A New Day

"Our long national nightmare is over." That's what Gerald Ford said to the country after replacing Richard Nixon in 1972.

January 20, 2009 marks not just the end of another nightmare, but a rebirth in our country. Has there ever been a time when the country was in so much peril, yet the people felt so optimistic?

FDR's first inaugural and Kennedy's were both times of fear. In 1933 the country was in the midst of the Great Depression and people literally didn't know if they'd have a roof over their heads or food to eat. 1961 was the height of the Cold War and school children were well practiced in what to do in case of a nuclear attack (how kneeling with our heads on the floor against the wall would protect anybody is beyond me, but that's a discussion for another day).

The inauguration of Barack Obama is entirely different. We're fighting two wars, the economy is totally in the tank and the prospect of a terrorist attack is ever-present, yet 2 million people are in Washington just so they can say they were there. The biggest fear today is that internet will be clogged with people streaming video at their desks and cell phone networks will be jammed with people in DC sending pictures back home.

I don't think it's just because Obama is the first African-American president. Yes, that's an important component of the excitement, but only part. People are desperate to believe in our own better nature, that the country is better than what we've demonstrated over the past two decades.

We've had 16 years of bitterness at the core of our national dialogue. George W. Bush came into office claiming to be a "uniter, not a divider" but in the cynicism that marks the right wing, it was all just words. Bill Clinton was hounded by Republicans for his entire 2 terms because they didn't like him or anything he stood for.

Barack Obama's transition has been marked by a nearly unbelievable willingness to engage the other side. The right looks at this with cynicism. They don't believe that Obama is serious when he reaches across the aisle. Of course they don't believe him. They're the ones who coined the term "compassionate conservatism" and then ignored the poor and give tax breaks to the rich. The right dresses up "change" by inviting half a dozen faces of color to be on screen during the Republican Convention, but continues to fight immigration reform. But we as a nation want to be better.

In September 2001, the country was waiting to be asked to sacrifice for the greater good. People would have done just about anything including paying higher taxes for the right war (how was a tax break for the top tier a good idea when launching a war?). George W. Bush asked us to go shopping and vacation at Disneyworld.

Today is another such opportunity. I believe President Obama will ask us to sacrifice for the greater good. He will appeal to our better selves. And I hope/believe the country will take up his call.