Inauguration Day

I'm not really an enthusiastic follower of politics. My default mode is Democrat, and for the last eight years I've been voting Democratic in a Republican state. However, something about this past week's inauguration ceremonies got me really interested. There seems to be so much energy in the air that it's actually become a cliche to comment on it. I realize there are huge problems facing our country, but for some reason, I am most excited by the idea of having a president who can use the English language again. You can't solve a problem if you can't articulate it, and Obama has exhibited great capabilities in the speeches I have read so far.

On Tuesday evening, I attended a party at a friend's house and it was pretty fun. We watched the inaugural balls on her huge flat screen TV, and she made great Indonesian food in honor of the years Obama spent there. She had fireworks and we shot them off at the end of her cul-de-sac. She also had a life-size cut out of Obama, so we all got to have our pictures taken with him. It was a great deal of fun.

I'm encouraged so far by the moves he has made. I think there are a great many social issues he needs to move on, but the economy has to come first. He will have a period of goodwill, which I hope he exploits to the fullest. He's a smart man, and I think a basically good man, but he is also a politician who has to operate in the real world. Time will tell.