a beautiful piece of writing,ezra.

it is wonderful to watch on the television, the faces of the african~american children, who are present for this event.
nestled in between their grandmothers and parents and other siblings.
i can only imagine what this day will means for them, and how their parents want them to be a part of the tapestry of history.
it is beautiful.

have a wonderful time, yourself.
you are also a part of history....so wonderful that you have been present and shared your thoughts through each step of this improbable journey.
thank you for that.
and in closing, what a net of gems is this world. as we celebrate, and our children rejoice, palestinian children are walking past dust and rubble, trying to make sense of their world.
if only the whole world could celebrate. people, all longing to be happy and hopeful and purposeful.
may this be the rebirth of a brighter day for everyone.
~~~~~~got hope?
today, i do!!!!

But if governance can feel again like it works on behalf of the public, like it takes seriously their concerns and works daily to meet their expectations, then that would be something better than hope. That would be change.

Nicely said, Ezra. I agree.

"People are proud of their politics again."

Surely you meant to say "straight people" are proud of their politics again. Queers like me are "prouder." But given the comparandum, that's not necessarily saying a lot.

Had to delurk after reading this. Great writing Ezra.

Hope is not a plan and it is not a policy, but people hunger for it.

I want to say that's pretty ironic, considering that hope doesn't actually solve problems or pay the rent. But then I think of the subprime collapse, and I realize that hope is all it takes to get a mortgage. That worked out great; now I'm looking forward to when hope is all you'll need to get health care.

Ezra, I must disagree with part of what you are saying. The excitement Americans are feeling seems about more than the barrier that has finally fallen; it seems in large measure about Obama himself--yes, his eloquence; but also his deep thoughtfulness; his energy; his decency and maturity. The election and inauguration of the first African-American president would be an occasion worth celebrating in any event, of course, but the hope in the air is so much about this particular individual, who embodies leadership qualities to an unusual degree. This has not gotten acknowledged enough, I think.

That was truly lovely and right on, Ezra.

There is a distinct good vibe in the air, and I work in a place everyone is worried --perhaps because they've been told it is going to happen to X% of us--about their jobs.

And I agree that while there is a certain amount of "post-racial" self-congratulatory masturbation happening, that isn't quite it for me, either: It IS about the hope. And it IS about the man himself.

No President has ever been more thoroughly vetted.

He is OUR President. He gets it.

Thank you for saying that, jason. It seems that so many people when discussing this election and the excitement surrounding it, never want to give Obama - the man - credit.

I hope Obama can help Americans overcome their allergy to governance. If so, then the two year election campaign -- two whole years of politics -- will have been worth it. A nice post.

I have to disagree. I thought this post was one of the lower quality ones from Ezra.

1) I think that much of the excitement is from the exit of Bush. Most is pro-Obama rather than anti-Bush, but the anti-Bush is significant.

2) That Ezra and everyone else is so excited that the country elected a black person to the presidency (why not state the fact plainly a 13th time in the post, Ezra?) is the surest sign that racism toward blacks is very alive and very strong. Wow! Look at us! We can vote for a colored man!

Sure, I'm being a curmudgeon, but that's because I don't care that he's black, and I would go days thinking about the election not even thinking about that fact. All I care about are policies. This focus on identity is being blown way out of proportion. What if Condoleeza Rice had won the presidency? A 2-fer! A woman and a black. It would be like both HRC and Obama had won! But guess what? She'd be a horrible president, and her XX chromosome and melanin wouldn't mitigate that one iota. If I hadn't been reminded every other article that Obama would be the first black president and Clinton the first woman president, I probably wouldn't have thought about it more than half a dozen times throughout 2008. But that's just me. It's all about policies for me.

Also, the Democrat was going to win no matter what. Obama was president before February was over. And it was going to be a white woman or a black guy by the first weekend in January. I simply don't think it's that much of an accomplishment, both because of the political environment and because it's fucking 2009. Did people really think this country would never elect a black person? Really? What about the next 220 years? or 1000? That we never would, that it was a ludicrous idea that a black person could contest the presidency was itself the ludicrous notion. As the inauguration tomorrow will demonstrate.

I find the amount of self-congratulation going on disappointing. In November 2012, after 4 years of being president and leading the country and signing policies and doing / not doing a million little things, when he runs for reelection, no one will care he's black. Which is as it should be.

TLDR version of my comment above:

That people view and understand Obama through his skin color is itself the problem. That it's pointed out so often that it seems to be his defining characteristic is borderline appalling. He's not a black man to me and won't be a black president. His name isn't funny or weird. It's short and easy to pronounce, actually. He's a guy who ran for and was elected president. He seems pretty normal to me. I know people that like him are hard-working, earnest and of a pleasant disposition. I just don't get it.

Hordes of vendors. (If Barack Obama really is a secret Marxist, he's got to be appalled by the quantity of commerce taking place in his name.)

The merch people who walked the lines at the rally I attended exemplified something very American: there was a lot of tat, but a few people with pretty decent unauthorized gear, and all of them must have been following the guy wherever he went during the campaign. Opportunism meets kitsch.

Anyway, in the spirit of Reservoir Dogs, let's go to work.

asdf: I thought there'd be more of a run-Bush-out-of-town mood , but my gut feeling -- and talking to people in DC, they back it up -- there's more of a sense of "oh, just go away". Bush is beneath them.

I don't think that Marx had any problems with street vendors, or was against all commerce. But I see you liked the stupid line so much you used it twice.

His name isn't funny or weird. It's short and easy to pronounce, actually. ... He seems pretty normal to me. I know people that like him are hard-working, earnest and of a pleasant disposition. I just don't get it.

What this indicates is not that you are worldly and cosmopolitan, but that actually you have little understanding of how a lot of Americans thinks.

Yeah, fine, sure, I can say, "Barack Obama seems just like the sort of person I know." But then, I'm a coastal kid with foreign-born relatives who has a funny name and went to an elite university just like half of my friends.

But to someone like ElV, a guy like Obama is some kind of alien-- and presumptuous for leaping to success ahead of all the other "real Americans." Maybe the country is at the point where "the Obama experience" has been normalized in the eyes of enough Americans that a guy like him can get elected president... but if so, I don't think that became true until quite recently.

What this indicates is not that you are worldly and cosmopolitan, but that actually you have little understanding of how a lot of Americans thinks.

pot-kettle-black

All of the excitement, all of the hoopla is because Obama is black.

It's not his resume, because he hardly has one. It's not his experience, because he has little. Nope, he's BLACK.

Well, great! And when the novelty and this "historic moment" is over and you find that he's just a self-serving politician that took advantage of the country's desire to hire a black guy, the party will be over.

He's not even sworn in yet and already the far left base of the Democratic party is disappointed. Good luck with that.

Let's see how you like him four years from now.

el viajero

dont you have any jubilation and hope in your heart this morning?

obama represents so much more than that.

all of the excitement is because we have a highly intelligent, deeply grounded, inclusive, inspiring, service-oriented, reflective, confident yet humble and youthful leader who is just about to become our president!!!
the fact that he is also the first african~american president is also magnificent.
he is also an imperfect person in an imperfect world, but many of us believe that he will leave this country as a better place than he is finding it.
today is a thrilling day....the spirit of the country is restored.....and he is going to hit the ground running tomorrow.
i am hoping for the best!!!!!!
today is our best day in years!!!!!!

I must say that witnessing so many presumably adult people rhapsodizing over a politician like love-struck teenagers, is rather strange. At the same time one cannot but feel some pity at so much willful self-delusion and wonder how soon reality will set in. And mind you, all this adulation will actually make his job harder, if indeed Obama tries to do anything worthwhile. Why not wait until he manages to do that before canonizing the man?

Moreover, asdf is quite right. To regard Obama as anything less or more than any other probably venal politician, and indulge in all this self-congratulation just because of his race, is itself a racist attitude.

observer, your perspective is probably different because you're probably not really familiar with much of American history and its relationship with non-whites, and you might not be familiar with the treatment accorded the public by the current president.

What you're engaging in, observer, is a bit of resentful nihilism against people who are celebrating an event they're looking forward to.

Appreciation and respect for a leader, particularly a talented, intelligent, and respectful one, is usually considered "normal." It's a testimony to the problems of the public and the problems of our politicians that normal enthusiasm for a new, promising president is considered unusual and something some members of the peanut gallery are bitching about.

I just hope the Republicans afford him all the same courtesies and bipartisanship that Democrats afforded George Bush.

Oh well, enjoy your enthusiasm while it lasts. Maybe all the appreciation and respect will yet be earned, who am I to know? But over 30 years of close observation of politicians in various countries has taught me that such overly high expectations are like asking for a fall. Good luck to you all.

So at Noon we all get to find El Viajero and force him to gay marry us, right? Because that's what this election was all about, or something, according to him!

Of course Obama's election is more significant because he is black. I didn't think I would see a black president in my lifetime. When you think of the history of this country, from slavery to segregation to the remarkable durability of racism and the racial caste system, it's quite stunning that we elected a black man under any circumstances. That said, I suspect that if you put Obama's brain into a white guy, that white guy would have beat McCain not by 7 points but by twenty.

I find Obama the man impressive and likeable. He is intelligent, knowledgable, and seems well-intentioned. Obviously he has a well-honed ability to reach people emotionally and move them to action. But his presidency will be judged by what he does, not by what he is. So far I have not seen anything in his actual statements or his appointments that lead me to believe he will be anything better than mediocre. All this conciliation and bipartisanship is exactly what we don't need right now. We don't have time to screw around making the Republicans feel better. We need immediate action and the correct course is pretty narrow. If Obama can't or won't fight and defeat the Republicans, then he can't put the necessary policies in place.

confident yet humble

Humble?
examples please; I've found him the direct opposite.

"Humble?examples please?"

if people didnt sense humility in him, there would never be these kinds of crowds.
people sense goodness.

a few examples

~~honoring john mccain with a beautiful celebration.
~~choosing hillary clinton for secretary of state
~~spending the day before the inauguration painting shelter walls
~~michelle obama offering a gift to laura bush.

these may seem like small acts to you, but they are outreaching gestures of graciousness, and i dont believe they are pure political calculations...they may be pragmatic actions, but they also come from the heart.
this is a brief, great and joyful moment.
open your heart.

Tyro's gymnastics here as he flips from stressing to diminishing the importance of Obama's race, depending on whom he's replying to, is quite impressive.

Paul B, in both posts I was making light of Obama's presidency is historic. I'm really not quite sure what you're talking about here. Both posters say they "don't get it" when wondering why Obama's election and inauguration is worth being enthusiastic about.

To certain naysayers, this is all just misplaced enthusiasm for someone who doesn't deserve it or just "another random guy" becoming president. both are wrongheaded. Ok, I have more important things to pay attention to on my computer desktop now.

No hurry, Tyro; whenever you're ready.

Conflicting viewpoints, no?

No more Bushes is the thrilling part to me.

Just hoping Obama doesn't turn into Bush 3 as it appears to be shaping up.

"Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what it cannot do, for that list is much shorter."

Conflicting viewpoints, no?

Paul B, I'm going to try to reply to you, but you didn't really flesh out your claim, so I'm sort of flying blind, here.

I think the thing is that I've perfectly willing to understand how asdf can say to himself, "I don't see what the big deal is," but the problem that asdf has to realize is that he is (and I am) not the rest of the country.

observer, likewise, seems to resent the idea that people think it's a "big deal" that Obama is getting inaugurated, for whatever reason... but I think that under the circumstances, we should have a president that people are enthusiastic about and that this attitude is a healthy one under the circumstances, particularly when the president is so impressive.

As I said though, if there was a moment where I blatantly contradicted myself in the two posts, explain it and I'll try to explain myself.

I guess I'm still waiting for the impressive

welcome to January 1993
enjoy today because it it can all go down hill very quickly

To those of you embroiled with Tyro: Tyro is a woman, not a man. I discovered this when I saw she was getting some political ideas from chick political fantasy flicks.

I guess I'm still waiting for the impressive

Hm. I kind of see what you're getting at. Lots of people have this strange idea that if it weren't for the fact that Obama is black, then there wouldn't be 2 million people on the national mall right now. I understand how this is really final culmination of something that many African Americans thought they would never see, and no doubt for them, it's something special... and it is really historic, given that I can't think of a european democracy that has elected someone from a different race as president, and the United States seems particularly reluctant to elect anyone who does not conform to the "generic American" ethnic background.

But this isn't why people flocked in droves to Obama. Heck, there have been other African Americans who've run for president and didn't attract nearly the same amount of support, and it was his detractors who didn't actually realize this.... there was this idea that if conservatives could just convince voters that Obama wasn't really black (he's half-white! "he's not even black, he's an arab!" as limbaugh screamed), or if voters could just be shamed into admitting that the only reason they're voting for him was because he's black, then somehow everyone would defect to McCain.

At the same time, for me, from my place of privilege, where I live among Barack Obamas, to claim that this is just a normal, everyday event would bespeak an enormous ignorance of America and what it's gone through. Just because I can't personally, from an emotional POV, participate in the historicity of our first black president doesn't mean that I can't understand it or that it's not important. At the same time, it only happened because he was an extraorindarily charismatic person who ran an amazing campaign and attracting a strong following of people who felt his message really resonated. So from my perspective, it makes perfect sense that there are 2 million people on he national mall today.

it makes perfect sense that there are 2 million people on he national mall today.

estimates are at 1 million; still impressive, just not 2

Here is the fantasy around which this chick sub-genre is constructed: feisty, even angry, hyper liberal woman catches the eye of studly prez. He picks her for his bed, or his veep. Hope that model helps explain some of what is going on around here today!

God I wonder what the cynics like asdf and Anonymous did before the Internet, pen cynical letters to the local newspaper editor?

I was 21 when Clinton was elected and yes I was happy that the Republicans and Ronnie Raygun-heir Poppy Bush lost but I cast a jaundiced eye at Clinton through his 8 years and had no illusions. I voted for Nader over Gore, but I am excited about Obama and you hard asses can bitch all you - you bitched that he couldn't win and he proved you wrong.

He ran an amazing campaign, something you cynics don't have the balls to admit, and I bet he has a good run as President. Sure there will be mistakes and failures but I'm going to rub the successes in the cynic's faces every chance I get.

I voted for Nader over Gore,...

so much for your credibility, then

Yup, and his good run starts now, with market tanking 300 plus points on his speech! happened moments after.

So supposedly HBO has been deleting “We Are One” concert clips off YouTube. That’s a shame. In the event that you haven’t heard President Obama’s speech given at the end of the concert here it is...

http://globalinvestmentwatch.com/2009/01/20/obamas-speech-at-the-we-are-...

"Yup, and his good run starts now, with market tanking 300 plus points on his speech! happened moments after."

You don't have a shred of integrity left, do you, scumbag?

Leave it to brewmn to raise the level of discourse LOL...channeling Archie Bunker, again; or is it Mel Sharples?