Author: Cynthia Samuels

Why Are All Those Guys Being Mean to the President?

Obama oath
I haven't written much about the Inauguration or the first week of the Obama Administration.  Partly it just hasn't sunk in, I think.  Partly, like many people, we never got into our ticketed section.  That wasn't so bad; we were there and that was what mattered. 

After the swearing in though, we had a tough time getting off the Mall: lots of pushing and shoving and none of the spirit of earlier in the day.  We were cold and exhausted like everyone else and felt really sad and beat up.  I just didn't want to talk about it.  Still don't.

 But now, as I get used to hearing "President Obama," watch the Robert Gibbs briefings and listen to various cabinet members as they emerge, as I struggle to believe that George Bush is really gone (my husband refused to leave the TV at the reception on the Hill where we watched the actual swearing in  until we saw the chopper take off) and that we have a smart, classy, competent and deeply pragmatic president, I want at least to weigh in.

It was a beautiful day.  I don't know anyone, either personally, among the crowd or just around town, who isn't proud.  Those I know who live abroad report the international excitement you've seen reported.  We've done something wonderful.  But you know that big cliche "now the hard part begins."  Well, it's true.  Just like it's easier and more fun to work on a startup than a big, established company, it's easier to campaign than to govern.  Instead of one goal – getting elected, there are countless tasks and crises and they all happen at the same time.  No news bulletin in this.

I wonder though if people are scared enough about our problems to give him time to make his way.  From the first day there were people on the Hill blocking nominations and it felt to me that it was just because they could.  I know that Americans don't want that to be happening but all three of the major roadblock Senators were men up for re-election so I guess they think it will benefit them at home.  Reporters call it "red meat" and it's what's been troubling Americans for the past eight years; I can't imagine what these men think they're accomplishing, particularly with Eric Holder, the Attorney General nominee and widely praised including by his former Republican colleagues. Yet his confirmation was put off a week – and he, Tim Geithner (Treasury Secretary) and Hillary Clinton were all kept from early briefings where security was involved and from being an official part of the Inaugural because these guys decided to make trouble.  Petty, huh?

So let's hope they come to their senses and that all of us are strong enough to hang on until the planned economic and diplomatic initiatives have time to move into place.  It will all happen faster if we wait to fight until there's really something to fight over.

Inaugural Thoughts from Around the Web

Obama oath
So much has been written about this Inauguration that I thought I'd take you on a little tour; there's not much I want to say beyond what's been said and said and said again, so I'm sharing the thoughts of others instead.

Tina Brown calls yesterday 9/11 in reverse.  It's pretty interesting.

If you go to the Huffington Post today, the 21st, you'll see Inaugural magazine covers and front pages from around the globe.

Over at Talking Points Memo, Matt Cooper considers the "hawkish" nature of the Inaugural address, and its meaning.  Politico's John Harris offers a more complete analysis of both style and substance.

Michael Tomasky at The Guardian thinks the speech was "prose, not poetry" for a reason. And American Prospect's Ezra Klein has a nice little set of observations from his seat in "the second row."

Atlantic columnist Marc Ambinder has noticed, as the day went on, that "even motorcades have changed" in the new administration.  And BlogHer's Erin Kotecki Vest describes the logistical disasters that, huge as they were, failed to ruin the day.

Women's Voices for Change ran a live blog for contributors and members all day.  It's posted in three parts.

If you know Mocha Momma you know that she mixes the irreverent and the sublime.  Yesterday was no different. 

The Women's Rights blog at Change.org features a moved, and moving, post from editor Jen Nedeau.  and a French friend of mine described using my Inauguration post to teach her students.  It's interesting.

So.  This is a random survey.  I'll be back tomorrow with some thoughts of my own.

Inauguration Day: Dateline D.C.

Capital
By the time you read this, we'll be either on the Metro or already downtown.  We don't have any fancy tickets; I've had those plenty of times when I haven't cared nearly as much as I do this time, but credential or not, we're going.  As I told my friend Mom-101, who's so sad not to be here, I think there's an almost biological need to be part of this.

I hope it's a wonderful day.  I hope that all the families and friends who have come here are safe, warm and inspired.  If I can get through I'll tweet all day; you can follow me on http://twitter.com/csamuels  Otherwise, watch this space.  Until then, maybe you want to read about my trip to the Kennedy Inauguration and its relationship to this one.  I'll be back as soon as I can.   

Blogging Boomers Carnival Hits 100! Don’t Miss It

Boomer Chronicles
Hard to believe, the the fiercely productive Blogging Boomers offer, this week, their 100th carnival entry.  Among the posts to celebrate this landmark:  life after a tough divorce, supercentarians: what it's like to be 105, keeping all that personal stuff off your "official" Facebook page and much more.  Help us celebrate our 100th effort:  come by and show some love.

Pete, Bruce, Beyonce and Obama: the Changing of the Guard

Brucespringsteen_l

There they are: two of the cultural icons of my political life.  Pete Seeger, close to 90, peer and colleague of Woody Guthrie, creator of We Shall Overcome and Turn Turn Turn, of Abiyoyo and Sam the Whaler, leader of The Almanac Singers and the Weavers.  If there was a civil rights rally or a labor rally or an anti-war rally, he was there. 

Beside him, Bruce Springsteen, a modern troubadour whose songs speak for many Americans whose opinions are never sought, whose voices are seldom heard.

As they stood together at the Lincoln Memorial in celebration of the Inauguration of Barack Obama, they represented, to me, all that I had believed and tried to help bring into being.  To many, though, they were “the ultimate in subtly old-left populism.”  Speaking about the concert early Sunday before it began, I kept talking about Bruce.  A younger friend gently suggested that he was probably not the day’s headliner.  That would be Beyonce Knowles, she said.  I’m sure she’s right. 

As one who was present the last time “the torch was passed to a new generation;” as a strongly defined Baby Boomer, it’s painful to hear anchormen celebrate the fact that “there will never be another Baby Boom President.”  It’ s not that I mind the fact of that; it’s just painful that it seems to be something to celebrate.  So many of us have tried so to be productive agents of change, have spent our lives working either full or part of the time to see that our country offers more to the least powerful, demands quality education, justice and maybe, even peace.  So to hear Joe Scarborough revel in the fact that “16 horrible years of baby boomer presidents is over” really hurts.  All my adult life we’ve been tarred by the brush of the least attractive of us while the work of the rest of us went unnoticed.  For most campaigns, as I’ve written before, we were the secret weapon of the right.

So as exciting as all this is, especially for one who has supported Obama for so long, it’s also bittersweet because I feel the shadow of the disdain in which so many of us are held.  I really don’t know how to respond.  If I were to try, it might be by offering some of the words to Si Kahn‘s They All Sang Bread and Roses.  It’s better with the music, but it does the job.

They All Sang “Bread and Roses (Si Kahn, 1989,
1991)

The more I
study history,

The more I
seem to find

That in
every generation

There are
times just like that time

When folks
like you and me who thought

That they
were all alone

Within this
honored movement

Found a
home.

 

And ‘though
each generation fears

That it
will be the last,

Our
presence here is witness

To the
power of the past.

And just as
we have drawn our strength

From those
who now are gone,

Younger
hands will take our work

And carry
on.

This Is NOT (exactly) about Barack Obama – the Last Time for a While – It’s About Slumdog Millionaire (Hint: Not the Greatest Movie Ever Made)

Slumdog1
Fair warning.  I'm about to be contrarian, so if you're fond of Slumdog Millionaire, stop reading now.  I've just come from the theater, disappointed and even angry.  Granted, I don't read reviews before I see films; they give away so much that they spoil the impact of brilliant scenes and great dialogue.  So it's my own fault that I didn't know about the torture scene and the one where the kid is blinded when molten lead is poured into his eyes.  Just what you need in a fairy tale, right?  I was with someone I'd leaned on to come, someone who is squeamish and subject to nightmares, and there we were, experiencing vivid and disturbing imagery in considerable detail.

I want some more
Beyond that, even though, as far as I can tell, there aren't many who agree with me, there's much that seriously detracts from the enjoyment of this film.  I'm going to risk my emotional and artistic credibility and describe some of it.

First, it's highly derivative, a mix of The Usual Suspects police station flashbacks and Oliver Twist. Especially Oliver Twist, complete with Fagin, street urchins in great numbers, mischief and loss.  Beyond that, much of its emotional power leaches from political correctness.  We always root for the underdog; that's fair, and anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm a sucker for a fairy tale.  But there was something manipulative about this story: an unimaginably poor, dark-skinned street urchin in one of the roughest cities in India, facing down the establishment.

Despite the rhapsodic descriptions of handheld camera work that brought the slums of Mumbai live into the theater, they did not feel real.  I know much of the film was shot in the city, and some of the scenes were OK.  But I've been in neighborhoods like these in other countries and no matter how colorful and alive, they are sadder and more dangerous than these.  Oh, and everyone had very good teeth.  Not possible.

So why, on the eve of the most momentous Inauguration in the history of this country, am I complaining about a movie a couple of months old that will probably win many awards?  I'm not sure.  Like everyone else, I'm full of wonder at what is coming on Tuesday.  It will dominate this space for some time.  Today though, as we await the climax of this real story of triumph and ideals, the not-so-credible tale that is this film was a poor substitute.

At Your Service: Following the MLK Day Tradition on Inauguration Eve (and Yes, The Lorax)

Lorax
We're coming up on Martin Luther King Day, the eve of the Obama Inauguration, and the President-Elect is asking us all, as is traditional on this day, to find ways to volunteer.  As usual, Beth Kanter, whose Beth's Blog is a motherlode of social media strategy, especially for non-profits, suggests an easy to start.  Take part in Share Our Strength's Text for Food campaign.   It's not hard.  Here's what they suggest:

Ways that you can help:

  • Text "SHARE" to 20222 to donate $5 to Share Our Strength.
    When you do, AT&T will match your donation up to $100,000. 100% of
    this donation will go to supporting Share Our Strength's efforts to end
    childhood hunger in America.
  • Hold a protein-rich food drive.
    Food Drive efforts are essential sources of food for community food
    banks. They rely heavily on food donations to distribute much needed
    food to struggling people.
  • Make a Donation. If you want to make a donation but can't make one through your cell phone, please consider making a donation online.

A random survey suggest that many of us have found great ways to offer support on Monday, and our fellow bloggers have made it easy to find them.  Start with Blog Her's Britt Bravo post that covers everything: a myraid of volunteer match-up sites, ways to spread the word, reading material and more.   Lisa Sabater's  Culture Kitchen lists Democrats at Work resources in several states including Florida, Virginia and Washington, and links some in Washington DC,  too. Montgomery County?  Try A Parent in Silver Spring's list.   If you haven't found a place near you, this USA Service site will hook you up.  All you need is a zip code. 

Hilltown Families, a group in Western Massachusetts, my old stomping grounds, links to local activities and even has a video to get you going.  Moving from Granola gulch to the establishment, Citi has urged its 100,000+ employees to take part, and offers opportunities in many of its location cities.  Also nationally, Black Politics on the Web reports that nine major African American sororities (the divine nine) have joined together to answer the call.

As I suspect is happening in many cities, Sioux Falls is holding a major food drive.  Springfield, MO is running a multi-park cleanup.  Native American and Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Mills urges " As American Indians, we should join Americans from across the country in this call to service." and goes on to mention several youth activities in "Indian country" where help is needed.

If you're a loner, or just want to do something personal, Seth Godin (no surprise) provides a list of things you can do, from my own favorite:  "Read a copy of the Lorax to a child that's never heard it" to lots of great ways to share technical knowledge.  One example:  "Find a tool that non-profits need online, and then organize some brilliant people to build it as an opensource utility."

Lisa Catherine Harper, of Generation X Raising Generation O has a nice meditation on how to figure out what sort of service will have the most impact on younger children.  So does The Green Parent.  Progressive News from the Big Apple links to a directory of many NYC opportunities, some of which begin before the 19th.

As I said, this is a random survey.  I'm sure there are local events for every age in every city.  It's going to be quite a day.