For those of you who have been living under a rock, Barack Obama's inauguration was this past Monday January 20, 2009. His speech pleasantly surprised me with its unprecedented inclusion of concrete policies and positions. I know many expected him to stick to his campaign standby of inspirational sound bites, but they seemed to be obviously disappointed. It was funny how you could hear the applause die down as the amount of concrete content went up. It's kind of like when you go to the supermarket and your disappointed to see your favorite cereal with the caption "now with nutritional value!" You know the kind that I mean. Let's face it, you don't exactly pick up a bowl of captain crunch for its nutritional value. You eat it because it's addictive, numbs your brain, and gives you a pleasant buzz. Messing with the formula diminishes the cheap thrills you love so much but doesn't add enough substance to make it worth your while.
Since I am currently at college (one of those places famed for its diversity) I was pleasantly surprised to see that only about 90% of the students were ecstatic about the occasion. The dissenting 10% really adds flavor to the campus... At first I couldn't quite figure out what the excitement was about... but then it hit me. This isn't just any inauguration, it's the inauguration of the greatest president in history. Don't believe it? Don't tell me you're one of those old fashioned fogies who prefers to write history after it happens! Just take a stroll through your local bookstore. The displays are so cute... next to Dr. Seuss there's a nice little beginners reader with the caption, "Son of Promise and Child of Hope."
How can you argue with that? Start 'em young and they'll grow up right. It seems these days, gentle reader, that history is written before it happens. Barack doesn't have the potential to be a great president... he was the greatest before he was even elected. Sure there are a few small details in the way such like actually being president, but if we all play nice and bipartisan (what irony hearing that word from the part of Nancy Pelosi and pals) its sure to come true. This desire to write history before it happens is partly why the inauguration was so important for so many people. It wasn't just any inauguration. It was history in the making. No I don't mean an event who's significance is not yet understood, I mean the first step between a fairly tale and reality.
Unfortunately for the Democrats, they have something more difficult than the media influenced voters to contend with now: the real world. No matter where your political leanings lie, it's hard to argue with the media bias during the election season. Mohandas Gandhi and Mother Theresa got tougher press coverage than Obama. For God's sake, CBS actually used "Yes we can" and Obama's campaign logo to advertise for their upcoming comedy lineup. The comedians themselves won't touch Obama. Chris Rock and many others admit to being unable or unwilling to make light of Obama's gaffes. Leno was focusing on Bush and Cheney even on the day of the inauguration. Could you imagine if George W. Bush's oath was anything like Obama's? We would never have heard the end of that no matter who's fault it was. As for those of us who have a sense of proper decorum, moral fiber, and personal character, we will grow to like and then love Mr. Bush as time passes us by. Here was a man who, despite an unceasing onslaught of bad press coverage, cranks like Nancy Pelosi, unprecedented disasters, and other calamities stayed true to what he believed and treated those around him with dignity and respect. Some may feel that he made the wrong decisions for the wrong reasons, but at least the man has convictions not dictated by the latest polls. George W. Bush was deemed a loser and Barack Obama was crowned the president by entrenched media interests. The Democratic party, meanwhile, has latched onto Obama's reputation and you can bet that they'll milk it for all it's worth. They've tried to ride his popularity, but fundamentally they do not view the world in the same way. Mark my words, Obama and the top Democratic leaders will be in a state of mutual loathing by the next election.
Thank God there is something that can still be done. If the people elected Bush and his media image tore him down... then the people can tear down the image the media elected. Don't misunderstand me. I am not bitter, at least not towards Barack himself. Barack Obama seems like a good man. He seems competent and he seems fairly centrist. Unfortunately, there is little substance to back that and I am disgusted at those who spent the last year fabricating a media friendly image to fill in the gaps. Barack's bipartisan pitch is distinctly at odds with the Democratic party's traditional tactics. Either he's misrepresenting himself or his party is misrepresenting itself. I'll put money on the second choice. This is the party, after all, who fought so many of Bush's nominations despite their obvious qualifications and the lack of precedent for such fierce opposition. During Ruth Bader Ginsberg's Supreme Court nomination, ideological issues were barely brought up. Ranking Republicans voted for her on the basis on her competence, not her views. This is the party which has done nothing but criticize Bush for policies they themselves authorized. This is the party who's Speaker said to the national news that the Republicans deserved no input on the stimulus package because they "lost the election." How is that bipartisan? Bipartisanship is a give and take, not one party demanding the other cower and let every piece of legislation pass unopposed. Now, this same divisive party expects to use Obama's popularity and reasonable persona to remake themselves? I'm sorry, but there is no way that I will forget the true face of the Democratic party; this is the party which bitterly opposed almost every Republican and Bush administration policy for eight years in an extremely partisan manner. People often say that Bush failed... but how many stop and ask themselves what might have been accomplished with even the slightest bit of reasonable cooperation? Now they want to move on as the reasonable "bipartisan" party, no doubt setting up conservatives for a media thrashing should they decide to oppose any of the Democrat's policies?
Three years ago, the Democrats were the minority party and they used scare tactics, lies, demonstrations, and other counterproductive but high profile means to claw their way back to the top. While conservatives went to work and cared for their families, the liberal left was protesting, lobbying, and filing frivolous lawsuits against laws and institutions that stand for traditional conservative beliefs. Now, however, they have lost their most powerful tools. They cannot protest and they cannot blame someone else. They are in control and I call on each and every person, regardless of his or her political leanings, to demand the truth from the media. We cannot allow the fabric of society to be changed by a lie. We cannot allow fear to dictate policy and obscure the truth. When you see that a news outlet is unfairly reporting the news, boycott it and get your friends involved. Don't just shake your head when you read about corruption and waste in the paper. Run for local office or join a local campaign. Don't go about your day lamenting days gone by. Go to a protest... heck... start a protest. When's the last time you saw a serious conservative protest? Granted conservatives prefer more productive means of opposition, but, if that's what the media wants, then give them something they cannot ignore. My friends today we must become the modern counterculture. What small but dedicated groups of ultra leftists did to society in the 1960s and 1970s we are now in the position to do in turn. Popular culture lacks substance and it treats large swaths of political ideology, which are held by a large portion of the American population, with disdain. The media is entirely one sided, education amounts to no less than brainwashing, and politicians are spending your money without a care in the world. We need but create a small spark and the house of cards will come burning down. You can't fool all of the people all of the time. Mr. Obama was right... change has come to America. Let's make it happen.
Vive la liberté!
---Madas
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