How Long Ago Was 1981?

Among the various blogs I read was a 1981 TV news report on receiving the newspaper on your computer.

Watch it and see how far away 28 years can look.

In Memory

Yesterday morning I learned of the death of a colleague. It wasn't a surprise but his decline from seemingly decent health to death was only 10 days. For myself, I feel the need to share a few thoughts on him.

Jim was brilliant and troubled. He was a true eccentric who was rarely understood by those who had little or a lot of interaction with him. I knew some parts of him. I think that was true for most of us at the university. I do not know if anyone knew all of him. Complex is weak word to describe Jim. The thesaurus suggests multifaceted, thorny, convoluted and byzantine. Each of those should be included in any description of him.

He was a Texan though you would never know it from his accent. He did have the pride of a true Texan.

He worked on mathematical models that probably only a relative few understood. His brilliance took Jim to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory each summer.

He loved the types of films that never left the art theater, but also enjoyed "House" on television. I wonder now if he related somewhat to the lead character who was also brilliant but almost never happy.

He worked almost constantly either on his classes, his family's genealogy or his beloved math. If you were in the office on a weekend or late at night, Jim was your only consistent companion.

He took great pride in being a Republican amongst the supposed sea of Democratic professors. I also suspect he enjoyed being a non-union man at a union shop. He constantly fought for what he perceived to be the injustice of a lack of non-union voices on university committees. I never figured out if he was married to the principle or the battle.

Jim was a pain in the ass. I cannot skip this part of who he was. He could walk into your office and proceed to talk for 20 minutes before leaving. You would shake your head and wonder "What was that about?" The only conclusion was "That's Jim." The topics varied somewhat depending on whom he was speaking to but there were some constant themes. The university administration was always on the wrong track. The students only met his lowest expectations. He constantly feared for his job despite the protection the union contract gave someone with his seniority.

I most enjoyed talking to him about films and plays. He did search for the obscure and much of it was not my idea of entertaining choices, but I did learn about films I did enjoy. I also liked it when he spoke of Saint Lucia and Paris. I can't imagine Jim enjoyed either as much as most tourists. His pleasure was in diving into the libraries doing more research on his genealogy. From him, however, I learned of a place, Saint Lucia, and parts of its fascinating history that I would have never known.

I will miss that. I thank God for knowing this part of the man.

The third floor will be a bit more quiet with his loss. It will also be a bit sadder without our true brilliant eccentric.

Goodbye, Jim. May God grant you the peace you never found on this plane of existence.

What Should Obama Read?

The Washington Monthly has an article asking folks what Obama should read. I thought I'd put the question out there and see if anyone who reads this blog has a suggestion.

Rather than some non-fiction book to influence his thinking on his presidency, I suggest a book such as "To Kill a Mockingbird" or any other book that speaks of our country and ourselves through the eyes of a great writer.

PS: I am always look for good books, so this post may be somewhat selfish.

Inauguration Day 2009

This has been my most participatory Presidential Inauguration Day. No, I didn't get to DC. However, I did have to send a friend his tickets when he left town a day before they arrived. He is bringing me back a copy of the Washington Post's Special Inauguration Edition.

My events were at my university. On very quick notice and virtually no money, we put together events going all day long. My duties were in the morning and early afternoon today, but I had lots of fun doing it. I was "master of ceremonies" for an hour-long presentation prior to turning it into a rather large "watch party" for the swearing in and speech. I was appropriately dressed in a patriotic hat, "VOTE" sweatshirt" and blue jeans. I believe in comfort and being a beacon for a celebration. Plus, I told my students that "I'd be the one in the funny hat."

I gave a rundown on the ceremony and other professors provided historical and international perspectives. Not many people where there for those parts. Then it got to be a half hour before the swearing in of Obama and the hordes arrived. We ended up having about 800 people in two different rooms. Later I ran an informal chat in my role as a member of the League of Women Voters before a handful of people. We talked about the event, our happiness at the end of the terrible GW Bush years and how people can be heard by a new Congress and a new President. The rest of the afternoon students could compete in games and even attend an "ObamaBall" with a DJ tonight.

I had lots of fun. I even got a t-shirt of the event. I didn't even get down later with a chairs' meeting on our lack of money. I did fall off the adrenaline high and have spent the evening relaxing quietly.

I will sleep well tonight and actually work in my office tomorrow. What's the great part of my job? I get to follow the new Administration as part of it.

The Difference One Man May Make

Tomorrow at noon Barack Obama becomes President of the United States. Saying that out loud still gives me a moment's pause. This is actually going to happen.

I became a fan of Obama in 2004, like so many others, after hearing his speech at the Democratic Convention. I read about him and followed his race for the Senate seat in Illinois. I read of his wife's reminder to him when he took office that now he could earn all the attention by getting something done. I supported his run for the presidency from the moment it was clear he would run. I spent 2007 making sure I didn't get too excited on his prospects. I am a political scientist. I knew to be cautious.

I spent 2008 watching him win.

Now it is 2009 and he will be my president. He has excited many Americans and many non-Americans in the hope for a return to a country which we are all proud. He faces great challenges and a government structure not meant to bring about quick change. In fact I was asked today, "Is he being set up to fail?" The satirical Onion had it best when he declared after Obama's election "Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job."

Here are the handful of predictions I am willing to make tonight:

1) Let me start with what won't happen. He won't create a "post-partisan" America. The difference between the parties is distinct and distant. He can reach to Republicans, but I question how much they will reach back. The only I can say for sure is that the more he succeeds with the public, the less the Republicans will be strictly about blocking him.

2) He will have a "honeymoon." This isn't Bill Clinton in 1993. The country is very different. The man is very different. How much he can get done in whatever is declared to be his "honeymoon." He will get a stimulus package. But he calls that a "down payment." When he goes back to Congress with, perhaps, a multi-year package for infrastructure renewal or new regulations for business, may well be the true test.

3) Congressional Democrats will cause him trouble. Why? Because that's what they do to Democratic presidents. They won't be as bad as they were for Jimmy Carter. He was an outsider and they had run Congress since the 1950's. They thought he should follow their lead at times. He didn't like them. It didn't work well. Obama has been in Washington and his transition has demonstrated an acknowledgment of the need to be able to successful conduct congressional relations.

4) Public support is more important than good press. The Bush Administration ignored and manipulated the news media and no one cared. The Obama Administration is likely to lead the way in using the Internet to engage the public with or without the approval of the DC news media. If public ends up maintaining their support for Obama, the traditional news media will follow along.

5) This will not be a remake of "The West Wing." Many liberals loved "The West Wing" and its idealized view of how to be a liberal Democratic president. TV is just TV even when it is well written TV. Reality is so much messier; has more ambiguous endings; and never comes with a many well-spoken soliloquy at the key moment.

6) Finally, I expect Obama to be more cautious than liberals want. I say that because he is a good politician and will not want to "get too far ahead of the public." What I will be watching is how far toward liberal views in areas as the social safety net, civil liberties, gay rights, environmental protection and business regulation he will try to lead the American public. I can see him seeking to make a number of changes under the argument that it is needed for an economic rebound. The lousy economy is a chance to push for a return to a more progressive tax system and a less corporate welfare oriented economic policy. The horrible W foreign policy disaster is a chance to return to international policy sanity. I will watch for how far he dares to go.

I'll conclude with a confession. At some point tomorrow I will give in to tears of joy. I am part of an event at my university and I'll be busy up to the ceremony and even after. At some point during day, perhaps when I return home a review my recordings of the events, I will cry in joy at the reality of President Barack Obama.

Democrats are Back

First observation of inauguration ceremonies...

Democrats simply get much cooler celebrities to the party. Right now at the Lincoln Memorial Concert has opened with Denzel Washington followed by Bruce Springsteen singing with a huge church choir. Tiger Woods and many others are to follow.