SHOW ME

It’s not often that in political commentary one gets to invoke a show tune, but after listening to the endless yammering about the historical importance of the coming administration of President Elect Obama and all we can look forward to, we find ourselves wandering about the house humming a tune from My Fair Lady. No it isn’t “I Could Have Danced All Night”. It is “Show Me” For you kiddies that don’t remember the ethereal Audrey Hepburn or don't know Lerner and Lowe's musical legacy, at the end of the movie, the character Eliza Doolittle chastises her too verbose suitor for promising and never delivering.

Words, words, words, I’m so sick of words. Never do I want to hear another word. There isn’t one I haven’t heard. Here we are together in what ought to be a dream. Say one more word and I’ll scream.

Yes, Obama’s election is historic. Yes, the world he promises is utopian. Yes, even we want much of what he promises to deliver. But we are past the dreaminess of our youth. We have spent a lifetime of working hard, hoping to provide a secure future for our children and a worry free retirement for ourselves. We have listened to our own parents and studied hard and secured our academic credentials. We followed the advice of our mentors and worked diligently to have a successful career. We have listened to our political leaders and fulfilled our role as responsible citizens, supporting our government and serving our community. Now we want the life we were promised. So, President Obama, show me. Show me now .

PRESS ON A LEASH

We have been patient with President elect Obama. We, like all Americans, are cautiously optimism. After all President Bush has set our expectations extraordinarily low. As disgusted as we are with the 43rd President, we are angrier with the press. Yesterday's Presidential press conference, Bush's last, was an embarrassment all around.

Despite the "go easy on the guy" attitude reserved for the occasion, the press allowed President Bush to make some of the most outrageous claims ever spoken aloud by a chief executive. Among the outrageous claims were that he thought that the federal response to Katrina had been adequate, that the financial melt down was something he inherited and that he was able to stay “lighthearted” while, “…reading reports about soldiers losing their lives.” Yet not one reporter challenged him.

President elect Obama has had several press conferences already and it has become apparent that he and his staff are manipulating the press, picking and choosing the reporters that are allowed to ask questions. This is an frightening state of affairs. We have the super powers of Russia and China brazenly predicting the fall of the US. There has never been a time in our history when we needed more the press to aggressively challenge every thing our government does. We are on the brink of disaster.

The one hopeful thing we see is this very medium, the medium that Obama rode into the White House, the medium that will be his undoing for it not a easily controlled. At this time Obomabots effectively drown out opposing views, but this will not last long. Such people have short attention spans. They will soon tire of their new idol and will be off to the next cover of People magazine and the grown ups will be here to deal with what they have wrought. And we will. We may be older, but we still believe in an America that can do anything and, for all of the inherent arrogance and xenophobia, we still believe that we are better than any other country. We will not let these people or the sycophant press prove us wrong.