2008 Last Night
posted by on November 5 at 8:21 AM
Last night, while I was getting totally fucking wasted—which was a very different totally getting wasted than the totally getting wasted I got when John Kerry lost to George Bush—a friend of mine pointed something out about Obama:
Obama is maybe the first president in a very long time who is smart enough to realize how fucked he is. Surely any kind of man who’s able to put together the smoothest, best presidential campaign in history—and what a relief to actually say that, now!— understands the burden of what he’s trying to achieve. Every president is fucked, yes, but when George Bush won for the first time, when Bill Clinton won for the first time, when Ronald Reagan won for the first time, they didn’t seem to appreciate the gravity of the situation. They were just happy to win.
When Obama gave his speech last night, he looked relieved, yes, and assured, yes, but he also looked tired. And it was the kind of tired you see on the face of someone who’s run five miles and has to go fifteen miles more before he or she sleeps. Intellectually, he realizes the burden of a presidency, and he’s getting ready for it. It’s amazing to watch. Here’s a man who’s giving up the rest of his life for this national service, and, completely understanding what it means, he’s doing it willingly. That’s a kind of heroism.
Of course, I could just still be drunk, too.
Wise observation... and as further evidence of its wisdom, the Onion already noticed it, too:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/black_man_given_nations
It's the best kind of heroism....
Here, have a little appropriate morning music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIqLsGT2wbQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBEoBN-IH_8
YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
I'm still drunk and I'm totally late for work.
Not to be too morbid, but I though he was wondering what it was going to feel like to get shot. That was one big (Chicago) crowd.
Obama is my new best friend.
Where's my health care plan?
And when will the change come?
Like when will the plutocrats be thrown out of Washington and Seattle and be replaced with a more equitable society?
pardon me, mr balio, but when, oh when, will WRONG people just finally admit that they are FUCKING WRONG? hint: now would be a really good time. thank you.
Pls. have more hope -- WE rejected the smears about socialism and WE elected Obama and WE built a huge grass roots network which will in fact help get lots of stuff enacted, and changed.
Best of all, he's changing the narrative by by telling the story that America is land of opportunity (trad. American value, check) uniting founding fathers, civil rights, FDR, opportunity etc. etc. and facing down the "you are commies" narrative by explaining yes govt. can't do everything but we need it to do what we can't do alone.
A Democratic narrative. Speaking to emotions. Uniting us. Looking forward. Not list-y not wonk-y. Not whiny. Not speaking only to specific constituencies about speicifc issues but speaking to all of us in broad national terms pulling at our deep values and principles and weaving that into a basically progressive outlook.
Wow.
Now that's the kind of change I can believe in, because it positions us to actually deal with all the shit you are worried about. IOW it's not about him as one unique person, he's teaching the whole freaking country how to think, calming down the folks, ones who would otherwise freak out on cultural issues and divide us, getting us all focused on our collective future and in a frame to solve some problems.
That's huge.
Be hopeful. It's working. He's already talking about naming his white shouse staff and some cabinet posts super soon. Very smart. He also said we will need to sacrifice.
Unity-
in yo' FACE, john bailo! shut the fuck up and get out of town!
otherwise, i'm very happy.
Bailo! I thought you'd turn into a pumpkin after the election...
Anyways, Paul, I was thinking the same thing. His speech was very sober... Not as celebratory as you might have expected, and he clearly knows that the road ahead will be difficult.
I thought that the most telling (and inspiring) moment of Obama's speech was when he pointed out how far we have come in the last 100 years. I am sick and tired of being told this is the way we've "always" done things here. America is too fucking young to have "always" done anything. We've been changing since people first set foot on our WEST coast, and it's an amazing, wonderful moment to finally have a president who not only remembers it, but wants us to remember it, too.
Drunken observations are sometimes the best observations. He's totally aware of the burden he'll have to shoulder. Remember though,
YES WE CAN
Dear Mr. Bailo:
1. go ahead and tell us about your health care plan and we will be more specific about how you will get one or it will improve.
2. "Obama is my new best friend." Yes that's nice. I guess you heard him say he knows some people disagree with him, yet he's going to be your president, too?
Wasn't that gracious and, um, presidential?
I must say I like Eric Earling's comment over on Sound Politics, it recognized reality (the GOP lost) and said some kind words about being proud to be an American and having this huge change in power and change in party all peacefully and stuff. Kind of sloppy madlin but you know, we are glad this can heppen and happen peacefully. I know you share that view, John, because we know you are a proud American and even in defeat you likely will be very gracious and not AT ALL like those nasty folks who commented over on Sound Politics by calling Obaam and his voters fascists like Hitler, commies, etc. etc.
3. "And when will the change come?"
Um as I said by this week you will hear Emanuel is like top white house staffer? And Obama will name a few more by the end of this week.
Pretty soon and quick, I tell ya, that Obama is on the ball!
Then before Thanksgiving you will hear the name of the new Tresury secretary. Again, doing it differently and not waiting and not taking 2 months. PRetty good, huh?
Because like we're in a crisis 'n' stuff?
4. "Like when will the plutocrats be thrown out of Washington and Seattle and be replaced with a more equitable society?"
Why John, when you stop being an idiot and stop supporting the party that is the tool of the plutocrats. To get rid of their dominance Obama and us will need a bit more time, like the first 100 days of his administration, during that time expect major legislative down payments on that change you want, which most of us here share like totally man.
So prepare yourself, as that NYT article showed a few weeks ago udner Dems. the DJAI grows and grows and grows while under the GOP it just kind of stagnates.
Pls. -- be of hope and good cheer.
Yr. humble friend and fellow American--
Yeah, I'm still drunk too but I can't stop crying tears of joy. I always knew this day would come but was becoming disillusioned that it would happen in my lifetime. Score one for the intellectuals. Now let's pray that that scumbag Rossi loses.
Thr horror! The horror!
What will Bailo do for cash now that he doesn't get paid to troll messages boards? Probably suck cock and sell crack, I guess.
Wow...all I did was accept Barack Obama and ask when I'm gonna get all the stuff he promised.
I'm 100 percent Obama.
I've turned over a new leaf.
I lose you win.
I concede.
Ok...how many times do you want me to say it?
Barack Obama is the greatest, I support him a million billion times.
I want what he promised.
I want Change.
I want the repression to stop.
Yet, all the comments here are repressive.
I am definitely still drunk, but I totally agree with you. Now if I could just make it out the door.
thank you, mr balio. thank you. welcome to the land of the sane.
Hey, Bailo! How's the weather in Loserville?
I kind of figured he was sad about his grandmother more than anything...it just happened yesterday and he hasn't been able to be with family yet. That's gotta be tough.
@4:
Well, considering several of the long shots of the podium in Grant Park clearly showed the not-quite-invisible bullet-proof "cage" Obama is now going to have to stand in every time he speaks in public, I'd say that might be one thing we shouldn't have to worry about.
And John B., I believe the correct term for your sudden "conversion" is: "crocodile tears", and I seriously doubt anyone here at least is buying your act for a New York second.
If you're REALLY serious about wanting that change you're demanding in your "oooh, look how ironic I am" whiny, self-entitled tone, then maybe you'll do what the rest of us have been doing all along - get off your fat, lazy, lily-white ass and WORK to make it HAPPEN.
I figured his grandmother's death the day before had something to do with his subdued tone also.