O, MAVERICK!

So, I was going to do a blog entry immediately following the election, but I held back for a while —I wanted to keep that peaceful feeling to myself for just a bit longer—but the air DID smell differently that Wednesday morning, didn’t it? One of our papers here in NJ exclaimed that next morning, “Obama Reaches the Mountaintop!” Wow- if that doesn’t tear a citizen up…

I am an avid reader of the Huffington Post (My Progressive DSMIV), and a recent headline --“Oprah to Palin: You’re Now Welcome Any Time,” caught my eye.

Well, gosh, Oprah—how very generous of you!

I understand that this election dragged on forever. I understand that it was ugly, divisive and mean-spirited. And I can understand, emotionally, why O would not want The Maverick in her space. TM was saying so many bizarre things about Her America and Our America, that O could not fathom that TM could survive in her studio audience, comprised mostly of O’s (and My) America. So now that O (Obama) has won, does that change the messages that TM has delivered to Her America? I mean, does O (Oprah) now forget/forgive the divisive nature of TM’s rants, simply because Our America is in power? I need some help here.

In a weird sort of way, I felt a bit of that post 9/11 feeling—before we attacked Iraq. We were all in this together—hurting, healing, and supporting each other. Yes, there were still differences among us—party lines, race and ethnicity, gender and sexual preferences—but they were not as pronounced as they have been recently. Were we nicer back then? Were we more tolerant and appreciative of differences? Maybe.

Wow—so many Americas. And now, so many Americas jockeying for position. Which America are you hoping gets Obama’s attention? Which America are you hoping gets Oprah’s attention? Which America are you hoping gets Palin’s attention? There is only one correct answer—and I am not going to tell you.

I do hope that Obama gets a pay increase—if he has to lead all of these Americas, he should get a bump up in his salary. I would pay higher taxes for that.