The President is Just Like Me

My Uncle Hamish pointed this out to me this evening:

Barack Obama holds a pen just like I do.

I'm a lefty, and have this horrible habit of curving my hand awkwardly when I write. I know a lot of lefties do it, but I receive a lot of teasing for it from my extended family.

I wasn't even aware that President Obama was left-handed. Cool. One more thing we have in common.

We're awkward lefties, and we have daddy-abandonment issues. He's my hero.

Notes on the Inauguration

The President is at the Commander-in-Chief's Ball right now, talking to troops in Kabul. They're almost all Cubs fans, mostly from Chicago, but one's from Naperville and another is from Aurora, the two towns I claim to call home these days (I kind of live in both.) Represent.

I'm watching all of this for the first time, really, after a long day at school and at rehearsal. Switching back and forth between the live coverage of the Inaugural balls and the ceremony from earlier today. This is an event that HD televisions were invented for, and the images of the Capitol building and all those people are just stunning.

George H.W. Bush sadly looks frail. Vice President Cheney looks old and defeated in his wheelchair, a Mr. Potter for our times. Former President Bush looks smug and defiant as always.

President Obama looks serious and ready to go.

...


Biggest Disappointment, aside from not being there? the absolutely shoddy way my school and my school district handled the viewing of the Inauguration. Some schools watched it on tv, some couldn't, and were forced to stream it off the internet, which overloaded our bandwidth capability. There were reports of parents picking up their kids early so they could watch it properly at home.

I spent the morning running around the school, from computer to computer, updating Flash players, trying different sites, frantically trying to make it work (with the help of our Learning Center Director), but all we could get was a spotty still image punctuated by the occasional three seconds of movement on the screen. That was our backdrop while we listened to it on an AM radio station.

I had worked so, so hard to get my kids interested in the process, and to care about it, and I was embarrassed by the limp presentation we had for them today.

Best Part of the Day? Aside from sharing it with my students, I can't tell you what it means to receive blog comments, Facebook congrats, Gmail IMs, and texts from friends in Dublin, family in Indianapolis. and Annie in Wales and Cori in Angkor Wat. This is truly a worldwide event, and those small communications from loved ones far way means more than I can properly express. We are all in this together.

Thank you, everyone, for touching base with me, knowing how much this day meant to me, and I know how much it means to you. Donal, we'll raise a glass of fine whisky to this new world very soon, and it will be a good thing.

O! The Joy!

We overloaded the internet connection in our district, apparently, and this building doesn't have cable TV (even though it's supposed to, and so I and the rest of the students had to listen to the Inauguration on the radio.

And it was still awesome.

Country Gentleman

For a long time now, I've wondered whether or not I should write anything about President Bush's final days in office.

I'm not going to do that. Everything that has to be said about him has already been said, by myself or by others out there in the world. I had my time to be angry at him, and what he's done to the world. And just because we have a new president coming in, it doesn't mean that my anger at the last eight years has lessened in any way. It's going to take a long time to repair the severe damage done by this administration, if it's even possible any more.

After the 2004 election I mostly stopped writing about politics, stopped the rants, and just put my head down to get through it.

And while I had hoped to be in D.C. right now to say this aloud, to shout it on the National Mall, instead I'll just post it here:

Goodbye, you incompetent failure. Go back to Texas, and don't ever come back.

Work, and the Other Thing

This Saturday morning I had plans to get up early, pack up the car, and drive to Washington D.C. in order to attend the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Those plans are now out the window.

There is work, you see. Too much of it. I won't bore you with the minute details of report cards and 2nd quarter assessments and why I'm behind on getting them done on time, but let's just say I'm behind on them. And then there's the theatre thing, which hasn't allowed me any time to get caught up, since I've had rehearsals and performances and new rounds of auditions almost every night lately.

We had a day off today, due to the weather being Incredibly Deadly, and I thought I could get caught up and maybe still have the opportunity to slip away from work for a few days. But then I slowly realized that a day off today (and quite possibly tomorrow) now means pushing all those final tests of the quarter into next week. I wouldn't feel right having them administered by a sub teacher, and there's no way I could get everything done by the time report cards go out next Friday. And so that pretty much did it.

And while there's too much work to be done right now, there also isn't enough of the other thing. Money's tight right now. Teaching may be recession-proof, but theatre isn't, and I'm not getting enough of the secondary income right now. And I need every travel dollar I need, since I have a more important trip coming up in March.

And so practicality has to win out right now, and the proper education of my students.

I really looked forward to going out there and "reporting" it to everyone on the ole blog here, but I'm afraid I won't be able to do that. So, sorry, folks. We'll always have Grant Park.

Chicago is the New Black

So how cool is Chicago?

Well, you got Barack Obama, natch.

And The Dark Knight was filmed here, so we've got the whole Home of Batman and Gotham City thing.

We might get the Olympics. And even though they totally collapsed during the playoff, we are the home of the Cubs.

Oh yeah, and of course Governor Blagojevich was taken from his North Side home this morning on massive corruption charges. What a douchebag.

And we have Oprah, too.

Democracy in America, Part Three

Election Night



November 4th was a warm day in Chicago--70 degrees or so.

I worked in the morning, and brought Annie with, to speak to the students and to learn a little about the electoral process. We had lunch in my small hometown, to give her a feel for something other than the hugeness of the city. Ate tacos with my uncle, and got to see my aunt and my grandmother as well.

Voted in the mid-afternoon and then took the train into downtown. Met up with Elliot and Emily, a couple of fellow theatre friends who go to college in the south Loop. Ate Thai food and then went to stand in line.

The long, long line went south, along Michigan Avenue, towards Roosevelt Road and beyond. While we waited and moved ever so slowly north, text messages would arrive, from friends and family, near and far, informing us of Obama's victories in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida.

We were in that line for a good couple of hours before making it to the security checkpoint.

After Annie and I presented our identification we started making a run for it, knowing that we couldn't afford to miss a minute more. We ran through the park, towards the incredibly-bright lights off in the distance.

A woman running next to us suddenly shouted: "Washington! Oregon! California! He did it! He did it!"

We started running faster, moving closer to the lights, and suddenly the trees parted and the crowd appeared, 125,000 people screaming for joy as CNN announced Barack Obama's historic win of the presidency.

When I imagined what that moment might be like, in my head, I never, ever imagined it would be like that.

I tried to take a brief video of those moments. A bit shaky, but I think you'll get the idea.



Now, I'm enough of a political realist to understand a very important point, and it needs to be said before I get too caught up in describing these events: while I think Barack Obama is a once-in-a-generation politician, and I have been his supporter since Day One, I know enough to know that it is a foolish business to put too much trust in political leaders. Even the best of them screw up. Barack Obama isn't going to single-handedly save the United States.

The people, hopefully, will do that. Because that's what our country is supposed to be about.

I've seen a lot of bad choices made in the supposed name of "the people." The last two elections, the bans on gay marriage, "Dancing with the Stars."

For a while, I was really giving up hope on this country. I feared that we were going down a horribly dangerous path, where "the people" turned a blind eye to the war and torture and environmental catastrophe and scoffed at the rest of the world's needs.

Barack Obama will not save us. If he's lucky, he'll get two, maybe three important pieces of legislation passed in his first term that will have any kind of real effect on us.

Obama is not a hero. But it's important to understand what he is.

He is the catalyst, the rallying point.

For me, voting for Obama wasn’t about voting for a African-American candidate for the first time. While I understand and appreciate the huge significance of that act, for me it is something different.

It is more about voting for something that has been building for a long time. He called it Change, of course.

The victory of Barack Obama is hopefully a tidal shift in the way America decides to carry itself, and the way the rest of the world sees us. Perhaps, we won't be a nation that solves its problems by blowing up other countries. Perhaps, we won’t be a nation guided by religious fundamentalism any more. Perhaps, we won’t be a nation that elects narrow, coarse ideologues that value “guts” over intelligence.

We could have taken the bait that the other side was slinging overboard as their ship sank into the water. We could have spent October chewing over Bill Ayers and Reverend Wright and ridiculous fears about a secret Muslim conspiracy. But the people shrugged their shoulders and said, no thanks. We're a bit smarter now, and we're not going to fall for that business again.

With this election, a huge chunk of America gets taken back, in the name of the people that value free-thinking, progress, human rights, and smart, nuanced answers to tough questions. With this election, those that sought to tear this place apart have been sent to the showers. You're done.

After Obama gave his victory speech we all poured out into the streets of Chicago. Michigan, State, Van Buren, Balbo--all free of cars, all open to the people, and we strode down the center of them with a new sense of pride and wonderment. People cheered, and sang, and danced in the streets as we headed towards Union Station.

And everywhere you went, when you looked people in the eye, you had a brief exchange that said so much: it's our turn now. We're getting this place back, and things might just get better again.

D.C. Road Trip

Part Three will be up in a day or so, but for now I thought I'd update you on my plans for January.

I will indeed be heading to Washington to attend as much of the Inauguration as I can.

Got a hotel room for a couple of nights, then staying near DuPont Circle the night before the big day. My buddy Drew is flying out for just the one night, but I want to be out there a bit longer, to see some sights and to get as much of a feel for the occasion as I can, so I'm going to drive. Not sure about anyone else that's coming with, but I'll keep you posted.

Spent half the day trying to get a hold of my congresswoman to see about getting a ticket to any of the events. Maybe it'll help that I'm from a largely Republican district? Maybe not as many of the constituents of the 13th will want to go? I can think that, right? There's a chance for a ticket...right?

Democracy in America, Part Two

Part one appears below, or link here if you are reading this post independent of the main blog.


Descent and Return

Before I drove out east in the summer of 2004, I wrote and directed and performed in a play called The Bonfire. It was supposed to be about high school, but it was really about America in 2004. Characters argued over gay marriage, a small town store shut down due to corporate chains, and people lost their way. Including me.

For most of the next two years, not a whole lot made sense to me, and I was an unpleasant person to be around much of the time. I found myself in a job that didn’t challenge me, I pissed away several good relationships, and I dreamed of starting over somewhere far, far away. I didn't understand this country anymore, I didn't understand myself, and I desperately needed something different.

It’s funny how you can get to certain points in your life, and it’s just as funny how you get out of them. Things got better, as they always do. There were certain points where I began to realize that: walking along the Quay in Waterford, Ireland; sitting outside the cabin in Wisconsin in the fall of 2006; June 29th of this year. These strange moments of clarity, burned into my soul forever.

I went back to teaching fifth grade. My shows got better. Friends I had driven away came back. I worked hard to remake myself into a better person, and embraced everything around me.

[Now, it would be presumptuous of me to sit here and say that my decline and eventual renewal was due to the Democrats winning back Congress in the November 2006 elections. That’s not where this is going. The events of my life and what happened in America over the past eight years are mutually exclusive, but at the same time it makes for an interesting storytelling device, so I’m going to keep going with it.]

While my life improved, though, America’s situation was growing worse and worse every month. Worldwide opinion of this country plummeted, as did our economy, and our hope for a better future. The Bush presidency finally revealed itself as a sheep in wolf’s clothing, and the American people, all too comfortable with ignoring the precarious situation their country was in, finally took its head out of the sand and started to take notice.

The first inklings of this discontent was felt in those November 2006 elections, but it really began to take shape in those daily conversations people had around me. For the first time in a long while, I was listening to people talk about their government, their hopes and fears, as opposed to what had happened on television the night before.

It is still a sad fact that most Americans probably could care less about what happens outside of their own front door, but then that is probably the case with a lot of peoples. Carville had it right: “it’s the economy, stupid.” When food prices go up, when gas gets too expensive, when people can’t pay for their children’s health care—that’s when they start paying attention.

People started looking for answers, and explanations, and found little support in the helpless and clueless Bush White House. The race for the White House began earlier than it ever has, as people like Hilary Clinton and John McCain and Mitt Romney jumped into the fray. And one other person.

On February 10, 2007, Barack Obama announced he was running for President of the United States.

Democracy in America

Part One



Shortly after I turned twenty-one I took a trip over my spring break with my three uncles and my grandfather. We headed east, to Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and Washington D.C. Most other guys my age were celebrating in Cancun, or Daytona Beach, but I spent the week visiting the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville, the surrender site of Appomattox, and the National Air and Space Museum.

I probably formulated my first real opinion of America on that trip, as we drove through the Appalachian Mountains, ate scrapple in the General Lee Family Restaurant, and touched pieces of the moon that the astronauts brought back.

I listened to my grandfather tell the same story over and over again, about how my great-great-great grandfather had been at Gettysburg, how it was his cavalry company that fired the first shot (true), and how it may have even been his rifle that done it (not true.)



I was born shortly before Nixon was reelected in ’72, came of age in the Reagan years, and formulated my political ideology during the first Bush administration. While its leaders were oftentimes flawed, and our history was marked with the horrible stain of slavery and Indian genocide, the idea of America, and the occasional triumphs of America, were enough to make be believe in it.

Later that fall I voted in my first presidential election, and helped elect Bill Clinton to his first term as President of the United States.

I spent most of the nineties in school, working part-time jobs and earning both a degree in history, and a master’s in education, which I used to begin a career teaching 5th graders about American history.

Then everything changed.

George Bush became president in 2000. I traveled overseas for the first time in March of 2001, with some of those same uncles. And then nothing was ever the same again after September 11th.

The benign conservatism I had grown up around suddenly became this vicious, hypocritical machine that laid waste to so much I had believed in. Religious zealots and sharp-dressed warmongers took the idea of America and buried it in a shallow grave.

The summer of 2004 I traveled back to D.C., to see the new World War Two Memorial and to once again visit the museums and monuments along the National Mall. Afterwards I drove north along the East Coast, passing through Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City, until arriving late into the evening in Concord, Massachusetts.

I walked around Boston, where the revolution began, and saw the remnants of the 2004 Democratic National Convention, held there the week previous. Ate breakfast at Walden Pond, and pondered the state of America, and myself, as I drove home to Illinois.



Funny thing about that Democratic Convention, though. The keynote speaker was the young state senator from Illinois, running for U.S. Senator. My friend Hal, who works for the state senate Democrats, had mentioned him a while back, saying “you should check this guy out. He’s the real deal.”

And so in November of 2004 I voted for John Kerry for President, and Barack Obama for United States Senator.

To be continued.

Inaugural Road Trip?

My full piece on Election Night will be up this weekend (I'm putting Report Cards into envelopes as I type this), but I thought I'd share with you an interesting bit from this morning.

An email from a teaching buddy of mine: "Hey, want to go on an adventure with me? My sister lives in DC and we can crash at her place and go to the Inauguration. What do you say? Flights are around $400 right now."

I would only have to take off a couple of days from work....although I'm kind of broke right now....I might know some other people there as well.....oh man........what to do...

The President is a White Sox Fan

It just got harder to be a Cubs fan.

Took Annie to the train this morning after sleeping in a bit. Too long, as we ended up rushing to the rail station in order to catch the 10:28 to Union Station. (The next train wasn't until 12:28 and it would have taken away valuable lunch-mooching time. (Seriously, how does she do it?))

Spent all evening grading writing journals and Friendly Letters, so I don't have time to write about last night. And I just can't, to be honest. Not yet at least. I spent all day describing Election Night to people, and right now the words feel worn-out. I still find myself pondering everything that I experienced last night, and there have been so many waves of emotions and feelings that have come over me.

Plus, I have to tease all my new readers a bit longer, to keep my ratings up during the November sweep's month. My readership on this thing hasn't been much to write home about for the past year or so (although the core readers have never left.) But once you host an award-winning international media sensation like Annie, I guess you get a few more hits.

So hello to all of the international readers out there. Thanks for stopping by, and I hoped you enjoyed the stories. Check back in the next day or so, and I'll tell you what it was like to say the pledge of allegiance with over 100,000 people.

Of the People, By the People, For the People

I started my day at Grande Park, at work in the suburbs, and ended my day at Grant Park, in Chicago, on the shores of Lake Michigan.

In America.

I still can't find the right words, so I'll let a few pictures tell the story.

Obama for America

Just got home a bit ago. Too tired, too overwhelmed to write about it right now. But I'll just say this before I fall asleep: it was probably the greatest night in my life. It was just unbelievable.

My phone stopped getting texts around 9 pm, but started up again as I approached Union Station. So apologies to all that texted and waited for my response. Which I of course sent to all of you after you went to bed. Seriously, who goes to bed on a night like this?

More to come tomorrow...

Small Town Values

I took the afternoon off, partly to be able to show Annie a few places of interest, partly to vote, and partly to rest up a bit before the big event tonight.

She was a Guest Speaker in my classroom, and you can read her version of the events here. It was pretty great. The kids asked her lots of questions, and then a few of them taught her how the electoral process works.

I spent a lot of time getting them to understand how the Electoral College works, with this website in particular. One student stood at the front of the room, working the Smart Board like a mini-John King, explaining to Annie about electoral math and swing states, showing her different scenarios and outcomes, all the while subtly mimicking some of the things I've said and done in class. He was paying attention. And I've never been prouder.

Then we drove out to my old hometown of Sandwich for lunch with some of my family. Doug talked about the shameful way they sunk Kerry's election in 2004, and we talked about the history of our family a bit, the old farm and the changing times.

I wanted Annie to see not just the big city, but the small rural communities as well, and the suburbs. You can move from Obama Country to McCain Country pretty quickly around here, and yet there are plenty of us in these smaller towns that are voting for Obama and desperately want change.

When Sarah Palin talks about "Real America" being the small towns, she insinuates that the people in the small communities all think and vote the same, like we all drink out of the same conservative Kool-Aid trough. And even though you don't see many Obama signs in the front lawns of Sandwich (because they get stolen), there are plenty of people out there that don't want anything to do with the Republicans.

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert retired recently and in the special election a Democrat won, shocking everyone. They have to run again, so it'll be interesting to see if he gets to hang on to his seat.

I voted less than an hour ago, on a 70-degree day full of sunshine and anxious hope. No line, but they said earlier it went around the block. And they were out of the "I Voted" stickers, which is an encouraging sign. People everywhere have been talking about long lines and it's on everyone's mind. And the energy, the excitement--it's just incredible.

Now it's time for a bit of a rest, and then the real show begins.

The World is Watching With Us

I'll try and send out a few quick posts throughout the day to let you know how Election Day is going, but I encourage you to go read Donal's eloquent Letter to America.

Annie just came downstairs and said, "It feels a bit like Christmas morning or something, doesn't it?"

Maybe. I just know that I'm scared, and nervous, and incredibly excited for what could happen today.

Once in a Lifetime

I've been playing host to the lovely Annie Rhiannon for the past day or so, showing her around Chicago on the eve of the presidential election.

When she first started planning her long trip across the United States, she knew she wanted to see the Wild West, and she wanted to be in Chicago on Election Day. She thought it would be the place to be, and that the city would just be this crazy piece of wild energy as people line up to vote for either McCain or Obama.

I warned her that no, it might not be as exciting as you might think, but it'll still be an interesting place to be on Election Day.

This was before Obama announced that he would be holding a huge Election Night event in Grant Park. This was before Mayor Daley called on everyone to pour into the city. This was before they predicted over a million people might crowd the south Loop as the election returns pour in.

Okay, maybe there will be a bit of a party. Maybe we'll watch the returns from a bar, or from a friend's living room.

Or maybe we'll just go to the party.

Since I've been on Obama's email list since the day he announced his candidacy, I was sent an invite to tomorrow night's event. I immediately responded yes, and was told I would hear from them in a few days. Most people figured I was put on a waiting list, and that there was no chance I would actually get a ticket.

Sunday morning I hadn't heard from them yet, and figured yeah, no chance. To provide a little good luck insurance, I donated a bit of cash to the campaign as it entered its final days.

Two hours later I had an email confirmation: two tickets to Obama's Election Night Event.

Gates open at 8:30 pm. And when this thing is decided? Anyone's guess. We waited until the wee hours of Wednesday morning in 2004, and of course we had to wait three weeks to find out that George Bush had won Floriday, and therefore the 2000 election.

Here we go...

Hide the Goats

Got this sent to me yesterday. I'm not sure what I like more, the filthy-mouthed old lady or the fact that a McCain presidency will lead to more goat-bombings.

O'Bama for Americay

Of course, I had to post this.

Obama for President

Not only did Colin Powell endorse Senator Obama today, but the Chicago Tribune endorsed him as well.

This is the first time in the paper's history that they have endorsed a Democratic candidate for president. Nice.

And I'm not sure what other people thought of Sarah Palin's appearance on SNL this weekend, but earlier this evening I described it like this: it's like when you cast someone who can't dance very well in a musical and you just have everyone else dance around them. Wearing fuck-me boots and reacting well to Alec Baldwin and Amy Poehler isn't that hard to do.

I've been a bit busy for the past week, so I haven't been able to write about a couple of recent trips I took. Hopefully I'll get to them later this week. For now, enjoy the fall foliage banner.