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If you watched the inauguration, you had to pick up on the promise to be "at work the first day". And so he was, appearing in the Oval Office, behind the long-sought desk, signing several pieces of new legislation. Knowing that his every action was being carried by the news media, he was careful to explain what each new law was about. Behind him were people of note who would have parts to play in his administration. Of course Hillary Clinton, having been confirmed as the new Secretary of State, had to have her face there as did her hapless husband who wasn't a president any more. Having followed her Senate job by setting up an office in Harlem, he will hopefully have no reason to follow her around the globe as she responds to international events. But you know Billy…
I have to mention that the dress that Mrs. Obama wore on inauguration day was of more interest to the press than her qualities as a political spouse. Although she has advanced degrees and is an attorney in her own right, her dress was of greater concern. This observation caused still more stir to reporters, even though they had caused the situation in the first place! Yes, she looked pretty, but let's be done with that already. I don't think that Barack is touting her as part of a "two for the price of one" package the way Bill Clinton did Hillary. Maybe she can even bake cookies? To be fair, this election has brought an entirely new presence to our country: the first black president. Because that is different, unique, and unknown the media will continue to track down every bit of information on the new president and the First Family. No bit of minutia will be considered too small to be of interest to us, the American public. Do they have a puppy yet? What do the girls eat for breakfast? When will the older one be allowed to date? And on and on. At what point will we have our fill of the Obama family? Do we subconsciously compare them to the "Jeffersons" or "The Cosby Show" of TV and expect to be entertained? Will the girls feel even more aware of their life in the gold fish bowl of presidential offspring because they are DIFFERENT from Chelsea, Amy, Caroline, and John-John? In a past life I was a teacher, and my students were of various races and nationalities. As time went on, I realized that I learned from them as much as they learned from me. Their lives, customs, habits, etc. were as interesting to me as I hoped my lessons were to them. They had questions not only about the subject matter but about life in the United States. Of course the Obama children were born and raised here; their lives were basically like those of other kids (black and white); one of their parents is racially mixed (no different from many American children nowadays); and they have moved to various parts of the country like kids whose parents have jobs that demand it. Are jump rope and softball so different if your father is the President of the United States? I am imagining that the "morning after" becoming president is much like any other move: unpacking, putting things in bureaus and closets, having breakfast (although in this case it was with many other Important People in church as dictated by custom), trying to find everything, arranging the furniture, deciding on curtains, and getting off to work and school. One difference might be that your every move is accompanied by the Secret Service. That could annoy me, unless they brought the coffee. I read today that President Obama has created a web site dealing with the current economic crisis called www.recovery.gov. I went up on his site only to find that it had headlines but nothing else yet. As everyone knows, titles are fine but CONTENT is key! Recalling term papers that my students wrote, there was often a lack of ideas related to the subject. I hope our new president gets past that and presents not only his IDEAS for recovery but his METHODS for making them realities. If you see a person whose car has gotten stuck in a snow bank, simply making a statement about his dilemma is insufficient. You must then acknowledge that he needs help to get out of it and SPELL OUT THE METHOD FOR DOING IT, like a tow truck or a plow or a shovel, and where these are going to come from. Did he get hurt in this event? Does he need medical attention? Is the snow bank a danger to other drivers? How can future drivers avoid this danger? Etc. I will be clicking onto the web site daily to see its progress, as well as that of the new president whose election motto was "change". Just Mom |
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