As the day *of my inevitable run draws near, I cannot look anywhere without being reminded of my silly prediction and subsequent dare. It's wall to wall coverage of his O ness and his coronation tomorrow, and rightfully so. Honestly, I wish I could be there, but unlike Mrs. Field and her girlfriends, I just don't do crowds too well.
So tomorrow the first [black] family will move into the house that slaves built, and A-merry-cans will all be anxiously watching as Barack Hussein Obama is sworn in as our 44th President. For white A-merry-cans it will be a chance to feel good about their beloved country again. And for black A-merry-cans it will be a chance to feel pride about their stake in it. This is closer to the A-merry-ca that a certain Reverend from Atlanta dreamed about. This is closer to becoming the A-merry-ca that we all can be proud of.
I still don't know what kind of president his O ness will be, and I am pretty sure that from a purely political standpoint he is going to piss me off throughout the course of his presidency. But I cannot close my eyes to the enormous impact that having someone that looks like he does will have on the lives of children of color who are dreaming big dreams and who are aspiring to do great things with their lives. Every time they see their president on television they will be reminded that he looks like them or the people in their family and a positive seed will be planted. The fact that he is relatively young only makes it better. And hopefully, every time one of my brothers see that beautiful family and how they are achieving and still showing love to each other, they will aspire to do the same thing with their shorty (as Obama did with his) and not just step away after the first sign of trouble. It's no secret my brothers that you have a better chance of building wealth and becoming successful in life if you stay with your family and not make two or three of them that you can't contribute to emotionally or economically. But I digress. I need to stop preaching, there will be plenty of time for that later.
Right now we should all just enjoy the moment and the wonderful irony that comes with it. The day after we celebrate the birthday of the man with the dream, we inaugurate a man as our president which makes his dream closer to being a reality. That, as my young white friends would say, is "rich".
Now please observe the frat boy's countdown clock on my side bar and go pour yourself a stiff drink. It's almost over! You survived!
61 comments:
Field,
Alright then.
Enough of the procrastination crap, Fella. Get 'ta steppin'!
I want to see the photos, too. According to the weather forecast for Philly, Thursday is going to be a balmy 38 degrees.
Do it!
I showed a clip of Obama talking about his education to two classes of 4th graders who were visiting the University where I work. This was mixed in with some more entertaining material, of course, but I was so glad to be able to talk to them about how HE finished school and look at him now!!!! I could see all of them taking it in. For that alone, I am so grateful.
For the first time in 10 years, I decided not to go to DC for the Inauguration. The last two were filled with protests and rotten fruit.
This year, instead, my co-workers and I are spending this evening preparing food to lay out a spread and gather round the big screen tv at our office and watch it together so we can really see it all.
Tomorrow We Celebrate!
PLEASE TELL ME WHEN YOU ARE GOING TO RUN SO I CAN MAKE SURE TO BE ARMED WITH MY CAMERA PHONE AND DIGITAL CAMERA !!!!! JUST DONT PUNK OUT ON ME!! LOL
I don't have to work until 4.....so I am going to my dads house ( he is 68) to watch the swearing in....he is an avid Obama supporter
I only wish that mother and grandmother could have lived to witness this historic moment. They would have been 71 and 91 respectively this year. However, I had the belief that this day would when the right individual came along. Sometimes history just works that way, and we are witnessing dramatic swift that will profoundly affect this country and us going forward. We will have to change our current beliefs and replace them new ones. Perhaps we will realize that we are the government, and are fully Americans a dream in its beginning.
I AM GOING TO SPEND JAN. 20 WITH MY PARENTS, AND WE ARE, OF COURSE, GOING TO BE IN FRON OF THE BIG FLAT SCREEN. MY FATHER IS 84 YEARS OLD AND MY MOTHER IS 78. THEY HAVE BEEN MARRIED 60 YEARS. (I AM THE YOUNGEST OF 3, IN MY LATE 40s.) MY PARENTS ARE HEALTHY, ACTIVE, AND SHARP, SHARP. I AM VERY BLESSED THAT I CAN WITNESS THIS HISTORICAL EVENT WITH THEM. I AM ESPECIALLY PROUD THAT THEY ARE ALIVE AND WELL AND CAN SEE BARACK OBAMA SWORN IN AS THE NATION'S 44TH PRESIDENT. MY PARENTS ARE BOTH SOUTHERNERS, AND THOUGH THEY ARE DOING VERY WELL, FINANCIAL-WISE, NOW, THEY SAW SOME REAL HARD TIMES. NEITHER OF THEM HAVE COLLEGE DEGREES, BUT TWO OF THEIR CHILDREN HAVE PhDs. I HAD THE CHANCE TO GO TO DC AND BE PART OF THE WITNESSING, BUT I WANTED TO WITNESS THE FACES OF MY PARENTS WHO -- ALONG WITH SO MANY OF US -- NEVER THOUGHT WE'D SEE THIS DAY COME.
Fine day indeed a'coming.
Now, Field, are you putting off the run because you're hoping Obama will issue you a pardon from your best during his first few days in office...?
Sorry: "bet" not "best"
This is going to be a Kodak Moment for sure. Can't wait.
THANK YOU FIELD NEGRO, well said, but, would i like to put my two cent's in, when BARACK OBAMA, first begin to run for PRESIDENT, I said "sure right" and GOD BLESS you young man, I was angry, because I was afraid he would be hurt, and I found out later, after the election, that I was not the only one, that feared for his life.
I love this young man, as if he was my son, it took month's before I would sit and watch a debate, that he was in, but,in APRIL 2008 I took a closer look at BARACK OBAMA, and after that, all I could say is "GOD, where did this MAN come from!!! and not to mention MICHELLE OBAMA, if their are any two people, that deserve this honor, it is these two, they were PERSECUTED, beat, battered and bruised, and yet, they continued the race, some of their own people PERSECUTED them, and they still are! but in spite of this all, BARACK and MICHELLE, will and shall be the next PRESIDENT and FIRST LADY of the UNITED STATE'S of AMERICA. GOD BLESS and keep the OBAMA'S.
I'm happy for the Obamas'. Job well done so far. The expectations are just daunting though. Let's just hope he can deliver one goodie, getting me a job. The rest of you are on your own. Get in line.
szpork
Field,
I also wish my sweet little parents were here to witness this wonderful historic moment. We would have been together. We would have cried together. It makes me sad they didn't live to see this. They suffered many heartaches because of discrimination in Texas, so I have a mixture of joy & sadness.
Tomorrow I will cry that they couldn't be here to share in this joy I'm feeling. Just sad.
"As the day if my inevitable run draws near, I cannot look anywhere without being reminded of my silly prediction and subsequent dare."
Field, was that a little faux pas... "IF" my inevitable run draws near? LOL I think your time has come! Time to strip down and head down Broad St. I will be waiting for the video on your side bar. Right now it says 1 hour and 41 minutes...but whose counting?
I hope Obama pardons me from my student loan debt. For real.
Anyway, I will be one of the many Negroes who will be absent work on tomorrow in order to witness this historical moment from the comfort of my home.
Field,
in less than 12 hours barack obama will be president. YES WE CAN. black america will have no more excuses for thier failures. obama has proven america is open to those who are willing to work. btw how great is it that obama gave biden the choice of office. thank god clinton will not be vice president. i know field you are not happy with obama taking office. you feel he is a sellout but in fact he will be one of our greatest presidents ever. my bet is he will get his own paper money denomination when he finishes office. just remember white america voted obama in. YES WE CAN
I see a man whose compassion & empathy are real & which will be expressed, however imperfectly, in how he governs. I see a man who was not raised in wealth & privilege, & who understands the exceptionalism of his own success, & is self-aware enough to carry far less emotional baggage into his work than our previous two presidents. His confidence comes not from a belief that he's superman & needs no advice, but from a proven ability to learn, lead, meet challenges, & make his own decisions. He is nobody's puppet. He's smart to begin with a tone of nonpartisanship, because he will be forced soon enough to become partisan to get what he wants. I think he's saying to the opposition, "This is your chance. The American people & the world see me offering it. Reject it at your peril."
LMAO @ Attorneymom. I hope he pardons mine too. I decided to take tomorrow, well, today off as well because I knew I wasn't gonna be productive at work at all.
God bless the Obamas and I'm looking forward to seeing all of today's inaugural activites in the comfort of my warm apartment.
Good luck and Godspeed to Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States. There will be plenty of time to worry, to fret, and to protest. But tomorrow is a great, joyful day for everyone, and for this truly amazing and crazy country. Wow.
to mrs field.. now i know this will be hard for you.. seeing your man run butt nekkid down broad street in broad daylight.. but (no pun intended) please, please and i beseech thee, strip mr field down and push him out of the front door... no mind what the weather is like... please have a camera on hand to record what happens next.. please then upload said video in all it's 'glory'
please and thank you...
& a happy inauguration day to one and all..
It's going to be something, FN.
Something indeed.
I actually can't believe the day is here.
I'd like to make a comment about Obama and racism in America. It would be grossly inaccurate to say that his election means that racism has somehow ended. But it would also be wrong not to take note of the amazing progress that we've just witnessed.
Consider that roughly 130 million people voted, and that about 69 million of them voted for Obama. He didn't get a majority of the white vote, yet two-thirds of his votes, or about about 45 million, came from whites. He did better among whites than any Democrat since Jimmy Carter.
Whites are three-quarters of the electorate. Without massive white support, neither Barack Obama nor anyone else could've become president. Again, this isn't to somehow say that the slate has been wiped clean, but what will happen at Noon on Jan. 20, 2009 is something that would've been unthinkable when I was growing up.
Sometimes, amid the heartache and despair, fate conspires to give us "Yes" for an answer. What a day. Say what you will about this country, but it hasn't lost its ability to make me smile.
Maybe the dream that Dr. King dreamed wasn't about a black president, but about an American people willing to set aside the racial strife, hatred, and division of our past and elect a black president.
Maybe the dream that Dr. King dreamed wasn't about a government that is finally willing to reach out to all its people--to offer a helping hand, to give a boost up the ladder to those struggling to reach the first rung, and to assure a piece of the American dream for those who were forced to defer it--but of a people willing to sacrifice for the other, willing to reach out to their neighbor with a helping hand, to assist those climbing the ladder, and to work to create a climate that makes the American dream a living reality for us all.
Maybe the dream that Dr. King dreamed wasn't about the government at all, but about the American people, a people finally ready to unite as one people, to step up and fulfill their role in the government, where special interest, and political action committees, no longer direct the nation's business, but the people, a people courageous enough "to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity...."
Maybe the dream that Dr. King dreamed wasn't about the government at all, but about the American people. All of us.
Maybe, we are the dream, and the dream is us.
Hey Field Negro!!
In a few hours, I will be heading down to the National Mall...all of the charter buses are lining the streets and there are so many black elderly people wrapped in homemade quilts and huge blankets who came from all over the country to witness this... it is just an incredible feeling to be among the throng!! Everyone is just emotional and euphoric!! It's really hard to even describe!
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
Words cannot express how I feel about today.
I wish Dr. King and Malcolm X and all the other people who fought for our rights were alive to see it.
Without them Barack Obama would not be the President of the United States.
I join in with feelings of hope and great joy. Today is a very good day for all of us. My lesson plans are out the window, and my TV is on in the classroom all day. I cannot wait to share Barack Obama's vision with my students.
sfd98 that WAS a faux pas, it should have been OF. LOL!
Hannasplace and Justice, there are so many people who share your sentiments. Not only about parents but grandparents and brothers and sisters as well.
"In a few hours, I will be heading down to the National Mall...all of the charter buses are lining the streets and there are so many black elderly people wrapped in homemade quilts and huge blankets who came from all over the country to witness this... it is just an incredible feeling to be among the throng!! Everyone is just emotional and euphoric!! It's really hard to even describe!"
Blackwomen...thanks for putting that awesome image in my head.
"I hope Obama pardons me from my student loan debt. For real."
Attorenymom, you are too funny. :)
Mrs C, thanks for doing what you do and keeping you students up on things.
The talking heads are saying 5 billion people around the world will watch Obama be sworn-in on TV.
Extraordinary. I didn't know 5 billion people has access to TV.
The world is thrilled. One thing we all share in common is a hatred for George Bush. We want him gone and now that day is here.
I am waiting for the footage, Field! I caught you on NPR and kept waiting for them to say, "And that was the Field Negro! He'll be streaking nekkid in honor of our new President!" :)
Dick Cheney will be in a wheelchair today after straining his back picking up a box......
God has such a great sense of humor.
"To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high."
It is an inscription on the wall of the dressing room of the Montreal Canadiens. Often used as rallying call for sports teams up north. It is taken from the poem "In Flanders Field".
You might want to consider carrying a torch on your run, my friend. There is a lot of talk kicking around the news and the Blogs about the historic nature of this day. How this is such a huge positive change. But there is still a lot to do, and a lot of different battles that we all have ahead of us.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields
The poppies referred to in the poem grew in profusion in Flanders where war casualties had been buried and thus became a symbol of Remembrance Day. The poem is part of Remembrance Day solemnities in Allied countries which contributed troops to World War I, particularly in countries of the British Empire that did so.
Hey Field you Jam-Rock sisters and brothers have definitely represented in the inauguration crowds. I've noticed quite a few Jamaican flags mixed in with the American ones watching the covering on t.v.
I caught your interview on PBS last night while driving home. It's amazing how even PBS wants to quickly change the subject when the Israelis are put in a bad light. Sorry, there will be no discussion of Gaza. Mentioning that Obama threw his anti-war support under the bus didn't seem to have much effect on the devotees. They seem to be in a trance. Reality will wake them up.
Barack Obama is not the Black President. He is (or will be shortly)the President of the United States. Period.
Sidebar: Good morning, Field Negro.
Good morning Field and company. I am enjoying this day from the comfort of my bed. So pleased to be a part of this history. Field, can't wait to see photos of your own 'historic run'...
Enough of the procrastination crap, Fella. Get 'ta steppin'!
Yeah! Sack the fuck up, motherfucker!! HAhAHAHAHAHAH!
You da' man, Field!!
If you want to get out of the run, go see Notorious and attend a Notorious themed party afterwards. You will surely be at least stabbed and rendered unable to run..
"This is closer to the A-merry-ca that a certain Reverend from Atlanta dreamed about. This is closer to becoming the A-merry-ca that we all can be proud of."
Who was it said:
"close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades"
?
What a speech. What a leader.
What an historic moment.
My body shakes as I type this......President Barack Obama !!!!
Don't forget to visit the new and improved White House web page!
http://www.whitehouse.gov
It's completed purged of the Motherfucker from Midland.
Plus, you can send Barack a 'congrats' message.
I swear I felt the planet breath a collective sigh of relief.
I've sure seen enough of Cowboy Diplomacy and Robber Baron Economics.
It happened! It Really Happened! Congratulations to US! Congratulations to all Americans everywhere!!
Chief Justice Roberts flubbed the oath of office--but it still counts, right?
The sight of Dick Cheney in a wheelchair--add the gloves and the resemblance to Dr. Strangelove is finally completed.
Quite a day. The highlight for me was the John Williams song, and then "Hail to the Chief."
I was a bit disappointed with Obama's speech. There was no memorable catch phrase, and no specific challenge thrown out there. Given the nature of the transition, I compare him in many ways to JFK, who is still remembered for committing to put a man in the moon within a decade, and for saying, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
There was nothing comparable in Obama's speech. I think he essentially set himself up as the fix-it man. His message? "America, straighten up, fly right, and take your medicine."
Don't get me wrong, it's a huge thrill to have him there, etc., but I wish he'd set his sights higher. His speech was too cautious for me.
Photos, Field, photos. We've been hearing about this run for many months now -- you'd better provide the documentation.
And doesn't it feel great to have someone in the White House who's actually in touch with reality?
Personally, I was watching as if it was all some kind of dream until the O-Man entered the lunch while they played "Hail to the Chief". The pomp and nonsense was all for him, now. He was clearly The Man.
I don't know why, but that's what it took to make it real to me. They played "Hail to the Chief" for a black guy!
Yeah, it's all allright.
Yeah, Erik, even though the speech left me lukewarm, I've got to say that when they played Hail to the Chief for Barack Hussein Obama it was quite a moment in American history, and once I won't soon forget.
And the drama was immediate. Hillary is not confirmed and Senator Kennedy Suffered a seizure.
For those that wanted a catch phrase, I think it was the message to foreign foreign leaders who he told that people will judge them by what they build and not what they destroy. I found his message more addressed to the world than the US. He has addressed the US at every turn but his speech seemed to be directed at those out there and reestablishing America's leadership in the world.
Its as if he is telling them, don't be too quick to count us out, we only hit a small bump. And I believe this message has been received, Kenya's next elections should be interesting.
Considering America's battered image, the challenge of reestablishing credibility is as crucial as rebuilding what is broken. His speech was very effective on the foreign policy front. And to think that he was the one seemingly less experienced on foreign matters.
And also his speech was far reaching. There were too many issues to address. So many phrases would have been memorable if the theme was one or two. You may have missed it but he subtly addressed parenting too. I wonder which other President ever did that in an inagural speech.
For those that wanted a catch phrase, I think it was the message to foreign foreign leaders who he told that people will judge them by what they build and not what they destroy.
I think you just reinforced my point. There was no catch phrase. If there had been, you wouldn't be paraphrasing him. Mind you, this no more than a critique from me. I am a huge fan of Barack Obama, but the speech itself? Not so much.
Great inaugural speeches are few and far between. JFK's, FDR's first and second inaugurals, Lincoln's second inaugural. That's about it. I'm afraid we'll just have to judge Obama on his actions, not his speech. :-)
Yes, it did happen!
So much emotion.
President Barack Hussein Obama
I love him!
The Barack thing is cool,im feelimg michelle,a shining example to our young black females of grace & class all ladies need take note
dogstar 33
"I was a bit disappointed with Obama's speech." grinder
Obama is signaling a shift from the high-sound words, and catch phrases that he treated us to during his presidential run, and is now rolling up his sleeves, and inviting us to do the same--in all haste and deliberation--to carry out, and conduct, the people's business.
He's put on his game face. It's time to get down to business. Words can only go so far; we're now in the second phase--turning words into action, and action into results.
Yes We Will!
So nice to see BHO and his entourage put away the race card for a few hours during the solemn occasion of his swearing in...wait....that didn't happen...race hustling still on warp speed....
So nice to see the Obots moving on and showing grace and class...wait...that didn't happen...taunts of nay, nay goodbye to Pres Bush...giving new meaning to the term liberal's dream of "classless" society....
So nice to see MO conduct herself with dignity and grace, and to choose something in keeping with the role of first lady...no wait...that didn't happen...we got subjected to a vulgar display of gauche "finery" (and I use that word loosely)...Ken Blackwell is turning over in his grave...
Sorry....this is not the "America" I can believe in ---or support ---
Today, we are more divided as a nation that we have been since the Civil War. Maybe BHO will fulfill his Lincolnian aspiratins and preside over this generation's civil war.
I have been filled with joyful tears this past weekend but as you know today I stood proud and strong with Barack when he was sworn into office. I felt and believe that he not only took the oath but I as well. I also felt it is my responsibility to continue to enjoy life to the best of my ability. I shouted, danced and laugh today. Joy. Pure Joy.
Field,
Report Tuesday:
I am thawing, popping advil, getting ready for Midatlantic ball so I will make the only negative comment of the day: Adrian Fenty and Diane Feinstein might well be the Nagin and Blanco of Mall crowd control. LAWD HAVE MERCY. Seeing elderly black women who've travelled on a bus in the wee hours not weeping from joy during the speech, but weeping from pain from being cold, lost and herded into steel fences by clueless DC cops and 17 year old Guardsmen & soldiers was a bit much.
Otherwise. I havent cried duirng the National Anthem before today...
http://www.theroot.com/multimedia/video-tour-ec...
Anon 8:15, do you realize how hilariously entertaining your whining is? It's going to be a really, really long eight years for you, isn't it? I mean, you just get a stroke or something!
"Sorry....this is not the "America" I can believe in ---or support ---" anonycrybaby
I can't say that I'm sorry that the "America" you can believe in and support went bye-bye with George Bush.
Maybe you can follow him into the sunset.
See ya!
Anon 8:15
Your America left with Bush.
There is medication for your problem.
See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!
President Barack Obama!!!!!!!
Anon.8:15, if you need a good travel agent, or some insight on a country where the taxes are low, I might be able to help you. :)
Just stay away from places that are too warm. There might be more black brown people there. You don't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. :)
"Sorry....this is not the "America" I can believe in ---or support ---"
Buh-bye then.
Don't let the door hitya........
"So nice to see the Obots moving on and showing grace and class...wait...that didn't happen...taunts of nay, nay goodbye to Pres Bush...giving new meaning to the term liberal's dream of "classless" society...."
Its always amusing when someone without class (and totally oblivious of the concept) calls others classless. LOL!
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