy than Americans. I hate it when he says things like Iraq not having weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment, as if he thought there should be such weapons in every country and that he was disappointed there weren’t. Of course I know what he meant, but he never said what he meant. Instead he said the most atrocious things and the world suffered for it.
Now we finally have a US President who says the most wonderful things in the most wonderful ways and that, as childish as it may seem, is what makes Barack Obama historic in my mind. He makes me believe, and in doing so he changes me. That’s how you create miracles, how you make the impossible possible! That’s how you go to the moon! You make people believe they can.
Still, there are good reasons for caution, as many have pointed out. If expectations are too high it can create the illusion that the work is already done, that we can sit back and enjoy the ride. But I don’t think President Obama will allow that. Nor do I think the millions of unemployed or suffering Americans would ever believe that. But maybe his words can pull them out of their self-pitying slump so many Americans seem to be in at the moment.
Then again, out of some four hundred thousand votes on CNNs website, almost 40% thought the whole inauguration thing was totally overhyped. Maybe they’re right. Maybe our beloved Obama isn’t all that, after all… Time will tell.
But I will love him anyway. If nothing else I will love him for the beautiful words he says and for making me believe, if only for a day!
Also, thank God! or I should say; Thank Obama! the White House website is finally worth paying a visit to!!! The last one was so sad, all empty and boring. I just hope that maybe in the future they’ll make a little room for us non US citizens. We don’t have zip codes and I hate to have to lie on all of these forms and what not. Maybe in time…
Anyway, time for me to sleep, it’s almost one in the morning here now. It’s been a glorious, amazing, unforgettable day. I hope President Obama (I can’t write that often enough!!) and his family have a great evening ball-hoping!
Just now I watched the symbolic departure of Bush, the chopper disappearing in the distance and I’m overwhelmed by relief! More than I thought I would. Bush Jr. is finally gone and we’re still here! A new era has arrived and life begins again…
The former President Bush Jr. (can’t believe I get to use that phrase, finally!) seems to think the disapproval ratings and anti-Bush sentiments around the world are just a phase we’ll grow out of. That any day now we’ll wake up and say, “Gosh darn, that Bush sure was a swell guy!” By all means, let the poor fool believe that, if it makes him happy. Personally I think most people will agree; the sooner we put the nightmare of Bush behind us and move forward the better.
In a few years, with luck and hard work, the only thing remaining of the past few years of insanity are the numerous, often hilarious and always shameless Bushisms that will surely live on forever. The rest will fade into a mere footnote in history. No one cares about the guy who started the wars. It’s the guy who ended them that is worth remembering!
I cling to his words like a drowning to a life raft, drink them as eagerly as one lost in the desert for days, as he says all the things that need to be said in ways most poets and storytellers can only dream of! With perfect deliverance and his magical communion of words, he binds us together across nations and beliefs. I still remember Iowa and I will always remember today!
It’s strange. I sit here with my computer connected to anything and everything (!), waiting for the cermony to start and for some reason I’ve been playing songs by Eva Cassidy endlessly on my beloved YouTube. It’s strange because she died so tragically so many years ago. I’m not even sure why I suddenly thought of her. But there is an honest gentleness in her voice that’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
Perhaps it’s a sign of the hope I feel, as her legacy and her voice is still present and continue to grow stronger. Maybe this will be the legacy of our new President as well. If he can balance strength and gentleness like she did, he too will be remembered with fondness and great appreciation, long after he’s gone (hopefully a long, long time from now…).
My favorites:
What a Wonderful world
Somewhere over the rainbow
Ain’t no sunshine…
Depression, recession, war, disease, famine, global warming and total financial meltdown of all economies worldwide and the list goes on and on…
Surely President Obama will wake up with a considerable headache for many days to come. But the key to all of these problems are one and the same; global cooperation across borders and beliefs. In today’s world everything is so interconnected that simply focusing on one thing, one nation or one solution is futile. We need to start thinking of ourselves as one race together on this one planet. Only with that perspective can any actual solutions be found. Thankfully President Obama seems to understand this very thing.
It won’t be easy of course, but then again nothing worth having comes easy. Perhaps this dive into despair is what’s needed for countries like the United States to begin to redefine themselves and their role in the world. We have changed greatly as a race, the past century. With this new millennium we face challenges never before imagined. To deal with this we need new ways of thinking, feeling and relating to each other.
The internet made the world significantly smaller, airplanes narrowed distances between us and the media forged new bonds across all boundaries. The global warming and diminishing energy resources will soon tie us even closer together, billions of individuals as we are, stuck on this tiny planet in infinite space.
To unite a world, the world needs to be inspired to unite. Bullying never works, people will always find ways to fight it. But to inspire such a complex thing as a world like ours, one must have a clear understanding of the path ahead, knowledge of the path behind us and awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of one’s own heart. Only at the highest peak can you make yourself heard by all, and the climb there is thorny to say the least. But I can’t imagine anyone with more promise than Barack Obama.
Insecurity, distrust and fear have spread like wildfire across the globe in recent years. Wars and painful conflicts seem present or unavoidable everywhere you turn. The US is no longer the guaranteed peacekeeper it once was and President Obama is not a miracle worker. No outsider can ever bring peace. But he can, and must, rebuild mutual respect. This does not mean nations will suddenly become eternal friends, nor will they trust each other blindly. But for diplomacy to work, some degree of trust is essential. This will be President Obama’s greatest challenge; to build bridges, within his own country and between many others.
If President Obama can manage to get people talking again, get them to move forward instead of this stagnated depression, no challenge is too great to overcome. This is a simple fact. There are some six billion of us here, there’s nothing we can’t do.
But making this happen, uniting enemies and reconnecting old allies, will require a very special touch, a fingertip sensitivity to what each and all need to hear. There are keys to unleash every human’s inner creativity. But we each have a different key, so anyone desiring to inspire, has to understand our differences and adapt. A challenge worthy of any hero!!
It’s a good thing our new President is young! He’s got time… I’m looking forward to his eight years in the White House and the subsequent (?!) decades in charge of a new and reformed United Nations!
I thought I’d take the opportunity to say hi to all my friends on this special day and give us a chance to say hi to each other. It’s been an incredible ride to get here hasn’t it!!
Please comment!!
During the horrors of Bush’s reign I slowly began to come to the dreadful realization that before long the world might actually find itself in the midst of a third World War, something that had seemed unthinkable for many decades. But the new millennia seemed to hold far more frightening scenarios than ever before imagined and the outcome of all these fears would rest in the hands of the future President of the United States.
For so long it felt like disaster was inevitable, as the hope of all civilized nations, the country that held so much promise, had begun to act so erratically, irresponsibly and impulsively. This was cause for great concern, since the world needed a unifying force more than ever before. The challenges we all faced could not be solved alone and the United States of America was the only potential candidate to unite an unruly world. But President Bush, supported, at least in the beginning, by large numbers of his people, made it clear that the US thought nothing of the rest of the world or the wisdom that had evolved within it.
Then suddenly there was a young Senator from Illinois with the strange name of Barack Obama. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come since then.
When Obama won in Iowa, it was like the fog finally lifted after so many years of impenetrable darkness. There was hope and possibilities again, a chance at least for peace and prosperity. But going through my own blog posts, as they depict this incredible journey, I can’t help but marvel at the challenges he faced and obstacles he overcame. All of it converging on this day, in this moment in time, when I can finally write the words I have so longed to write; President Obama. It’s enough to take your breath away. But despite the fact that my belief in the possibility of this moment and my faith in this man has never wavered, I have to admit most days it did seem like an impossible dream.
Yet here we are. Today impossible has been proven null and void for all to see. Faith has finally prevailed over despair, commitment and dedication has prevailed over the age old prejudice of money and breeding, and the ethereal experience of hope became an actual beacon in the darkness.
Today millions all over the world enjoy the sensation of victory, the sweat aroma of joyous celebration. It is truly remarkable how many of us became personally invested in this campaign and shared in the struggles and woes of our fellow humans. Never before has the election in nation become such a shared endeavor for so many, so far apart!
Even though I’m unable to be a part of the celebrations in Washington DC today, I will be there in heart and spirit, for this day feels like it belongs as much to me as it does to the American people and others across the globe. It’s more than just the swearing in of yet another President. It’s the pinnacle of a collective journey, where accepted truths were tested and faith challenged, with victory the final outcome. It has been a journey so much greater than one man or one voice.
Barack Obama became the focus point of a world full of hope, dreams and fears and he carried it all without faltering or wavering. I have never been more proud of a single individual before, and elated that he has not yet allowed my belief in him to be in vain.
As countless Americans proudly, and rightly so, declare themselves winners, not just of an election, but rather winners of the battle against the hopelessness and crippling fear that has held the nation in its grip for so long, we should all remember the fragility of this victory. The celebration is well deserved and should be a moment worthy of the history books. But tomorrow the true test and challenge begins.
Wishing everyone aMERRY CHRISTMAS and aHAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Here’s a little Christmas song I found
Wishing everyone a
MERRY CHRISTMAS and a
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Here’s a little Christmas song I found
I attended a funereal today. A close friend of the family died unexpectedly last month from cancer. I had known him all my life, but never really knew him. We’d meet at various festive occasions, share pleasantries, exchange brief updates on our lives and always part with a warm embrace. That’s what I remember the most about him, his great, big hugs. He was a man with a big heart and in church today there was no doubt he had been, and always will be, deeply loved by many.
I sat there in church, watching his wife of some forty years struggle to hold the turmoil of emotions in check while the sun made a rare appearance in the darkest days of the year. I’m not a religious person and while the priest went on about Christian things, I pondered the meaning of change.
Change can probably mean a billion things and more. If you search Google for the word Change you actually get over a billion results. Change can be welcomed, when life is hard and suddenly gets easier. It can also be cursed when a good life turns into pain and suffering. We change as human beings, as life runs its course. We change as a race through the eons and call it evolution.
Change is the thing that happens when atoms merge and create the building blocks of our existence. Change is what happens when our cells slowly decay and we finally draw our last breath. Change is what happens when cells mutate into cancerous tumors and ends our life too soon. But Change is also what happens when the sperm leaves the comfort of its origin, finds an egg and life begins anew.
It’s amazing how much meaning there can be in one single word.
Change is not something we can ever avoid. It will come in one form or another. The only thing we can do is humbly and bravely endeavor to shift this change in a direction we feel is good and right.
I began following Obama because I needed to change my life. I was stagnating, obsessing about all negative things and needed something positive to shift my focus. I used him to try to change my life to the better and it worked. I feel free now, free to do what I always wanted to do. Politics was never my passion, writing fictional stories are. That’s what I can concentrate on now, that’s the freedom Obama gave me.
But regrettably I need to let some things go. I can no longer spend weeks on one single posting here. I have to move on. I will continue to stay updated on Obama’s progress, but the journey he’s on is the journey of the citizens of the United States. This journey will undoubtedly affect us all profoundly but in truth, as much as I wish I could help, I have to accept the fact that there is nothing I can do. And today I was reminded of just how short and fragile life is and I how important it is for each of us to experience our own journey as fully as possible while we still can.
I can never fully express the gratitude I feel for the privilege of sharing thoughts, dreams and fears with everyone on this site. It really did change my life. I will keep blogging now and then but not the way I did. I have stories to write, characters to create and other galaxies to explore! But none of that could have been possible if Barack Obama hadn’t stood up and said “Change is possible in America”. For a while there I had almost given up…
Here in Sweden the Nobel celebrations are always a welcome sign of the approaching holidays, especially with the dreary rain outside. We are treated to an enchanting night of royalty, fancy dresses, great performances and speeches.
With all the gold and sparkling diamonds on our screen it’s hard to believe we’re in a recession. So far nothing feels any different but we’re constantly told by well-meaning experts that it’s going to get worse. I can’t help but feel a strange sort of comfort in that knowledge. We know next year will be tuff and with that knowledge we can prepare. Ironically it is the slowing down of our hunger for things and experiences that will cause this recession to worsen.
Our modern world today seems to rest solely on our ability to consume. This fixation is the core of most economic theories and political plans. I buy a CD for a friend as Christmas gift. The money I spend on it will go to paying the salary of the person who sold it, the person who made it and the person who recorded the content. Three separate groups of people get paid a salary simply because I bought this CD. That’s how the world goes around.
It’s a bit mindboggling to realize how deeply entrenched we have become with this consumer focus. It’s even gotten so bad that we now consume things that barley exist. People speculate in bonds, currency and stocks, buy loans and mortgages, making money on anything and everything. The very act of selling can generate money even with nothing tangible actually being sold!
What’s even more frightening is how difficult it is to imagine a world functioning any other way.
Those who can’t keep up in this fast paced world of buy and sell quickly fall behind, becoming the invisible masses of the poor and suffering, hovering just at the edge of our awareness. We pat ourselves on the pack when we pay tribute to them occasionally or donate a dollar or two. But their lives have very little to do with us. We, the powerful consumers, are invincible, except of course when the dreaded recession roles in...
I can’t help but think there is a much needed equalizing force in these recessions. They force people to think before consuming, force them to reevaluate what they really need. Obviously it’s not so easy for those at the bottom of the food-chain who may very well go hungry, but if we don’t balance ourselves and our lives, nature invariably finds a way to do it for us.
At least I will think a bit more before consuming during this year’s great spending spree. Spend on things that matter, things that help preserve our planet or bring true joy to family and friends. Giving responsibly can be very rewarding, and it is after all what makes the world go around…
I attended my first Sunday service at a local church a few weeks ago. A friend of mine was going to speak and she wanted me to be there. But as the service was underway a man suddenly came in, walked up the aisle and declared he had something to say. Before I knew what happened, the people in front of the church rose from their seats and as one charged towards the exit, pulling me and everyone else with them. Once we were outside word spread that the man, clearly mentally unstable, had been carrying a can of gasoline and an axe with him. Fortunately nothing happened and the police soon showed up and took the man into custody, as the rest of us went back inside and the service resumed.
I had been sitting too far from the aisle to see the man clearly and was utterly unaware of the danger. But I ran because everyone else ran and had this man intended harm this act clearly would have saved my life. The collective instinct to follow the pack is the most primordial of our defense mechanisms and it has kept us alive through eons. But how do you know when to stop running?
The stampede in the market is a frightening sight to behold; millions of faceless investors running back and forth like headless chickens, frantically searching for safety and stability. Calming them down isn’t much easier then controlling a mass of stampeding bulls.
The Market is a strange thing, an almost ethereal creature with seemingly a mind of its own. But it’s really just a part of us, a part of this thing we call human society. Every loaf of bread we buy, every car we build, every flower sold, is a part of this complex machinery. With all the talk of greed and cold hard cash, it’s a bit curious to realize that at the heart of this machine is something as basic as trust. Trust that a company is worth what its owners claim, trust that the loaf of bread is produced as efficiently as possible, and as for the credit card industry; trust that money lent will be returned with a profit. This is what makes the wheels go round, the oil that allows inventers to afford inventing, entrepreneurs to afford dreaming and simple workers to afford houses and cars. Now the trust is gone and the instincts that have served humanity for so long have become the one thing that might shatter life as we know it.
President-elect Obama is doing his best to stop the stampede, to calm the Market and restore trust. The Powers That Be, in the US as well as in many other countries, have infused the Market with money, desperate to restore balance, to get the wheels turning again. The Market seems to like it, but what worries me is that instead of regaining trust between the various players within the Market, governments all over the world have created a false sense of security in the notion that the governments themselves are Gods in this game and will actively monitor and babysit every single one of the incalculable transactions taking place within the Market. The inhabitants of the Market still won’t trust each other as capitalism dictates they have to, but instead trusts only the Governments to provide them with what they need. This is a dangerous precedence.
I understand the idea behind the bailouts, and it’s quite possible there are no other options. But for how long will these bailouts continue? Everyone already knows the money the US government is offering comes from the magical kingdom of fairies, not actual products that can be sold, or land that can be developed. Obama and Bush are borrowing money in the name of American taxpayers to pay for the “oil” that will grease the wheels. But what if the wheels aren’t in motion to begin with? What use will oil do to an engine that has run out of fuel?
As far as I can tell there’s really only one way out of this mess for President-elect Obama. He has to find a way to tap into the resources of the rest of the world. America can’t run on borrowed money for much longer, especially since it’s largely borrowing from enemy countries. But the only way we, as in the global citizens of the world, will be willing to pour our hard earned cash into the American machinery, is if America is selling us something we need. Offering us fancy words and hopeful phrases is all well and good, but it won’t generate the cash the US needs to survive.
If I were in Obama's place I would commission NASA to use whatever means necessary in order to build that illusive battery that can store energy from the sun’s rays and power a ten ton truck or even an airplane. We already know how to harness the energy of the sun, we just don’t know how to transport it to where it’s needed. This will be the invention of the millennium and it would solve all of the financial problems the US faces. Personally I can’t imagine any other company, organization or group of individuals in the world that are better suited for this task then the people at NASA. After all, they were the ones who found a way for mankind to travel into space. Clearly they don’t understand the term impossible.
It is a strange feeling to watch a man I have put so much faith in, not only meet my expectation but exceed them. President-elect Obama presented his national security team today and did so with extraordinary vision and confidence. I have never hidden my dislike for Sen. Clinton but if Obama believes she can rise to the challenge, then I will give her the benefit of a doubt. As for the rest of the team I felt they represented not only the change from Bush we all so desperately desire, but also the pragmatism, intelligence and focus that I have come to respect in Obama.
Robert Gates has proved to be a stabilizing and reassuring force in the uncertain and erratic Bush years. It wouldn’t surprise me if history shows he alone kept the world from the brink of disaster as Bush stumbled and rambled. Gates also represents a comforting continuity in the Defense Department. I’m sure the idea of any kind of disruptive or destabilizing element to the US military at this point in time, is probably as frightening to world leaders as it is to ordinary citizens like me. Gates puts most of those concerns to rest and gives us a chance to breathe a little easier tonight.
Susan Rice offers the potential for a much needed effort, and a personal desire of mine, to empower the United Nations after almost a decade of pure neglect. During the disastrous years of Bush we saw the UN falter and fade and the world became increasingly unstable and less safe because of it. The UN is an organization that grew out of the dream that shaped the United States of America, a dream where all humans are created equal and deserve equal right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. It is an organization that cannot exist without the leadership of the country that spawned it. We need a platform for human dialogue, across borders and cultures and we need America to host this platform. I firmly believe that the UN needs to be enforced not dismantled, to allow us all to live in a world that is safer and better and I’m relieved to hear that President-elect Obama and his chosen UN ambassador agrees with this view.
This team may not be the dream of a diehard socialist (!) but I believe it is the dream of anyone who desires peace and stability in the world. I have no illusions about the challenges the US will have to tackle in the years to come, and the recent attacks in Mumbai shows us with painful clarity the fragility of the world. But today President-elect Obama put a strong and confident face to the future of American leadership and that is profoundly encouraging. To chose powerful individuals with strong opinions is dangerous and can easily cripple weak leaders, as was the case with Bush Jr. But in his briefing today Obama effectively eliminated any such concerns and the team he assembled will undoubtedly help empower him as he struggles to resolve the damage done and restore the balance to the world.
I can’t wait for the day when I no longer have to use the phrase “President-elect” but can finally call him; President Obama.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
The news of the insane prices for tickets to the Inauguration even reached the Swedish news media last night. There’s been tales of this madness for weeks now but I guess it didn’t really hit home with me until I heard how much a ticket sold for counted in Swedish currency. It’s ludicrous! Is anyone actually paying these sums? Surely not the hard working American who dared dream of better days ahead, who was the sole reason Barack Obama got elected in the first place.
That’s what I’m having a hard time understanding. President-elect Obama campaigned on change, on common hope and mutual efforts. Why is it that this, the most longed for day in many of our life’s, has not been handled with the same care and consideration as everything else in his campaign? Does he think victory somehow put him above such petty considerations?
Undoubtedly there are endless historic reasons for why the new President can only swear the oath of office on a spot that can’t take more than a handful of people. Truth be told, I doubt anyone has ever cared that much before.
But this time it’s different, this time everyone with half a brain will care. I won’t be there unfortunately, but millions will. Obama and his people know that! So why not change the venue, pick a large field or a park, somewhere people of all incomes can actually converge and hear the first real hope we’ve seen in America in decades, deliver his first speech as President of the United States!
I really don’t understand.
I’m starting to feel like this might be the first big mistake he’s made so far (unless he picks Hillary Clinton for State, that would be an even bigger mistake).
Underestimating the needs of his people the first day on the job is not a good beginning…
The first week after the election I was kind of in a daze. The second week I spent most of my time trying to find a room for Inauguration Day.
“Sorry, we’re full!” must be the most frustrating phrase I’ve ever heard. I really wanted to go, to be a part of it, to be there together with everyone else. But as I’m starting to accept that it probably won’t not happen I’ve found myself in an increasingly contemplative mood and have begun to ask myself why. Why does it feel so important to spend a cold January day on the streets of Washington DC along with a few million others, following a car making its way through the city to a place I’ll never get close enough to see? My friends think I’m crazy as usual and there’s no doubt that I will see more, hear more and be lot more comfortable in my own home. So why do I want to go?
Because the Inauguration Day of January 20th 2009 is so packed with symbolism it can make your head spin!
For those who haven’t been as invested in this process as us MyBo bloggers, it probably seems strange, but Inauguration Day will be more than just a shift in the White House, or a minimal chance to see a glimpse of the new President. It’s about the process that President-elect Obama allowed us to be a part of and on January that particular process comes to an end. It becomes a historic moment of closure for those of us who were there for the first tentative steps of the campaign, for those of us who watched intently as he delivered the victory speech in Iowa and the tantalizing possibilities painted with such magnificent colors in the speech; “A more perfect Union”.
It is the power of hope, possibilities and the prayer of change that has formed a bond between strangers across states and oceans and by constantly managing to put much needed words to our own fears and concerns, Barack Obama has earned our loyalty and compassion. That’s not the same as agreeing with everything he says, or being naïve about the challenges he faces. Rather it’s the careful choice we made, to have faith in the possibility of a better future, a better world.
Barack Obama has said frequently that this victory belongs to the American people. Those Americans who cast their vote for him has become an intricate part of the path he will walk the next four years (and hopefully four after that). But as a foreigner I’m left in limbo.
There was going to be a gathering of veteran MyBO bloggers in the vicinity of Washington DC the day before and I would have loved to meet everyone, just to get a chance to be in a room with other people who cares as deeply as I do. I’ve always felt very strongly that I’m not actually a part of this process, although I have probably spent more time focusing on it than most Americans. My friends here in Sweden all seem to operate on the age old mind game of “out of sight out of mind”. They prefer to stick their heads in the sand and pretend the world doesn’t exist. I don’t blame them, but I can’t live like that.
My future is as dependent on the actions of the US President as any American, but my perspective is very different. I wish the world to be a safer place for my sake, for the sake of my family and friends. At the same time I’m painfully aware that this can never happen without the good-will, intelligence and positive aspirations of the leadership and citizens of the United States of America.
I doubt Americans can fully understand the sense of vulnerability that comes with that understanding. My safety is in the hands of strangers many miles away, strangers I have no way of influencing or helping, as they stumble along this thorny path. I guess that’s why it felt so urgent for me to be there in that moment when change becomes as real as it ever will.
On January 20th 2009 the all human endeavors, aspirations, present and future will converge on one small step in infinite space. It can either bring us to a worse fate or a better one. No human can know which future Obama will bring. But as fearful as the conservative right may be, I choose to have faith that President Obama will deliver us the option for a better life all around the globe.
I may not be able to be there in person, but in spirit I will never be far away.
Ps. If anyone happens to know of somewhere to stay, please send me an e-mail ( emmalindelius@hotmail.com ). Hope is after all the last thing that dies…
(Commenting on the unsubstantiated rumors of Hillary Clinton in President-elect Obama’s cabinet.)
I don’t really care if he puts her in the cabinet, as long as it’s not in any prominent position, such as Secretary of State.
A list of a few of the reasons why Hillary Clinton should not be Sec. of State:
1. She’s not much of a diplomat, the primary told us that.
2. Her ties to Bill Clinton would weigh her down and along with her the crucial efforts of the Obama administration. Bill might be well liked in some circles “out here”, but he doesn’t command much respect, and that will affected her by proxy.
3. She has no actual experience with foreign policy, at least not on the level that will be required considering the dangers we face.
4. Hillary, like most women in her age group, has a tendency to try too hard. It makes them appear desperate and weak. These are not good qualities in a Secretary of State, a position that is very similar to a soldier in the midst of a battlefield, except you use words and psychological manipulation instead of guns and missiles. Obviously the Sec of State can’t be an actual soldier, if you are no one will trust you not to use guns and missiles…
I kind of like the idea of Bill Richardson as Sec of State, but mainly because of his experience in the UN, brief as it was. In my opinion, anything that pushes President-elect Obama closer to the UN is a move in the right direction.
Choosing John Kerry would be disaster though. The last thing we need is another military man in the US State Department! He has campaigned too convincingly on his war record and it will be very difficult to ignore. The world will not trust a soldier to be a US representative of peace ever again.
But the only American I would really trust handling the deceptive waters of high state diplomacy is James Baker. Unfortunately he is far too Republican for comfort. Anyway, I hope President-elect Obama at least calls him on the phone often.
I do hope, however, that President-elect Obama keeps Robert Gates as Sec. of Defense. There’s no reason not to (that I can think of), and many, many reasons to keep him. Most importantly, the US will be extremely vulnerable for the first year of Obama’s presidency. The less strain put on the military community the safer we’ll all be. Considering the situation the US military is in at the moment and will continue to be for a foreseeable future, I’d strongly advocate not rocking the boat.
Anyway, that’s my two cents’ worth.
Now I’m off to bed.
MyBo wasn’t more than a tiny seed when I began blogging here over a year ago. I’m still reeling from the realization that we have come this far, but much remains to be done and President-elect Obama is going to need all the help he can get. So in the spirit of cooperation, here are my suggestions for what could be done with this website.
The campaign issued a statement last week saying the website will live on but I feel they may have underestimated its power and potential. It seems they are focusing entirely on this website as a tool to make “real-world connections”. There can be no doubt that these tools and the “on the ground” campaigning effort that were possible through the organization of this website, is the main reason why Obama will soon swear the oath of office. But I believe there’s potential for more than just community organizing in this website.
There are countless sites on the Internet these days, offering blogs and other type of personalized pages, fueling people’s inherent need to express themselves and connect with others. This has evolved organically over the past few years and, speaking as someone with great interest in human psychology, it is a truly fascinating process. As someone commented to me recently; soon we’ll probably be assigned an e-mail address and a Facebook page at birth!
We use these tools to make ourselves a part of the ever growing community of humans, allowing strangers to access our thoughts and hopes, while at the same time keeping it all at a safe distance, keeping our physical selves so to speak, apart from each other. It gives us a chance to declare ourselves to the world, take a stand and make ourselves heard, while still limiting access to that which is most private.
I can’t even imagine where this process will end but I’m excited to be a part of it. I also think it’s an unprecedented opportunity for President-elect Obama to put his money where his mouth is (pardon the blunt expression) and make his Presidency as open and flexible as he has declared he would. For what is more open and flexible than the Internet?
Since I’m not a US citizen, the tools for the community work this site has offered, is of no interest to me, as impressive as they are. My suggestions here are entirely selfish in origin and based on the notion that the United States of America is not just another country among many, but rather holds a unique place in human evolution. The US represents the merging of ideas, hopes and dreams, not just of its own citizens, but of the world. This does not mean, as many republicans seem to think, that we all want to move there. I have no desire to become a US citizen; I’m perfectly happy where I am. But I would like to live in a world that’s safer and more prosperous and I firmly believe the United States of America is the only place where the potential seed for such a future can have a chance to grow.
Structuring a website to cater to the needs of a President facing perhaps the greatest crisis in human existence, is definitely a monumental challenge and what I offer here are only a few humble suggestions and keeping in mind I have no actual technical experience in this matter. I’m also fully aware of the initial cost of building a website like this, but I firmly believe it will pay off in the long run.
