Some Inaugural Thoughts

I've had a hard time coming up with anything positive to say about our government lately.  The entire institution is so broken and it's not even secretly broken anymore.  The Republican/Tea Party faction has gotten pretty blatant about what they plan to do.  Over the course of the campaign, Pennsylvania passed the strictest (and most absurd) voter ID law in the nation and the Republican cronies proudly announced, "There--that will deliver Pennsylvania to Governor Romney."  There's no mistaking their intentions on that occasion, nor is there any mistaking their intent with their new scheme.  When their ID law failed to be implemented for the presidential election of '12, the Republicans decided they had better make certain that in 2016 Pennsylvania turned the proper shade of red.  Now they're proposing legislation that changes their electoral allotment, giving 2 electoral votes to the winner of the state as a whole and allocating the rest of them by Congressional district.  Those districts were happily gerrymandered in 2010 to insure that Republican candidates held a majority of offices.  If this rule change is enacted, Pennsylvania will never be a blue state again, no matter who the people vote for.  This is a scheme endorsed by the RNC, who plans to implement it in every state that is Republican held.

So with news like that, it's pretty hard to write anything positive or even hopeful about the state of affairs of our government--until yesterday.  If Bill Clinton was the man from hope, then Barack Obama is the guardian of that hope.  Let John McCain whine all he wants to because the President didn't use the word "Republican" in his inaugural address (he didn't use the word "Democrat" either), the President stood tall and delivered a heaping helping of what this country needs; a reminder of who we are and what we are capable of.  He gave us hope.  Thank you, Mr. President.  

Here are some of my reflections on the day and some of my favorite moments.  Please share yours in the comments section! 

Everyone knows that President Obama will go down in history as the first African-American President, but he's now added to that legacy and will go down in history for being the man that said, "...for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."  The President got a coveted standing ovation in the kitchen for his eloquence in reminding us that gay rights are imperative and he will fight for equality in his second term.  

Official Republican poetry hater

Maya Angelou got a run for her money as my favorite inaugural poet when Richard Blanco read his masterpiece.  What beautiful, hopeful words he committed to the page and shared with the country; simply magnificent!  And speaking of the inaugural poem, kudos to the individual who captured Eric Cantor during Blanco's reading and  reminded us all that unless it has a dollar bill stapled to it, Eric doesn't like it.  

Just when I thought I couldn't love FLOTUS Michelle Obama any more, she gives me a reason to love her just a little bit more.  During the inaugural luncheon, Michelle delivered one of the absolute best head-shake/eye-roll combo's I've ever seen.  If this were an Olympic sport, she would have brought home the gold.  Mr. Speaker, the FLOTUS has clearly had enough of your nonsense.  You'd be wise to shut up and eat your greens.  Clearly, this is a woman who is tired of pulling the knife out of her husband's back and although she's aware that the President has to work with him, she is equally aware that she doesn't have to suffer his shit with a smile--and she doesn't.  

James Taylor

We were treated to several epic performances yesterday, including Beyonce's stirring rendition of our National Anthem, a favorite for me, as I'm from Baltimore (the birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner), but my favorite was James Taylor singing America, the Beautiful, where the crowd joined in and sang along.  His acoustic accompaniment set just the right tone.  

The First Daughters reminded us that the Obama's are a real family, filled with love and genuine affection.  They showed us that even in solemn occasions like the swearing in of dad as President, there is room for laughter.  They shared a "private" family moment as the country watched. 





                                                            NEW YORK IN THE HOUSE!! Thank you, Senator Schumer, for this epic photobomb!! That's one happy Democrat! This photo makes me proud to be a New Yorker!  He smiled for all of us while watching President Obama take his public oath of office.  What makes it even better is that Speaker Boehner looks like he has a wedge of lemon in his mouth. 

Another one of my favorite moments of the inaugural festivities was simply the fact that America's happy warrior was there--Vice President Joe Biden!  Say what you will about our Vice President, I love Joe Biden, gaffes and all.  He is a sincere, genuine, down-to-earth man and he serves our nation with dignity and fortitude, every day.  His wife, Dr. Jill Biden is a lovely woman in her own right and they clearly rival the Obama's in the romance department!  Kudos to Vice President and Dr. Biden, who shared a first dance to the Ray Charles classic, "I Can't Stop Loving You" performed by Jamie Foxx.

It made me laugh to know that even a celebrity like the Today Show's Al Roker gets excited when he's able to attract the attention of our President and Vice President during the inaugural parade!  Leave it to Joe Biden to give his Secret Service detail indigestion!  It was a great TV moment!    






There were so many moments that were worth sharing and discussing; so many proud, hopeful, happy moments.  When I think of what could have been (a Romney inaugural), I get a great big Schumer smile on my face.  Four more years...and with any luck at all, the Republicans have learned that obstructionism doesn't work and they will make a good faith effort to follow this President's example and meet him at the center of the aisle.  Perhaps it's too much to hope for, and that's likely true, but yesterday's festivities have given me the courage to hope it just the same.  Congratulations, President Obama and thank you for having the courage to accept the position once more.  A lesser man would have walked away and who could have blamed you?  I do not always agree with you, but I still believe you are a man of integrity and vision, and you are my President and I will support you and give you the respect you deserve as such.  

And with that, I will leave you with my favorite moment from yesterdays inaugural celebration.  What a beautiful couple!  Clearly, they are very much in love and a very happy family.  The President looked happy and handsome, the First Lady, as always, was the epitome of style and grace.  They have brought honor to the White House and we can be proud of them as they represent our country around the world. After their dance, the FLOTUS tweeted: "Just danced to "Let's Stay Together" with the love of my life and the President of the United States.  I'm so proud of Barack. -mo" Camelot indeed...

photo Associated Press/Jacquelyn Martin

The Most Important Issue of 2013

copyright Warner Brothers, Inc.

After a brief hiatus to enjoy the holidays with my family, I'm back to blogging on the issues that matter to us all, both large and small.  Welcome 2013 and with it, a shiny new 113th Congress.  As 2012 rolled to its close with the country standing on the edge of the precipice like Wile E. Coyote, I held a tiny spark of hope that the 113th edition of government of, by and for the people would be better this time around.  To quote one of my favorite fictional characters, "I am and always will be the optimist, the hoper of far flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams" (Doctor Who).  Of course, while embracing my optimism and declaring the glass half full while the pessimist declares it half empty, the opportunist steps in from the side and drinks the glass dry (enter the Republican Party). 

My hopes for a more productive 113th Congress were summarily dashed when Allen West received two votes for Speaker of the House, along with a not too short list of other ridiculous, "you've got to be kidding me" nominees.  It reminded me of a scene in the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End, where the Brethren Court of pirates convened and held an election for pirate king.  In the film, Captain Barbosa explains that no pirate is ever elected king because each of the pirate lords always vote for their self.  It seems like this is the path that House Republicans are taking, each serving in his or her own best interests politically, not giving a moments consideration to their constituency and even less consideration for the good of the country.  It would be entertaining to watch the GOP cannibalize itself if they weren't risking the health and prosperity of real human beings while they devour one another.

So we kicked off the New Year with John Boehner postponing the vote on the "fiscal cliff" after Vice President Biden and the United States Senate worked until 2 am to pass legislation and then as an encore, The Speaker postponed the vote on a relief package for victims of Hurricane Sandy 20 minutes after he promised the NY/NJ delegations the vote would take place--with no explanation, of course.  Those of us who follow the machinations of Congress know that the impetus for Boehner's retreat was because the Tea Party faction of his caucus essentially bullied him into postponing the vote and The Speaker, lacking any characteristic that could be remotely construed as Leadership, handed over his Congressional lunch money.  The next two years of Congress is already shaping up to be a hold over from the last two; more obstructionism and no one really cares who gets hurt.

Which brings us to a difficult question: How do we fix it?  I mean, we held an election that should have been a loud and clear message to the Republican Party.  This country re-elected President Obama by an overwhelming majority in both the electoral and popular vote.  We returned Democrats to a majority in the Senate and gave them a few extra seats into the bargain, and if it were not for Republican gerrymandering, the Democrats would have regained control of the House as well.  Democratic candidates received more than one million more votes than Republican candidates, after all.  Despite being in a position that required a Democratic candidate receive 7 votes for every one vote needed to elect a Republican candidate, the Dems still picked up seats in the House as well.  

Even in light of these circumstances, the Republicans act like they won the election and refuse to see the evidence that proves they held the House by the hair of their carefully gerrymandered chinny-chin-chins...opting to view their now shrunken majority as their mandate.  Despite polling that shows Congress is less popular than the IRS and the entire country turning Communist, the Republicans say to themselves, "YES!! This is what the people want!"  My own Representative in Congress had the audacity to declare in a pre-election debate that he was proud of the "accomplishments" of the 112th Congress.  No--he wasn't kidding either.  How very sad and delusional these Republican Congresspersons have become.

So, we were talking about a solution to repair what will no doubt prove, over the coming two years, to be an increasingly broken, do-nothing government body.  The fix is simple, but forcing Congress to self-govern and repair itself will be the hardest thing in the world to do.  It consists of three simple, two syllable words; campaign finance reform.

Radical, common sense campaign finance reform is the complete fix for all that ails our broken legislative branch of government.  Even Biblical scripture denounces money as the root of all evil and to this day, no truer words have ever been spoken, especially within the context of Congressional elections.  The acquisition of money is the driving force behind everything a Congressperson says or does...or doesn't say or doesn't do throughout their tenure as an elected representative.  I believe this to be true even more so for members of the House than the Senate.  Senators are elected for six year terms, and the public's memory is short.  Members of the House are only elected for two years, so their actions are more acute and more likely to remain fresh in the public mind.  The simple truth remains that members of both branches of Congress are on a constant quest to fill their campaign coffers from the day they take the oath of office.  

If the constant drive for the almighty dollar were removed from the equation, our Congress would be far more likely to operate as "of, by and for the people" rather than "of by and for the people most likely to contribute to my campaign."  This has never been more glaringly apparent than it has become in the harsh light of the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court.  Still, despite the billions of dollars that were spent in the last election, we now know that at the end of the day the power still resides with us, the voters.  This gives us hope that real, far reaching change can occur.  

Over the course of 2013, campaign finance is a subject that we will visit and re-visit in the pages of this blog.  We will examine the process of how a person runs for Congress and what role money plays in a campaign and as part of the legislative process.  Most importantly, I hope to start a conversation on how we can change current campaign finance rules and how to get members of the 113th Congress to take a stand on this crucial subject.  

So, off we go, boldly into 2013.  I wish for you and for those you hold near and dear, a very prosperous and joyous new year.  I wish for the members of the 113th Congress a productive new year...one that consists of meaningful legislation that moves our country forward.  I'll settle for a year that has more actual new legislation than continuations, amendments, and the renaming of Post Offices and Federal buildings and lands.  To quote that fictional character again...Allons-y!!