A California Republican

I am writing this post while listening to the Inauguration Day coverage on the news.

I find it significant that President-elect Obama is going to be sworn in on the Lincoln Bible. The Lincoln Bible hasn’t been used to swear in a President since 1861 - when Lincoln was sworn in. It has been available for use, but no other President has chosen to use it.

Why did President-elect Obama? He has said he wants to be like Lincoln - there are worse people to want to be like.

Lincoln abolished slavery, gave the Gettysburg Address, ended the Civil War and kept the country together during a tumoltuous time.

I don’t think that Obama meant he wanted to preside over a Civil War. I am sure he didn’t. Nothing will tear this country down faster than a Civil War, and no one wants to see that.

I can only hope that what Obama meant was that he wants to bring the spirit of togetherness that Lincoln brought to the office. That he wants to be a healing President.

I wish him the best of luck. He is given a loaded deck: economically this country is in the hole. There is a skyrocketing deficit that will eventually crush the United States if it is not solved. There is massive unemployment. Programs that were meant to provide benefits to people (like Social Security and Medicare) are massively underfunded and tanking. He has to deal with a world that doesn’t like America. And part of the world won’t like us no matter what.

But as he is sworn in - he becomes my President (no matter that I didn’t vote for him and wouldn’t have chosen him if I had to). So I give him my best wishes and hope that he can succeed at being a healer.