Obama

I had an inexplicable building excitement as the days were drawing nearer to the inauguration of Obama, which is a little odd since A: I don't live in America and B: I'm hopeless when it comes to taking an interest in Irish politics. Part of me stared thinking that I was being dragged along with all the hype, and yes maybe I was a little. But more so he seems to be a real man who speaks all the things that I wanted to hear a polititan say. When I look at TDs here, I feel they are all lying and it makes no difference who is in power, to quote the ever wonderful Ani Difranco 'the republicrats and the demicrans'.I've always felt strong politcally, about social problems, monetary inequality, environmental issues, the wests monopoly in the decline of the third world. But when it came to voting in Ireland I felt, hopeless, powerless and underwhelmed by greedy charicatures of men called politicians. But along comes Obama, and from the other side of the Atlantic he stirs (to use the word again!) a hope. In his speach today he didn't pussy foot around the world of shit that we are all in at the moment, he didn't placate with easy answers, he says it will be bleak. It's good not to be lied to, not to be fed a reality that is so different from the one we live through every day. While I sat on my sofa, 15 mins late for work cos I couldn't drag myself away from his words I realised I was gripping Johns hand, in anticipation, in joy, in hope. Maybe the tides will turn, not towards some easy band aid, but to the harder choices, but the better ones.