Morning in America

The photo at the left was taken a few hours ago. It's in the pre-dawn hours down on the Mall in Washington and already crowds have gathered. Some parts of the crowd have been in the area since the weekend when the festivities for the inauguration began. Though I won't be down on the Mall taking part in the actual festivities, I do plan on taking in as much of the event as I can because it is truly historic. Perhaps to the rest of the world the furor surrounding the inauguration of President Obama seems a bit over-the-top or excessive but I don't think that's the case.

The title of my blog for today comes from President Reagan's ad campaign from his 1984 re-election bid and perhaps it's ironic that I use a slogan from a decidedly Republican President to talk about the start of a Democratic President's first term but I think the statement is apt once again. Many of his opponents and critics and those who simply paint people as either being 'liberal' or 'conservative' are bitter and resentful over the feelings that seem to be permeating the country at this point. Truly the emotions that seem to be swelling across the city these past few days is something I can't recall seeing in a very long time. Having lived in Washington my whole life it's easy to become jaded and immune to the excitment that many get when they see their government in action or conducting their normal business but this time it's different.

There's a renewed sense of hope in the country. There is hope that after 8 years of leadership that has had questionable and harmful consequences for many of us, there is a chance to begin again. There's a sense of renewal and hope. And that to me is the key to why there is so much excitement. Hope. Maybe it will turn out to be a falsely placed hope that so many of Obama's naysayers are quick to point out. Perhaps all of the things that Obama has been promising or talking about will never come to pass. Perhaps the next four years won't improve the situation we're in at all at this point. But it doesn't matter. People have hope. People are hopeful that the future of this country is on the road to recovery and that a new era will begin at noon today when Obama officially becomes the next President of the United States.

I think hope is something that has been missing with a lot of people in recent years. Sure, many of us try to be 'the glass is half full' type of optimists but still, there is a limit to how optimistic you can be when anything and everything seems to be collapsing around you. Our economy is in shambles, our nation's confidence is shot and people are facing a situation that they have not experienced in their lifetimes but what they don't need is another set of smug reassurances from someone who can't spell economy without a dictionary at his side. If there's one thing President Obama can learn from his predecessor, it is that when making reassurances to the public, be honest.

Don't hang "Mission Accomplished" banners when you know that the mission isn't done. Don't tell us everything is fine when you know that it isn't. And don't be smug. For the love of this country don't be smug. There is a time for smugness and a time for seriousness and I personally feel that we've had long years of smugness. It's time to be honest and I think that hope is there with the American people that today marks the return to honesty and good stewardship over our country. Those who have never supported and will never support anyone other than their own ultra-conservative, narrow-minded, god-fearing, bible-reading, moose-hunting, excessive-shopping, or simple-minded leaders take note of one thing. A minimum of four years of change are upon us; when things change for the better be honest as to why it is happening. Don't live in a fantasy world.