Inauguration Day

Tuesday was the 44th Presidential Inauguration. It is a day that will supposedly be remembered in the hearts of Americans for years to come. I don’t really care.

People say that everyone should watch the inauguration so that they can share their experience with posterity. Posterity can experience it for themselves on YouTube.

Presidential inaugurations occur every four years. Each man stands up, repeats his vow, and performs his eloquently written speech. They speak of change, unity, and peace. They spin dreams of prosperity, ending depressions, solving our debt. They congratulate our troops courageous fighting, or call for more volunteers.

Who is to say that these speeches are anything more than fancy words to bring patriotism into the listener’s hearts?

Inaugurations have always been a time when people come to see the new president promise to be true to America. This year, there was a huge influx of people wanting to see. T-shirts were made with Obama’s face on them. He is the president that is popular with our generation.

People see him as the solution to our problems. He will lift the economic downfall. He will bring hope to the despairing war in Iraq. He will bring change.

I am not in opposition to President Obama. I just think people make too big of a deal out of his inauguration.

Inaugurations remind me of weddings. He stands up, shaking, nervous. Facing the crowd of people there to support him, he feels the weight of responsibility as he repeats his vows. Sadly, only time will tell if he maintains those vows. (This is not to say that people make too big of a deal out of weddings.)

To sum all this rambling up, I feel that it is more important to follow his actions throughout his presidency, vote for issues, and write to my senators than watch his inauguration.

This said, Tuesday found me at my computer, doing all the homework I should have done over break. I carried on with my normal college life. I attended my politics course where my teacher instructed us to check out Obama’s speech. I think it is very well written.

To quote former President George W. Bush in his first inauguration speech, “It is the American story—a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals.” President Obama is not an exception to this fallibility. However, he has some great ideas, and has the ability to move this country in the direction it needs.

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.” (Quote from President Obama’s inauguration speech)