Inauguration Day 2009

Inauguration Day 2009

And now we must stop making excuses.
Beyond that, I have no words.
No words that seem adequate;
None that seem eloquent enough,
Deserving enough to be shared.

Some two million strong
Along the Washington mall
Wave flags and hats and hands
And wishes and hopes and dreams.
We are all strengthened by their pride.

Wrapped in the icy embrace of
A winter both literal and symbolic,
Their breath plumes white
But their hearts beat warm
And the future smells of sweetest spring.

From ball to ball, tonight
America dances toward the future.
The waltz beat strains of Hope and Change
And all the best the World can offer:
This is what's to come.

So no more excuses. No blame deflected.
Responsibility is ours once more.
Gather up the tools of growth,
And fertilize with faith and hope;
America, your future has already begun.

--Chris Kmotorka, January 20, 2009

Election Day, Nov. 4, 2008: The 21st Century Begins Today

Where does one even begin? Tonight we made history. In many ways, the 21^st Century begins tomorrow morning. Tonight, by an overwhelming majority, Senator Barack Obama was elected to be the next President of the United States of America. After watching two much-desired Democratic Presidential hopefuls miss the mark in the last two elections to perhaps the worst President in the history of the United States, as much as I hoped for Obama’s win, there was plenty of trepidation and anxiety going into this election.

I fully supported Al Gore’s bid for the Presidency in 2000 but at the same time assumed it to be no contest. How could George W. Bush possibly beat the sitting Vice President of a successful two-term President? Many of us still view that election as having been stolen by a corrupt Republican majority. Nothing will convince us otherwise.

With the utter failure of the Bush Presidential first term, I wanted to make a change but didn’t think we could take it for granted. Those wounds were still fresh after four years and the entry into an essentially illegal war and other policy issues: requiring No Child Left Behind but not funding the program, talking of veterans’ issues and then pulling funding for them, talking of increasing PELL grants and other higher education incentives and then quietly pulling funding. It was a trend that received too little attention in the media.

The Kerry Campaign in 2004 was the first time I donated money to a political campaign. Being an initial Bob Graham supporter, once he left the race I immediately switched allegiance to the Kerry Campaign. This was at a time when Howard Dean was the Democratic darling and a lot of people thought I was making the wrong choice. But Kerry prevailed and became the Democratic nominee. That was the year of the Kerry Mobile. I drove a red mini-van at the time and simply plastered the back of it with different stickers, mostly self-made at the print shop I worked in at the time. There were plenty of slogans and propaganda. But money and stickers weren’t enough. In the end, Ohio and the election went to a Bush second term. It was a devastating blow that left me literally and visibly depressed for days afterward. All of our dire predictions about another term with George W. Bush would come true in spades.

At the Democratic convention in 2004 a young Senator from Illinois was the keynote speaker. He was amazing and received a lot of attention. I put his speech on CDs and handed out copies to people telling them, this is the future. This is the Democratic Party. I said at the time that I would not be at all surprised if he was picked to be Hillary Clinton’s VP pick in the 2008 election. Little did I know that he would end up entering the United States Senate and make a bid for the Presidency all on his own.

In the 2008 primaries I hitched myself to Joe Biden’s campaign. I donated money and tried to talk him up as being an excellent choice with vast foreign policy experience, a good environmental record, and so on. I marked my early ballot here in Arizona for Joe Biden and sent it in. Unfortunately, by the time the Arizona Primary came around Senator Biden was already out of the race. My vote really didn’t count for much, in the end. It was a lesson learned—in hectic primary seasons, hang on to your vote as long as you can.

Once Joe Biden was out of the running, I chose Barack Obama. A lot of my Democratic friends preferred Hillary Clinton, but I remembered Barack’s speech and admired him immensely. Now, as a matter of full disclosure, even in the beginning I admitted that my personal ideology and views on a lot of things were far closer to Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, and Chris Dodd. But I’m also somewhat realistic and new none of them had much chance at this thing. I still admire Chris Dodd to no end. He is a man of integrity and has been the on the right side of so many social issues. He’s a great man to have in the Senate.

I sent my money to Barack Obama and tried to convince people he was the right choice. I again encouraged people to register to vote and to look into Barack’s positions. After a long and often bitter fight, Barack came out successful and received the nomination. I had a lurking hope that he would pick Joe Biden as his VP pick, but never expected it to happen. When it did I was very excited. Here we had what I believed to be the best of the field teaming up to go against John McCain. I was minimally hopeful.

As the campaign wore on for what many thought was a seemingly endless merry-go-round of attacks and blame, Barack Obama remained calmed and focused, unflappable. John McCain picked the horrendously underprepared and intellectually unremarkable Sarah Palin as his running mate. We assume he thought she would peel away the disenfranchised Hillary voters, but not surprisingly, John McCain underestimated the intelligence of women in America. Sarah Palin is anti-environment, anti-choice, an anti-science fundamentalist with no intellectual curiosity and an increasingly obvious lack of knowledge. McCain grew angry and bitter and launched a series of unfounded personal attacks against Barack Obama. The economy melted down and it was all essentially over. America was done with a Republican controlled government.

But enough of all that. They have just announced that Barack Obama is the President Elect of the United States of America. I don’t want to try and say anything for fear of choking up. I know it seems silly to be emotional about this. I don’t have the historical investment of some. However, I had envisioned a world with a dim future and this decision really does seem to bring about the hope that we have been promised by this election. There is a lot of work to be done and some challenges that will be extremely difficult to overcome, but at least we can start taking steps in the right direction.

I sat waiting for results with a sense of hesitant optimism. I was afraid to be too hopeful because I had seen elections ripped away from me before. And I was fully ready to accept the blame if Obama did not win. Yes, I contributed money to the campaign. Yes, I tried to convince people that he was the right answer (sometimes more belligerently than I should have). Yes, I posted to blogs and sent emails. But I did not go door to door. I did not go down and work the phone banks. I did not volunteer and give my time. Part of this is my insecurity and shyness among strangers. There are a lot of things I should do but don’t because of this character flaw. But the whole time I knew I should be doing these things. Yet, I did nothing. So I was ready and willing to accept the blame and the guilt. Fortunately, there were many thousands of people who were willing to volunteer their time and services and they pulled this off. My thanks go out to them.

History has been made. There is no way to emphasize that enough. There was a bigger voter turnout than any election since 1908—considering our nation is on the shy side of 240 years old, a hundred year stretch is a pretty big deal. Voter turnout among minorities was way up; some Latinos are actually claiming credit for Obama’s win! But it’s that notion of minority that is of such import here. We have elected the first African-American President of the United States of America. Slavery was officially abolished 145 years ago with the Emancipation Proclamation. Everyone knows, however, that slavery continued in a de facto manner for many years after that. And any real sense of racial equality has never truly arrived. Again, Obama’s election is historic if for no other reason than the color of his skin (which, wonderfully, actually seems to have been beside the point in the end). I hope there comes a day in the not too distant future when the first part of that sentence seems ridiculous. I don’t think that’s likely, but it’s something to hope for.

I cannot begin to imagine what Obama’s victory must mean to African-Americans. No matter how young, how old, how rich, how impoverished, educated, dressed, or how wide the social circle, each and every brown-skinned person in this country carries a stigma. They might not think about it on a regular basis, or consciously recognize it at all, but it is there. The sense of shared accomplishment and relief that must have come with this election must be nothing short of immense. There must be a sense of burdens being lifted. Shackles have been removed and the automatic sense of limitation no longer needs to be a birthright of African-Americans. I imagine a sense of freedom coming when you might have actually forgotten you were still imprisoned. I hope the feeling is as good or better than I imagine and I hope it lasts until the end.

I am writing this for my grandkids. Four more Presidential elections will come and go before they can vote for a presidential candidate. Will that election be as meaningful as this one? Will it capture the hearts and imaginations of not only our nation, but the world the way this one has? Only time will tell. I only hope that when that time comes it is a time of peace and prosperity and that “oil addiction” is something that has to be looked up in a history book (or something you go and ask grandpa about). I hope they look back at President Barack Obama as one of the historic greats (albeit within their lifetimes) and read about this day as the beginning of a great new era. Right now that is what we envision. Certainly many of us voted for Barack Obama because he is an intellectually curious, reasoned, even-tempered man with good ideas and positions that we see as directly beneficial in the foreseeable future; however, many of us also voted for him for the sake of our children and grandchildren. We are embracing the idea that decisions need to be made based on future generations, not our own short-sighted benefit. We’ve been living for the “now” far too long. It’s time to get back to being a forward looking, forward thinking nation. So, yes, in many ways tomorow marks the real beginning of the 21^st Century. Welcome to the future, Mr. President Elect Obama.

Senate Resolution 636: McCain's Cynical Trickery

There are new ads out urging voters to call and urge Sen. Barack Obama to stand up and support Senate resolution 636. What a crock of shit. This cynical piece of fluff is the brainchild of Sen. Joe "I'm In The Closet, Don't Bother Me" Lieberman and Sen. John "You Can't Question Me, I'm a Former P.O.W.!" McCain. And what does this landmark waste of time accomplish? It "acknowledges" the "success" of the almighty SURGE (that's an energy drink, isn't it?). Oh, yeah, and, um, while we're at it, let's add in a very special "thanks to the troops." The whole thing is a cynical, disgusting ploy to try and force Sen. Obama to "admit" that the surge has worked--which is only true in John McCain's head. Sure, the surge accomplished some military points, as even Obama admits; however, the purpose, or "goal" of the surge was to effect political stability and resolution between the various Iraqi factions. Mission not accomplished. McCain, who hasn't bothered to show up for work the last several months and has missed at least one truly important vote on alternative energy (it literally lost by one vote), had someone who can still actually function mentally--albeit in an evil fashion--come up with this idiocy as yet another unfair attack on Barack Obama. The Republican/Repugnant 527 group "Vets for Freedom" group are responsible for this horse shit. (How any intelligent vet could vote for a man who has done nothing but work against veterans is a never ending mystery to me. But these aren't intelligent vets, these are "Vets for Freedom." Yeah. Right.) How does it work? Well, if Obama doesn't vote for it or doesn't show up for the vote McCain and Dumbfuck, er, I mean Lieberman, will start howling that Obama hates the troops, doesn't appreciate the troops, is unpatriotic, and doesn't believe we should thank the troops for their service. How do these evil douche bags get away with this shit? It pisses me off to no end.

It's OK. I Understand.

To my friends who believe they cannot vote for Barack Obama, I want you to know: I understand. I truly do. You see, Barack Obama is intelligent and thoughtful. He is articulate, literate, and sincere. He understands his shortcomings and not only seeks the council of others, but listens to it. In short, he is the complete antithesis of all you have come to expect and admire in a President. It must come as quite a shock that someone of such characteristics should wish to serve his country in this way. I understand your suspicion. I know it scares you that someone might want to rock the boat. Someone might want to change the status quo, possibly even change the paradigm. I'm sure it's quite frightening. It's so much easier to stick with what you are familiar with, even if it hasn't really been any good for you or your country. Change is scary. I understand.

I realize you have become quite comfortable giving up rights and freedoms and weakening the Constitution because you believe it doesn't really affect you. I'm sure you believe that little "preemptive" strike and all of the chaos that has arisen from it is not only justified but somehow necessary, even though all independent sources (and event the Pentagon, GASP!) have agreed that this action was unwarranted and has only undermined our security as a nation and also our standing on the world stage. I understand. It's easier to believe what "they" tell you. I understand, I really do.

What a sigh of relief you must have expelled when the candidacy of John "McFriends" McCain was confirmed! No longer would you have to worry about change. Here was a chance to not only elect someone who would keep the same policies moving "forward," but, heck, he's a good friend, too! Of course, I would think (heaven forbid!) it would be better if he could decide just what it is he stands for. That seems to shift from day to day.

Part of the problem, my friends, with John "McFriends" McCain, is that, well, my good friends, the real John McCain died several years ago. Yes, friends, it's true. The last time he went through a campaign it was simply too much for his creaky old heart and he passed on to Valhalla. But, my friends, don't despair, the Republican party was able to create a modified clone using DNA from the original John "The Maverick" McCain, George W. Bush, and an extremely obedient and passive lap dog. It's really a marvel of science, which is really saying something for a party which eschews science so readily.

So, no hard feelings. I know how hard it is to face the future. However, I encourage you to embrace change and take a chance on the future. Let's move toward a future where America once again holds itself up to a higher standard and no longer says, "Why should we lead the way? No one else is doing it." Let's look to a future where America once again stands up and says, yes, we can (Wait, is that Obama's slogan? Hmm. That was unintentional, seriously.). When America sees the world out-competing it by manufacturing vehicles that get better mileage, have better warranties, and have higher levels of quality and performance it shouldn't say--as it does these days--"It's unfair, we should impose higher import taxes on those other cars!" No! America should say, "Oh, hell no. This won't stand!" And then they should flood the market with efficient, cost-effective, electric powered vehicles and alternatives to petroleum fuel to generate that electicity. They shouldn't whine and moan and say, as our President himself has done, "It's haaarrrd!" Of course it's hard! You think it wasn't hard to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade--in the effin' sixties?!?! Give me a break.

So, yeah, I understand. But get over it. Get over it and do the right thing. Horatio Alger is a myth. You are not going to be a rich CEO anytime soon and you are not going to benefit from all of the corporate welfare this administration has shoved down our throats. It ain't going to happen, friends. Quit thinking that if you elect a Democrat we will all live in sudden poverty where everything you have is taken away and given to poor brown people. This President came into office with a few trillion dollars in surplus. This surplus, coming from a Democratic administration, has been squandered until we are billions and billions of dollars in debt with several billion dollars a month going to feed the war in Iraq (unnecessary, unwarranted, and having nothing whatsoever to do with 9/11 or terrorism or anything else that might have been justified). This administration said the war would pay for itself and would result in really cheap oil prices ($20 per barrel, as a matter of fact). You see where that has gotten us, don't you? You're now paying approximately $3 more a gallon than when this administration came into office. And it's not going to get any better if we continue down the same path. And believe me, John "McFriends" McCain is exactly the same path--or worse.

I understand, yes, but I've changed my mind on one thing: It's not OK.