It Starts Today

Well, today was the big day.  January 20, Inauguration Day.  The Big O got sworn in — my guy — Barack Obama.

Today, I know that most of my Republican co-workers are going to have a radical paradign shift…now, whenever anything bad comes from Washington, it’ll be because of Obama, and whenever anything good happens, it’ll be because of all the people in Congress, and/or because the administration will be “riding a wave” or “along for the ride.”

Yesterday, anything bad that happened was because of the “damn Democrat Congress,” or was “out of Bush’s hands,” while anything good that happened yesterday was because of Bush’s leadership skills.

Wait.  What?

I, personally, am ecstatic about our new President.  I ditched work for an hour to watch the inauguration on tv…happened to be on Fox News (fair’n balanced coverage) so the commentary ran to the women’s coats, the Obama girl’s proclamation that their dad’s speech “had better be good,” and glowing praise for the senior ex-President Bush.

Still, it was a moving moment for me, sitting in the waiting room of the Cardiac Cath Lab at the hospital where I work, next to a man who claimed to be in the Color Guard at President Truman’s funeral, watching the National Mall packed to the rafters with people — happy people, people waving U.S. flags and cheering — and listening (live!) to our new President delivering a rousing call to action for the American people, on the Capitol steps, under a thin, January sun.

I hope he can deliver.  I hope he sets the tone for the whole administration, and I hope he can get the things done that he wants to get done.  I guess that means that I have hope.

Partisanship? Really? Now?

I feel like I need to throw up.

Our country is facing an economic crisis — disaster, recession, armageddon, collapse, whatever…spin the big wheel of doomsday phrases.  Our country is having a big problem with the economy.  Banks are failing.  When have I ever watched banks fail and be taken over by the government?

Never!  That’s when!  Never!  I have never seen our economy in this situation.  Oh, sure there was the big crash at the end of the 1980’s, but it really kind of pales in comparison to what’s going on right now.  This is big.  This is “Potter Just took over the bank” from It’s a Wonderful Life big.  Costs of mundane goods are skyrocketing, homeowners are losing homes, it’s grim out there.

And Washington is squabbling about Democrat versus Republican.

Excuse me, I just vomited a little in my mouth and swallowed it back down again.  I had to wipe some off my lip before I could continue.  What I said is right — lawmakers in Washington are quibbling like spoiled brothers and sisters over which parties demands are more important.  Democrat plans versus Republican plans; Republican checks versus Democrat balances.  Donkeys versus Elephants.

My god, our economy is melting down outside their windows, and they’re sissy-fighting over party politics!?  Does anyone in Washington pay attention to the rest of the country?  I mean really, what’s important here?  The good of the country?  The good of the citizenry?  Hello?

It sounds to me like D.C. is on fire, and I hear fiddles coming from the Capitol.