Over our long holiday weekend, I ventured with some friends up to D.C. to see the second inauguration of Barack Obama. We piled into two Megabuses with about a hundred other people at 10 p.m. on Saturday. Many passengers became instant friends as they compared their tickets for the inauguration, stories about where they were four years prior, and reasons why they are drawn to D.C. that day.
Our plan to go to D.C. for the inauguration formulated on Election Night as the results were coming in. We sat in my apartment anxiously comparing results on the internet and TV, imagining — like, I believe, most politically engaged liberal college students — doomsday scenarios if Romney were to be elected. We swore that if Obama made it through, we would be there in D.C. to watch him make history again.
Though it is hard to be reasonable in the moment, it is plain to see now that if Romney had been elected, life would have gone on. America as we know it would not have collapsed, just as our country has not collapsed in the eyes of any reasonable conservative under the Obama administration. But there is something about Barack Obama that pulls you in emotionally and makes you believe in his vision. Though he does not always follow through, he is undoubtedly a symbol of progress and hope. That is what drew me and almost a million other people to Washington this weekend.
Obama’s speech in 2009 was filled with astronomically high hopes and fantastical calls for change. He laid out a picture of an ideal America with plenty of jobs, the best schools, the most affordable health care and the happiest, most prosperous, most ideal people on the planet. That day, it all sounded so easy. But since then, we are well aware of flaws and holes in that sweeping, idealistic vision for America.
The theme of Obama’s inaugural address this Monday was much more narrow than it was four years ago. Last time, his message was, “We’re going to fix everything!” This year he similarly cited a multitude of things he wanted to accomplish, but he emphasized more than anything that all of us are in this together. He used the famous phrase, “We the people” at least five times, and over and over again he reiterated that all of us are created equal.
The speech was a historic homage to the progressivism that gave Obama his start as a community organizer in Chicago. He tackled the immorality of wealth inequality, the urgency to act on climate change, the importance of government programs that help the poor and the civil rights of all humans, regardless of race, gender or sexuality. Obama cemented the mainstream nature of the gay rights movement by addressing it openly in his speech — the first time a president has ever done so.
This time around, Obama’s speech was specific, and he was forthcoming with his commitment to progress. He didn’t solely rely on references to the great ideals and sacrifices of our forefathers to make his point about America’s greatness; he talked about the here and now. We are not great because of the people that created our nation hundreds of years ago; we are great because of what we can do and will do today, together.
Though Obama the Politician is only human and is sure to disappoint on many fronts during the next four years, Obama the Idea, seen once again through this address, is enough to keep hope alive for a better, more just tomorrow.
— Lindsay Lee is a junior in mathematics. She can be reached at [email protected].
