Tuesday, January 20, 2009

It's All Downhill From Here

... if you go over to DadCentric.com and read my post about taking Thing 2 and his friend sledding.

What? You thought I was talking about the fledgling Obama administration? Do I come across as that cynical?

I remember the wee-morning hours after Clinton first got elected. A bunch of my suburban reporter colleagues and I were drinking in a bar, because that's what we did best in those days, talking about what had happened and what was to come.

One reporter, who has since gone on to cover Congress for a major Southern newspaper, said her biggest hope for the Clinton administration was that he would change the tone of our nation.

She was sick of the hatred, ugliness and fear the Newt Gingriches, Lee Atwaters, Rush Limbaughs and Pat Buchanans had been spewing during the Republican Revolution and recent campaign.

She didn't want a hippie lovefest. She just wanted less of the "if you aren't with us, you're against us -- you dirty un-American bastards" view being spouted.

She was, and still is, right. Like I tell my kids, everybody doesn't have to be your best friend, but you have to learn to get along with people whether you like them or not. And just because a lot of people agree with you doesn't make you right.

So, Big O, even though some see you as the Second Coming (which would mean I made a big mistake doing a 5-year renewal on my Entertainment Weekly subscription), I'm not expecting miracles. I'm keeping my expectations low based on others' past performance. Just for me and my kids' sake, though, show by example -- every day -- how we can all play nicely with each other again.

However, if you do have a little extra pull Upstairs, could you do something about all this frickin' cold and snow?


Video: "Sunday Shining," Finley Quaye

10 comments:

  1. I tell my oldest daughter that there will be many people that she'll have to "agree to disagree" with in her lifetime and to be as respectful as possible in those circumstances.

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  2. I am right there with you!!!

    though I have now read about 40 blogs about politics today and KNOW that I will be writing something VERY different.

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  3. well said, AHandU.
    Kindergarten politics is not unlike the real deal.

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  4. "However, if you do have a little extra pull Upstairs, could you do something about all this frickin' cold and snow?" Amen!! I would feel that my vote was well cast.

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  5. Amen! Brother...okay so I am a little slow as usual. I do hope that people do not view him as a second coming, cause that high expectations would surely disappoint, but you expressed it best, thank you!

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  6. Nice post. Yeah, be careful placing someone on a high pedestal. It could be a long way down. If we could just find a way for the Legislative and Excecutive branches to play nice, maybe some of this will work itself out.

    I'm not holding my breath though...

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  7. Can you imagine how frickin' awesome it would be, though, if the dude actually could shoot fire from his ass and lightening bolts from his fingertips? Seriously. World at large? Hear our call!

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  8. Cool blog -
    Thanks for stopping by mine!

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  9. Oops - I just realized I hit the wrong link before, so you didn't visit me.

    Nice blog anyway!

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