An Historic Inauguration

Okay, now I feel comfortable admitting it. I actually did vote for Barack Obama. And, of course, I was excited to see the events of the day unfold. This inauguration truly was an historic event in so many ways. We are going to need a president that has the intelligence, savvy, and perseverance of some of its former giants, the likes of Lincoln and FDR, to get us through the mess we are in right now. Whether Barack lives up to this, remains to be seen. I can only hope that Barack lives up to my expectations of him.

I have a rather strange voting history, especially when I have always considered myself to be a Republican. For example, I can truthfully say that I never voted for Tricky Dick or “W.” But then again, I never voted for Slick Willy either. In fact, the last presidents I actually voted for were George HW Bush and his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, so it has been a while.

Why did I vote for Barack? I wanted to see a change in the direction our country seemed to be headed. My vote also represents somewhat of a push-back against the persistent barrage of what I thought were unfair labels being pinned on him…anti-American…Muslim in sheep’s clothing…born in Africa or wherever…etc. I spent time in Indonesia back in the ‘80’s, so I felt like I could relate to the discussion about his youthful years in Indonesia. Indonesia was a progressive Muslim nation yearning to be more Western during the time he was there…though sadly it has reverted to a much more hard line anti-American stance in the post-Bush years. Also, a part of me is still in Hawaii, where along with Barack, our children grew up as well. The Hawaiian culture has an amazingly strong community sense, which I felt helped shape him and the career direction he took that led him to where he is now, and which will continue to serve him well. There were other considerations I took into account, including his bio-friendly energy plan versus McCains plan.

Finally, I freely admit that I felt a little bit like a traitor to not vote for the giant of a man that John McCain is. How could I not have voted for a former POW who would have the absolute support and trust of the military who protect this nation from its enemies? I was never more proud of McCain than during his concession speech, when in the midst of boos, he congratulated Obama and pledged “to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face” as a nation. Hopefully, Barack will show the same level of courage when this country needs him to.

Far and away, the largest number of people attended this inauguration than any previous inauguration. America needed an event as historical as this one was, one that would give all of its citizens a sense of ownership in its future. As McCain so eloquently stated, “Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.” We have indeed come a long way since MLK was assassinated. But we are also on a dangerous path. Hopefully, we can rally together, and make the needed changes that will assure a strong future for our country.