Posted by
Tom Anderson on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 4:04:56 PM
What a spectacle...overly expensive and over-hyped, but it's still amazing how we can transition power peacefully when very few other countries in the world do.
That being said, I have some reflections on the happenings of the day.
Rick Warren gave an excellent invocation. I thought he was balanced in his approach. I was also pleased that he used the name of Christ (several names actually...Yeshua, Issa, Jesus) in the face of liberal pressure not to. Contrast that with Rev.Lowery's benediction that ended on a VERY racist note. I thought this was supposed to be a celebration of post-partisanship where we left racial (and other) divides behind. Guess nobody told Rev. Lowery. Apparently I - and all other Caucasian folks - haven't yet embraced anything that's right. Not only that, but no one of any other race has had any success.
You'd think that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and another Harvard educated lawyer would at least have memorized the 44 word oath of office. If nothing else, you'd think they would have practiced a little. Maybe it was just nerves, but they both managed to mangle it almost beyond recognition.
On the whole, I was impressed with President Obama's address. I think there were several olive branches to conservatives. I hope that he follows through on them...that they weren't just platitudes. Some examples, in no particular order:
- He praised risk-takers, doers, and those who make things. Seems to me that this is honoring those who work hard, not those who idle their lives away on welfare. Sounds an awful lot like people who run small businesses, actually.
- He said that the market has the power to generate wealth and expand freedom. This seems to be exactly the opposite of his socialist leanings evidenced during the primaries and general election. Has he converted to the joys and wonders of capitalism? We shall see. I'd like to believe it could happen, but until I see proof, I'll withhold judgment.
- He said we shouldn't be talking about whether government is too big or too small, but rather whether or not it works. Nice concept, but size of government DOES matter...smaller = good. I did like how he said programs would be ended if they proved not to be working. That shows me a willingness to shrink the size of government. The problem is, he'll probably never judge a program to not be working.
- "We will not apologize for our way of life, we will defend it." Sounds about right to me. We should be unapologetic about the way we do things in America - the greatest, most powerful and prosperous nation the world has ever known.
- "You cannot outlast us - we will defeat you." If only he really believed it. He said later in the speech that he would be trying to "leave Iraq to its citizens." Doesn't sound like trying to defeat the enemy or outlasting them to me.
- "Some talk about a false choice between our safety and our ideals." Truer words were never spoken. This is a false choice. We can have both...and George W. Bush showed it in spades.
- "We need to end bitter partisanship." See my comments about Rev. Lowery above. If President Obama really believes this, maybe he should let the message trickle down a little...like maybe to the ones who were booing President Bush or chanting, "Nah, Nah, Hey, Hey Goodbye". These are the same people who are demanding respect for President Obama?
- "...a new era of responsibility." Never thought I'd hear those words from his mouth, unless he was talking about government's responsibility to take care of people's needs from cradle to grave. Again, I hope he follows through on it.
Now for a couple of bad moments in the speech:
- "We need to remake America." NO WE DON'T!!! America is just fine as it has been built. We just need to get more citizens actively involved. Our form of government is just fine as it is outlined in the Constitution. If anything needs to be remade, it is focusing back on what the Constitution actually says, not what liberals and activist judges have interpreted to be there.
- "We need to roll back the spectre of a warming planet." Where has he been over the past few months? Record cold snaps all over the country, if not the world. Scientists have begun to say that we may be on the brink of another Ice Age. Maybe we need more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere instead of less...
As I said, overall I think the speech might just be a foundation for bipartisan effort. There were definitely som things conservatives can grab onto...IF Obama follows through on them and wasn't just blowing smoke. We know he's eloquent - he can definitely talk the talk. We'll see in the next four years whether or not he can walk the post-partisan, can't-we-all-just-get-along walk.