Inauguration Notes II

Expectations were sky high for President Obama's inaugural address. It was like going to a movie you were led to believe was great and being disappointed, except Barack Obama did not disappoint. He provided a heavy dose of realism, yet followed it with stirring rhetoric affirming that together as Americans we would rise to the occasion. He called on all of us to roll up our sleeves and get to work with him. He issued a clear call to action. For some it may have seemed a bit too somber for such a joyous moment, but it was actually a masterful job of toning down expectations while at the same time speaking confidently of our collective ability as Americans to successfully tackle all challenges coming our way.

Another major theme of the new President's speech was a call to service. He recalled John Kennedy's admonition to "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". Young people especially appear to be responding to this call. Many responded a day earlier to the National Day of Service on Martin Luther King day. The President led the way by visiting wounded soldiers and painting a room at a homeless shelter for teens. The concept of service is important to his agenda as it reiterates his theme of all of us having a part to play and sacrifices to make in turning things around in this country.

What has especially caught my attention, however, is the recognition that with President Obama the nation is being governed by a new generation. As I suggested in my previous blog we have not seen such a generational shift since the Kennedy Inaugural. Tom Brokaw, NBC News Correspondent, and others have made much of the fact that many of the issues that faced the Baby Boomers have not been a part of the living memory of Barack Obama and the legions of young people who supported him. Vietnam and the assasinations of the 60's are vividly etched in the minds of baby boomers and pre baby boomers like myself.

This reality was brought home to me by my son who noted early in the Bush administration, at a time when I was beginning to wonder, that George Bush was not evil. He insisted that George Bush was a good man trying to do the right thing for his country just as all presidents before him had done. It was hard for me to explain that Republicans had said Bill Clinton was evil and that somehow I had to return the favor. How could I explain that I didn't start the culture wars, but I had been caught up in them, and was among those who had taken sides.

My issues were not part of where my son was, and it is not where President Obama is. In his inaugural he referenced the words of St. Paul from Corinthians, "it is time to put away childish things". The old stale arguments are no longer acceptable. We must all look beyond where we've been to find new and effective solutions to long standing problems, and clearly a new generation without the baggage of the 60's is necessary to lead this new endeavor. My nephew, who was just elected to congress on a platform of not choosing between right or left, but between right or wrong, also exemplifies this new generation that is now in the ascendancy.

The old partisan issues remain, but the familiar knee jerk reactions from both sides need to be put aside to reach compromise and move on. So we would all do well to read St. Paul again and grow up as the President admonishes. We still have a few tidbits of wisdom that we can pass on to the new generation, and certainly our voices need to be heard. If we can recall what we felt during those early heady days of the 60's and especially the successes of the civil rights movement, perhaps we will be able to join together with this new generation to help realize the promise of America.

Congratulations to the new President and to congress. Surely disagreements will occur, but working together they just might be able to build that shining city on the hill.