My $0.02 on Barack Obama

President Barack Obama. Sounds strange doesn't it? I am okay with this however. 3-18 months ago, I wasn't a fan, and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out why. At first he came across to me as very pretentious, attempting to become the Second Coming of Martin Luther King, Jr., with his need for large crowds and flowery words. It bothered me even more as he proclaimed the evil in the world as the Bush Administration (the easy target for everything that goes wrong in people's lives). Stuff like that has never set well with me.

I was working in Downtown Denver during the Democratic National Convention, and saw the 16th Street Mall turn into Las Vegas Boulevard overnight. I saw the once unlikely presidential candidate become an icon of epic proportions. I couldn't imagine this type of lunacy for Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter. It was surreal! It was this type of maniacal devotion that drove me crazy during the election. I felt as if millions were buying more into hype than in reality. He was becoming the Sanjaya Malakar of the 2008 Election, (except Obama won his contest).

As a result, it had little to do with his policies (even though I didn't vote for him because of it), but more because of the red carpet treatment he was receiving by our nation suffering from a severe Obama crush. Because of this, it has overshadowed in some ways the fact that he is our nation's first African-American President, and that he is actually a good guy. I didn't even come close to feeling that way about our last Democratic president, where scandal seemed to follow him from the minute he took the oath of office. Let's remember, when people voted for change back in November it wasn't just change from President Bush, but from Bill Clinton, who was impeached for his behavior while serving in the White House.

I really feel Obama has our nation's best interests in mind. Although I don't agree with him on specific issues, I am confident he will think of the needs of our nation as a whole before mindlessly peddling the agenda of his political party (give it up Republicans, we lost).

I find it ironic, that the man he so mercilessly attacked during his campaign (George W. Bush) ended up being his ally and friend during the transition process. Obama is now the 5th living member of a very exclusive fraternity of men who have led this nation. As the media spent the last 9 years trying uncork the "conspiracy" behind the "axis of evil" known as President Bush, I am sure the last 90 days Obama has learned a whole new appreciation for the office of the President. Fortunately, I don't imagine the media will be as fierce against him as they were with W.

It's my sincere hope that if change is his agenda, the thing he will help change most is the partisan barrier between Americans. He won't succeed as a President if acts strictly as a Democrat. He's an American before anything else. Americans have proven these last several years we still care about our country and feel strongly about it. Let's use that energy to unite our nation and support him and pray for his well being, even though he wasn't the guy everyone voted for.

A lame beginning of the year post

I have nothing profound to say to begin the year with, but this. I've been sick the last 3 days. My throat has been beyond sore. It feels like I'm swallowing lava rocks every time I swallow. The last few nights have been a nightmare trying to sleep as I endure fevers and cold sweats. I stayed home from work yesterday, which I never do. Although it was fun to sit around and watch all the bonus material found on my UHF Special Edition DVD, I wanted to die, unless I downed 3 ibuprofen and waited the 15-20 minutes for the pills to work their magic.

Fortunately, neither of my children have contracted this and neither has Heather. I hope they don't. I was one who rarely missed work due to illness and have had 62 and 96 hours of vacation time when I left my last two jobs. But since I became a parent, I get very sick at least once a year (I can't imagine why). Since it's the first month of the year, I'm hoping that's it for 2009 and nasty illnesses. I don't mean to complain, but I am sure you all can relate. Isn't the internet great?