Hail to the New Chief!

I sit here writing this as I listen to our new President give his inaugural speech on BBC America (I had to watch it again). Despite the fact that I have crappy dial up service, I felt that I had to weigh in on such a historic moment, a moment that I wish that my parents could have lived to see.

My paternal grandparents were British citizens, born in Barbados, who came to this country to have a better life for their children. In fact, my grandfather didn't become an American citizen until after my father and uncle were born. And now almost a hundred years after my father was born, an African-American man, the son of a Kenyan immigrant, and a young woman from Kansas, is now the 44th president of the United States.

The first President to be born in the 1960's, a president of my generation (how ironic that he was elected the 44th President, the year that I turned 44!). There are no words to describe how I felt standing downtown on Wall Street watching the ceremony on the jumbo screen. I'm not ashamed to say that I cried watching him stand so calmly in the capitol building waiting to be announced. And how I loved listening to Aretha Franklin sing "My Country tis of thee" sung to the tune of 'God Save the Queen,' which funnily enough BBC America didn't pick up on (the commentator called it our national anthem. Ah, no, that would be the Star Spangled Banner).

I looked through the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of the lovely Leanna Heiber and her significant other, who won tickets to go to the inauguration through Chuck Schumer's office. I was also interested to see that members of Congress gave the new first family gifts. I wonder what New York got the Obamas!

I only have two quibbles. 1) Given how many Starbucks there are in the Wall Street area, they couldn't have sprung for some hot chocolate for all of us who were standing outside? and 2) if George H. W. Bush who had hip surgery could toddle his way to the inauguration, Dick Cheney couldn't hauled his ass out of his wheelchair.

God save our new President Barack H. Obama!

Obama 2008!

So it's official. Barack Obama has enough delegates to clinch the nomination at the Democratic convention in Denver this July. Congratulations to Senator and Mrs. Obama! As Halle Berry once said when she became the first black woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress, this moment is bigger than all of us.

I only wish that my parents could have lived to see the day that a black man would be within reach of becoming President of the United States. My parents were both democrats, my mother in particular was a die-hard Roosevelt/Kennedy democrat. She told me that she cried for days after both Kennedy's were assassinated, and woe be anyone who said anything bad about Franklin D. Roosevelt in our house. She would have adored Bill Clinton. Frankly, as far as I'm concerned, the only Republicans in history worth admiring were Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The rest are just a blight on what the Republican party used to stand for.

I confess that I have had mixed emotions about this election year. As a woman, I was excited at the idea of a woman being nominated to run for President. And I have long admired Hillary Clinton. I don't know that I like her, but I do admire her, have some understanding of what makes her tick, and I think that she would have made an effective President. It has to be hard for her to see a dream die when just a year ago, it looked like it was pretty much a done deal.

But as a woman of color, I had to support Barack Obama. Really, it was like an embarrassment of riches this year in the Democratic Party. Either way, we can't lose. I know that he's only been a Senator for a short time, but John F. Kennedy went from congressman to Senator to President in record time, so you can't fault Barack for that really. And at least he wrote the two books that he published.


I'm keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed that come November, I'll be able to say President Obama.

Indecision 2008

So Hillary Clinton and John McCain surprised the crap out of everyone by winning the New Hampshire primary. Good for them. I like McCain, he's the only Republican that I can say that about. I think he's great when he talks off the cuff, before the Republican National Committee tries to muzzle him, and he retreats back to the party message. Then I get annoyed. First of all, if he can survive how ever many years he spent in a Vietnamese prison camp, he should be able to take on the RNC. Secondly, the RNC should respect him more than they do. He's the only really who has any experience fighting a war.

As for Hillary, I think it's sad that she had to cry and get emotional to get people to vote for her, or that it even came up in the debate that people think she's not likeable. It has to be hard for her, particularly with the 'Bill' question. Just as there are a lot of people voting for her, because it means Clinton back in the White House, there are just as many people who hate him, and don't even want him to be allowed on the tour of the White House let alone back living there.

As for me, I'm still torn about who I want to support. I do like Hillary even though she voted for the war, and I'm one of those people who would be happy to see Bill Clinton as First Husband. As a woman, I'm proud to see another woman actually have a good shot at being the first female Presidential Candidate. On the other hand, it's thrilling to have a man from my generation running for the job, and a man of color. But I have reservations about both of them because of their lack of experience with government.

Say what you will about Romney, Huckabee and Guiliani, they know how to run a state and the largest city in the United States. Hillary has only been a Senator for what 8 years now? And Obama, three? Is Obama seasoned enough to deal with the office of President? When was the last time that we had a President who didn't have experience in Government? Was it Eisenhower? But he was a war hero, responsible for the European Theater during WWII. Man had experience! Wilson? He was President of Princeton University.

The next Head of State is going to have to deal with some difficult shit, from what to do with Iraq, where in the world is Osama bin Laden?, not to mention all the domestic crap that has to be cleaned up with the environment, and big business. Say, here's an idea, stop squeezing the middle class and squeeze the big guys for some money. Trump should be supporting me, not the other way around.

So I'm still on the fence at the moment, and I'm waiting for Hillary and Barack to come a'courting for my vote. Take me to dinner, try to persuade me. I'm puddy after a good meal and some wine.

EKM