American Pie: Perhaps A New Beginning
"On this Inauguration Day, for a few shining hours, acrimony and bitterness were forgotten, and the dark curtain of party politics drawn aside. Magically, the dawn of a new era in American history seems possible; an era of compassionate and humane government that will focus on social issues and put war behind it,'' writes political commentator John Merchant as Barak Obama is sworn in for a second term as President.
On Inaugural Monday, January 21, 2013, I huddled with a like-minded group of friends in the home of two of them to watch the 44th president of the US, Barak Obama, being sworn in.
I use the word “huddled” in the sense that we Democrats are a small minority in our community, and proportionately so in Florida as a whole. Since G.W. Bush’ two terms, any rational dialog between the Democrats and Republicans has been impossible or fruitless, sad to say.
Each of the six couples and one lone male brought dishes to share, swelling our hosts’ offerings. Bread pudding, crab quiche, devilled eggs, spinach dip and angel cake with strawberries and blueberries, all tempted us to eat more that we should have at 10.30 in the morning. But eat we did while the TV rumbled on with the pre-inauguration protocols. American live TV’s producers fear silence most of all, and the chatty anchors are delighted to comply.
Even above the buzz of our own conversations one could sense the gradual transition of the broadcast into more sober tones, and the group turned from our personal conversations to pay full attention to a ceremony that looms so large in the collective psyche of US citizens.
The very fact that this is only the 44th inauguration brings home dramatically how young this nation is, and that the transformation from outpost colony to world power has taken place in less than 400 years. The peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another also resonates with many citizens whose origins lie in countries where power is only transferred through anarchy, revolution and violence.
Our gathering was a mixed group, who together represented a small cross section of American society – one African American, three Jews, and an assortment of people who come from immigrant European families. This was topped off by one English lady and her half Scottish husband who are currently living in Hong Kong.
What we had in common was our faith in a compassionate democratic administration to right the wrongs of the Republican demagoguery that has been waiting in the wings since the George W. Bush years. Obama’s first 4 year term was a nightmare avalanche of cataclysmic events, any one of which could have crippled this country for generations.
The melt down of the economy; the Iraq war debacle; the misbegotten idea that Afghanistan was ready for democratic rule; the Iranian threat; all were dropped into the lap of a president who ideologically did not espouse any of them. As such, they were a massive distraction from curing the social ills that beset America. That Obama was able to move any domestic programs forward under these circumstances was a miracle.
The inauguration happened to coincide serendipitously with a National Holiday, Martin Luther King Day. Dr. King came to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to proclaim that he had a “dream.” His dream was that, as a leader of the African American people, society would live up to the Founding Fathers’ intention that all Americans shall be free and equal.
He took that vision a long way, and laid the ground work that has been built on by Obama’s first term in office and his personal example. Closet racism remains, and perhaps will forever among the ignorant and small minded. But the change in societal attitudes towards blacks since Obama was first elected is palpable, and has largely avoided paternalism.
On this Inauguration Day, for a few shining hours, acrimony and bitterness were forgotten, and the dark curtain of party politics drawn aside. Magically, the dawn of a new era in American history seems possible; an era of compassionate and humane government that will focus on social issues and put war behind it.
Perhaps, once again, America can hold its head up high and set an example to the world without needing to impose its will or to prove its superiority and strength by aggression. One thing is very certain, it is a crossroads. Let us hope that the signposts are clear to our leaders.
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