Inauguration

Today was a politically historic day for our country. My father was a Democrat, and in fact, ran for office several times on the Democratic ticket. Obviously, that shaped much of my early political thought. I have to remind myself that time has changed many things. I understand that at one time all Mormons were Republican until our church leaders said that it was essential for our country to have a two-party system. They then divided the room in half. One side was to be Democrat. The other side was to be Republican. I sometimes wonder how my father would feel about our country’s politics if he were still living.

I was a teenager when Kennedy was elected President. Much about Obama’s success has reminded me of the fascination and excitement I felt about the Kennedy’s political acclaim. In much the same way, I think our country is quite captivated by the Obamas. Through the years my political views have become conservative. I did not vote for Obama. But, I am trying to have an open mind and I truly hope that he will be able to accomplish some good things. Beginning tomorrow, I will be paying close attention to his actions and his decisions.

At the close of this day, and after all that I have seen and heard others say about the inauguration, there is one thing that stands out in my mind, and that is the grace and dignity with which the Bushes said goodbye. Whatever you may think of George W. Bush, and however you may feel about the decisions he has made, let me make it clear that I am happy he was our president. I am grateful for the good things he accomplished. I appreciate the “class” and good taste they exhibited in every instance. The Bush administration is behind us, but there are still a lot of mean-spirited people in our country. I’m interested to see who they will be complaining about tomorrow. To the democrats, it’s all yours. You will have no one to blame but yourselves.