Change I Can Believe In
Today, President Obama was sworn in for a second term as President. In that, he shares something with Bill Clinton, and with not so many others. His swearing in marks something that is unique, though:
He is the first black President to win a second term. He was the first black President to ever serve in that office. That is a change I can believe in. It is a sea change in how this country selects its Presidents. It is a change I thought I'd never live to see, to be quite frank. That he won a second term solidifies that change in a way that unalterably changes the United States forever. It is truly remarkable that there is no racial bar to the Presidency, and that there will never be that bar again.
Other changes I can believe in:
We saw the beginnings of the end of second class citizenship for GLBT Americans. More and more states will enact laws that make marriage equality not just an idea that is right, but the law. DOMA will probably disappear within the next year, as well. That's another change I can believe in. Again, it marks the beginning of a new way of looking at each other in this country.
The ACA passed, and will come fully into force in 2014. It isn't enough, but it is a change that marks the beginning of the end of health care only for the well off. In fact, the poor, under ACA, will have increasingly better health care. It's not enough, but it is a change I can believe in.
We are leaving Afghanistan. Yes, there will be some Americans who remain there, but they will not be in combat. A war that started under a Republican President is finally coming to an end. Iraq already has that status. Is it enough? No, but it is a change, and one I can believe in.
The economy is improving. the DJIA will soon overtop its previous high and end the slide that George W. Bush and the Republicans caused. Unemployment is on its way downward. In Minnesota, it recently went down to 5.5%. It's not enough, but it is a change I can believe in. I expect it to improve further over the next four years, and that is a good thing.
We increased the Democratic majority in the Senate, and reduced the size of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. There is an excellent chance of making additional improvements in that balance in 2014. In fact, it's entirely possible that Democrats can regain a majority in both houses of Congress. If we all work very hard, I believe we can make that happen. That's another change I can believe in, and will be working toward.
We're on a road to reduce gun violence. That's an excellent change, but it's not complete yet. We have a distance to go, but there is a new resolve to change that I can believe in. Let's work to make that happen.
There are many other changes, some of them small, and some of them incomplete, that have happened over the past four years. May they continue over the next four, and into the future. I can believe they will happen, too.
I have never expected sweeping, major changes. Our country is too deeply divided, politically, for such an expectation to be realized. I do expect steady, slow change, however. I expect the Obama Presidency to be followed by another Democratic Presidency, and I expect a Democratic congressional majority to be a reality, if not in 2014, then in 2016. That's change I can believe in, and change I will try to help make happen.
Congratulations, Mr. President, on the occasion of your second inauguration. We elected you, which is a huge change, and one we should all believe in. We know you'll do your best to make more change happen. We thank you for that, and will support you in your efforts to make that happen. We believe in that change.
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