The Promise of a New Day (2.0)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!

But let us begin

Oh happy, historic day.

All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

- John F. Kennedy, January 20, 1961

NYT: Inaugural words: 1789 to present

remember my name!

For the past couple of weeks, Los Angeles has been sucking up all of that Hope that led me to tears back at Mile High with Barack Obama on 08/28/08. Work is going at full-crazy speed, landlords are fucking with me and my dog, the man just turned me down for another job-that-I-don't-really-want-but-it-comes-with-a-big-fat-paycheck-and-juicy-benefits, I just realized the cold I thought I've had for the last four days is my biennial bout with tonsillitis, and I live in the 4th most stressful city in the nation. It all makes me want to go scream "F-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-C-K!!!!!!!!!" at the top of my lungs in the face of anyone stupid enough to support Sarah Palin. But I come from the obedient Latino side of the fence, not the loud crazy one, so I swallow it (along with the high blood pressure, acid reflux and depression pills that make the swallowing possible).

Then tonight, I go to a screening of Fame at the cult theater as part of an AFI program. Somehow I have managed to be the only music loving homo who grew up in the 80's and never saw the movie. What? I KNOW! Anyway, it was a field trip for the commune that S found. (YAY S! YAY COMMUNE!) Unbeknownst to me, Debbie Allen was there to introduce the movie. Following the immediate standing ovation at her presence, she told us about the power of the movie, and how many performing arts schools were opened all around the world because of it. And she reminded/asked us to be a part of that circle of creativity and positivity that makes the world a better place to be in. Then the lights went down and I saw a movie I wish I would have seen 28-years-ago. I wonder if my life would have been any different if I had seen a gay teenager on screen before I was one myself. Or if I thought that following the arts was a real way to lead a life. Who knows, right? And my favorite Madonna line remains, "Absolutely no regrets." So fuck what I didn't see, know, or think then. I know what I know now, I know who I am and what I want to be when I grow up. Or at least some semblance of it -- enough to keep on keeping on! Thanks to Fame, my life feels about 1000 times better than it did when I walked through those theater doors.

...there but for the grace of God go i
i'll pretend i'm not afraid to die
if there's a heaven i will apply
I'M NOT CRAZY!
but i believe in butterflies,
dreams that die should be a big surprise
life is my favorite nursery rhyme
i'm not afraid of the big bad wolf!
from Staring at the Sun by Wendy and Lisa

Oh yeah, there's always this to be thankful for...

u can be the president

on January 31, i did something i had not done since 1991 -- supported a Presidential campaign with my money. when i donated to Barack Obama, i became one of 250,000 individuals to donate in JANUARY alone. i agree with this:

This milestone will be a clear signal to those who rely on donations from Washington lobbyists and spending from outside special interests to support their campaigns that we are a movement of people who stand for real change.

i have never been inspired by a living politician until now and 2morrow i will cast my first vote 4 Obama to be the next President of the United States. i invite u to do the same. check out the NY Times almost endorsement.

slight correction: in my Obama/Kennedy post last week, i stated the following:

i met Caroline at a book signing for the Patriot's Handbook and i was more starstruck than when I met Wendy, Lisa, or Prince.

okay, after serious reflection, i admitted to myself i've never been more starstruck than meeting my 3 lifelong music idols -- Prince when i worked at Paisley Park in 2001, Wendy & Lisa at the Family Jamm in 2003. so i more accurately say, i was AS starstruck as when i met W, L & P -- but way moreso than meeting Ben, Jen, or Christian. :)

back 2 the street where we began...

disclaimer: i'm going to get all Pete Wentz on u and gush about Panic and Barack.

i've been on the Obama-Clinton fence for several months, after an initial lean to Edwards as the closest to progressive candidate. it was Caroline's column that has pushed me off the fence and firmly to Obama. my interest in politics began with reading a JFK biography in 2nd grade. in 1983 i wrote a letter to Ted saying i was disappointed that he wasn't entering the 1984 race. a high point of my childhood was receiving a response from him. i went to college in Boston because of the Kennedys. i interned in Joe Kennedy's Boston office. i met Caroline at a book signing for the Patriot's Handbook and i was more starstruck than when I met Wendy, Lisa, or Prince. color me swayed.





find Nine in the Afternoon and listen to it NOW. it is a slice of billowy wonder beauty. hanging with my Guilty Pleasure comrades listening to it on repeat for, oh, over 3 hours the day it was released, i told them it is to the songs on A Fever You Can't Sweat Out as Raspberry Beret was to the songs on Purple Rain -- purely brilliant pop confection inspired by or at least owing a debt to the boys from Liverpool.

my repeat action followed me from the compound to the office. i now submit Exhibit A, details on the Top Ten most played tracks in my itunes:

1. Purple Rain Live	Prince And The Revolution	Atlanta '85	302
2. Let's Say	Girl Bros.	Girl Bros.	260
3. Erotica	Madonna	Confessions Tour Studio	234
4. Nine in the Afternoon	Panic at the Disco	Pretty. Odd.	179
5. Love... Thy Will Be Done	Martika	Martika's Kitchen	176
6. A Place In Heaven	Prince And The Revolution	Dream Factory Remastered	169
7. Love Song	Madonna and Prince!!!!!	Like A Prayer	162
8. Hands Clean	Alanis Morissette	Under Rug Swept	143
9. Future Lover	Madonna	Confessions On A Dance Floor	128
10. All My Dreams	Prince And The Revolution	Dream Factory Remastered	125

okay, so clearly, we're entering hallowed ground. i first noticed where it was at about 147 plays, when it was creeping up on Love song. i reported myself 2 S, and she replied, "just accept it. u already changed your wallpaper." and she's right. but the thing is, i've been on this machine for 2 years. my Top Ten, hell, my Top 25, is a finely crafted achievement meant to illustrate my musical leanings, my affections, my heart, my soul. and in 2 days, Panic is knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door! granted, that particular version of Purple Rain is 18 minutes +, so in actual listening time it'll be in the lead 4 a long while. but then again Pretty. Odd. doesn't come out until March. whaddamigonnalissen2?

did i mention i also got tix to opening night of the Honda civic tour at the Warfield in s.f.? that's right. poppin the panic cherry in April! don't u wanna come?

maybe u're just like my father

A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama.

My reasons are patriotic, political and personal, and the three are intertwined. All my life, people have told me that my father changed their lives, that they got involved in public service or politics because he asked them to. And the generation he inspired has passed that spirit on to its children. I meet young people who were born long after John F. Kennedy was president, yet who ask me how to live out his ideals.

Sometimes it takes a while to recognize that someone has a special ability to get us to believe in ourselves, to tie that belief to our highest ideals and imagine that together we can do great things. In those rare moments, when such a person comes along, we need to put aside our plans and reach for what we know is possible.

We have that kind of opportunity with Senator Obama. It isn’t that the other candidates are not experienced or knowledgeable. But this year, that may not be enough. We need a change in the leadership of this country — just as we did in 1960.

Most of us would prefer to base our voting decision on policy differences. However, the candidates’ goals are similar. They have all laid out detailed plans on everything from strengthening our middle class to investing in early childhood education. So qualities of leadership, character and judgment play a larger role than usual.

Senator Obama has demonstrated these qualities throughout his more than two decades of public service, not just in the United States Senate but in Illinois, where he helped turn around struggling communities, taught constitutional law and was an elected state official for eight years. And Senator Obama is showing the same qualities today. He has built a movement that is changing the face of politics in this country, and he has demonstrated a special gift for inspiring young people — known for a willingness to volunteer, but an aversion to politics — to become engaged in the political process.

I have spent the past five years working in the New York City public schools and have three teenage children of my own. There is a generation coming of age that is hopeful, hard-working, innovative and imaginative. But too many of them are also hopeless, defeated and disengaged. As parents, we have a responsibility to help our children to believe in themselves and in their power to shape their future. Senator Obama is inspiring my children, my parents’ grandchildren, with that sense of possibility.

Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign. He has spoken eloquently about the role of faith in his life, and opened a window into his character in two compelling books. And when it comes to judgment, Barack Obama made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning.

I want a president who understands that his responsibility is to articulate a vision and encourage others to achieve it; who holds himself, and those around him, to the highest ethical standards; who appeals to the hopes of those who still believe in the American Dream, and those around the world who still believe in the American ideal; and who can lift our spirits, and make us believe again that our country needs every one of us to get involved.

I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.

Caroline Kennedy is the author of “A Patriot’s Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love.”