I minored in history in college, so I got pretty geeked up when we decided to write about local history in the May issue of Madison Magazine. The last time we tackled the topic in earnest was to mark the sesquicentennial back in 2006. This time around we’re returning to the city’s roots with the help of some remarkable historians and archival experts.
We started our journey back in time by meeting with the good folks at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Jammed into a dated and dusty conference room, a half-dozen history geeks shared ideas and inspiration for how we might frame the article. The conversation was so stimulating we weren’t quite sure what to do with it all. Editorial director Neil Heinen came away geeked up about the idea of history in the digital age and how the Internet has made it more accessible than ever. We both began to think about the instructive if not eerie connections between the past and the present given the unprecedented economic downturn the world is experiencing.
Then next step was a fascinating follow-up conversation with WHS archival historian Jim Draeger, co-author of Fill’er up: The Glory Days of Wisconsin Gas Stations. I’d worked with Jim a few years back on a terrific Mad Mag article featuring Frank Lloyd Wright protégés so I was confident his mega-brain would help set the story in motion. After we peppered him with dozens of questions on historic corollaries to modern-day issues and he responded with enlightening answers, it occurred to me that we had a really nice story in the making.
I’m about three-quarters of the way through all the research and halfway through the writing, and I’m happily spent. The folks at WHS continue to amaze me, and books like David Mollenhoff’s Madison: A History of the Formative Years and Stuart Levitan’s Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History Vol. 1 are life savers. Mollenhoff offers a sweeping journey through the social, economic and political history of our city, while Levitan places particular emphasis on biographical portraits of influential people and the politics and turning points that have shaped the city’s growth and development. Both are remarkable in their intellectual depth and accessible prose.
These two books, the WHS website and local historian Ann Waidelich have helped me make sense of the past; UW–Madison professors Patrick Remington and Ann Smart Marin, along with an encouraging associate editor and art history major Katie Vaughn, are helping me draw comparisons and conclusions about the present. What fun! I hope readers are just as geeked.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Good News
For the second year in a row, Madison Magazine has been chosen as a finalist in a prestigious national city and regional magazine awards competition. Five magazines from around the country are vying for the top spot in the General Excellence category. There are three tiers based on circulation; our magazine is in the 30,000 and under group. We're a small market compared to, say, Chicago, New York and L.A, but our competitors are not lightweights. And neither are we! There's some spectacular magazine editorial and design work happening across the country, and we are grateful to be named among the best. Click here for the details. They'll announce the winner in early May. No matter what happens, making the cut is an accomplishment, and I'm proud of the staff and those who've supported us in our efforts.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Violence UnSilenced
I'm ripping this headline from the headlines, since the blog by the same name has become an instant success. You might think success is a weird, even insensitive word to use for an online forum where victims and survivors of domestic violence share their stories.
But it's true. The blog is three days old and already averaging a thousand hits a day. Its founder, Maggie Ginsberg-Schutz, is one of my writers, and she began her journey (well, her public one anyway) to give voice to a silent epidemic in an article published in Madison Magazine in 2007. Then last year she worked with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services to find women who’d be willing to tell their stories publicly, which among other things threatens their safety. Last November we published her amazing article on seven local survivors.
Maggie didn’t stop there. She worked all winter to launch Violence Unsilenced, and for all you Internet smarties who know how to measure success in the blogosphere, this is the reaction to the site after 24 hours.
2,250 hits on violenceunsilenced.com
1,329 hits on okayfinedammit (where comments were closed)
106 comments
126 emails (not including the 44 between the designer and I)
51 mentions of the words 'violenceunsilenced' on Twitter -- (a fun illustration of this is to go to www.summize.com and type in 'violenceunsilenced' and also 'maggiedammit')
10 direct messages on twitter (a secondary email, like facebook emails)
22 new twitter followers
9 Facebook messages
an instant Technorati rank of 7 right out of the gates (wicked good)
a request for an interview on blog talk radio next week
a request for a Q&A on some blog I can't think of the name of right now
a guy actually made a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wnxaSs4wZY
the editor of BlogNosh magazine requested a badge to put in rotation on her (megapopular) site for free
32 new survivor stories sitting in my inbox ready to publish
countless numbers of Diggs, Stumbles, and Google Reader shares (no way for me to track this)
#2 spot on Kirtsy.com for the day
Maggie has been writing a very popular blog from her home in rural southern Wisconsin for a few years, so her social networking universe is huge and paying off. Widely read blogs like Alltop and BlogNosh are noticing, but more importantly the word is spreading in an innovative way to reach a whole new audience of people who are touched by this, or who simply care.
Maggie knows viscerally how this kind of success turns your stomach when you think about it. It’s such a sad and frightening thing. But at the same time it’s beautiful and powerful, like the “Take Back the Night” marches designed in part to return the power abusers have deliberately taken away. And to begin the healing. And this writer/blogger Maggie who is not a social justice advocate but a journalist is using the power of words and now, the Internet, to try to heal deep wounds but even more importantly to prevent the first act of violence from ever happening. Take Back the Night 2.0.
You know when somebody like Sully, the guy who landed the plane in the Hudson, shies away from the word "hero" because through his lens he was just trying to help? That's Maggie. She's just trying to help. And so far she's had some terrific success.
But it's true. The blog is three days old and already averaging a thousand hits a day. Its founder, Maggie Ginsberg-Schutz, is one of my writers, and she began her journey (well, her public one anyway) to give voice to a silent epidemic in an article published in Madison Magazine in 2007. Then last year she worked with Domestic Abuse Intervention Services to find women who’d be willing to tell their stories publicly, which among other things threatens their safety. Last November we published her amazing article on seven local survivors.
Maggie didn’t stop there. She worked all winter to launch Violence Unsilenced, and for all you Internet smarties who know how to measure success in the blogosphere, this is the reaction to the site after 24 hours.
2,250 hits on violenceunsilenced.com
1,329 hits on okayfinedammit (where comments were closed)
106 comments
126 emails (not including the 44 between the designer and I)
51 mentions of the words 'violenceunsilenced' on Twitter -- (a fun illustration of this is to go to www.summize.com
10 direct messages on twitter (a secondary email, like facebook emails)
22 new twitter followers
9 Facebook messages
an instant Technorati rank of 7 right out of the gates (wicked good)
a request for an interview on blog talk radio next week
a request for a Q&A on some blog I can't think of the name of right now
a guy actually made a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wnxaSs4wZY
the editor of BlogNosh magazine requested a badge to put in rotation on her (megapopular) site for free
32 new survivor stories sitting in my inbox ready to publish
countless numbers of Diggs, Stumbles, and Google Reader shares (no way for me to track this)
#2 spot on Kirtsy.com for the day
Maggie has been writing a very popular blog from her home in rural southern Wisconsin for a few years, so her social networking universe is huge and paying off. Widely read blogs like Alltop and BlogNosh are noticing, but more importantly the word is spreading in an innovative way to reach a whole new audience of people who are touched by this, or who simply care.
Maggie knows viscerally how this kind of success turns your stomach when you think about it. It’s such a sad and frightening thing. But at the same time it’s beautiful and powerful, like the “Take Back the Night” marches designed in part to return the power abusers have deliberately taken away. And to begin the healing. And this writer/blogger Maggie who is not a social justice advocate but a journalist is using the power of words and now, the Internet, to try to heal deep wounds but even more importantly to prevent the first act of violence from ever happening. Take Back the Night 2.0.
You know when somebody like Sully, the guy who landed the plane in the Hudson, shies away from the word "hero" because through his lens he was just trying to help? That's Maggie. She's just trying to help. And so far she's had some terrific success.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Absolut Improv
Writer, humorist and corporate trainer Jodi Cohen is at it again. She’s teaching improv workshops this winter and spring and lemme tell you they are special. A couple workshops ago Jodi asked friends to stop by the last class to serve as audience for her students’ to practice their technique. A half-dozen of us showed up like groupies outside a concert tour bus. I was so excited to see Jodi in action that it never occurred to me she would be busy instructing rather than performing that evening. No matter. Watching her teach was almost as much fun.
Her nurturing calm and pragmatic, reasonable approach to teaching stood out. The folks taking this class weren’t budding Saturday Night Live comedians (though did you know Jodi worked with Chris Farley during his Madison days?); they were ordinary people—some shy, some funny, some dramatic—who were taking the class to fulfill a variety of personal needs and goals. Watching the moment take over their nervousness and inhibitions was inspiring. They had all come there simply to learn new skills and in the process they had become an improv troupe for one night. My little girl was so entertained she didn’t want to leave. Of course, she was smitten with Jodi, having recently seen her fabulous one-woman holiday show “Oy to the World.”
When Jodi sent a call out for classes this spring, I actually considered taking one myself. Coming out of my shell has been a lifelong project and I think Jodi’s class would help shed more of my turtle-like habits. Alas, I had conflicts (both real and internal, I’m sure)… but maybe you don’t?
Says Jodi, “The improv for writers is really quite wonderful. I’m teaching it differently than I have before. You don’t have to leave your chair. At all. It’s using some of the basic improv principles in writing practice. Lots of room for one’s imagination to blossom.”
Hm. Maybe I should reconsider.
Jodi also tells me she’s excited about her improv for adults class. “It’s a great group,” she says. “One man crawled around on the floor in pretty much every scene. I’ve labeled him ‘the crawler’ in my subtext.
“We did this one exercise where we give each other imaginary presents. The person ‘receiving’ the present gets to say what it is. One young man in the class who is tres adorable said, for some reason people kept giving me dead animals. We were hysterical, as it was always his own imagination at work.”
If you're a writer in need of an imagination kick-start (and let's be honest, who isn't?), get thee to Jodi's class! There's one this weekend called "Eight Ways to Create a Character." Take it in the afternoon, then dazzle your partner with more than one romantic you...
Her nurturing calm and pragmatic, reasonable approach to teaching stood out. The folks taking this class weren’t budding Saturday Night Live comedians (though did you know Jodi worked with Chris Farley during his Madison days?); they were ordinary people—some shy, some funny, some dramatic—who were taking the class to fulfill a variety of personal needs and goals. Watching the moment take over their nervousness and inhibitions was inspiring. They had all come there simply to learn new skills and in the process they had become an improv troupe for one night. My little girl was so entertained she didn’t want to leave. Of course, she was smitten with Jodi, having recently seen her fabulous one-woman holiday show “Oy to the World.”
When Jodi sent a call out for classes this spring, I actually considered taking one myself. Coming out of my shell has been a lifelong project and I think Jodi’s class would help shed more of my turtle-like habits. Alas, I had conflicts (both real and internal, I’m sure)… but maybe you don’t?
Says Jodi, “The improv for writers is really quite wonderful. I’m teaching it differently than I have before. You don’t have to leave your chair. At all. It’s using some of the basic improv principles in writing practice. Lots of room for one’s imagination to blossom.”
Hm. Maybe I should reconsider.
Jodi also tells me she’s excited about her improv for adults class. “It’s a great group,” she says. “One man crawled around on the floor in pretty much every scene. I’ve labeled him ‘the crawler’ in my subtext.
“We did this one exercise where we give each other imaginary presents. The person ‘receiving’ the present gets to say what it is. One young man in the class who is tres adorable said, for some reason people kept giving me dead animals. We were hysterical, as it was always his own imagination at work.”
If you're a writer in need of an imagination kick-start (and let's be honest, who isn't?), get thee to Jodi's class! There's one this weekend called "Eight Ways to Create a Character." Take it in the afternoon, then dazzle your partner with more than one romantic you...
Friday, January 30, 2009
Stayin' Alive
I’m sitting at my kitchen table trying to get my slow-as-molasses-in-the-summertime computer connection to click through to the 29 comments on the second-to-last blog entry to Judith Strasser’s “In Lieu of Speech.”
While I wait impatiently I open her latest book, “Facing Fear: Cancer and Politics, Courage and Hope,” to the first chapter. I should’ve read it the day it came out in 2008 but instead it sat on my desk as the days’ and weeks’ mail slowly buried it beneath ten and twelve and sixteen other books by local authors I should be reading and blogging about.
The comments I'm waiting to read are in response to the post titled “Changing Voices” (which is a brilliant title) written by her sister, Susie, who signed on to let us know Judith was “declining fast.” Susie has encouraged her community of friends, fans and colleagues to write, as Judy is still "definitely interested" in hearing what people have to say.
God I want to know what people are commenting about. How do you even BEGIN to respond to such a beautiful and sad and heartfelt blog post?
I don’t even know this woman and I’m touched by the mark she made on humanity.
She raised the money to build the Children’s Museum that my daughter treasures. She is a domestic violence survivor and now that the comments have finally popped up I know she was an inspiration to the DV community. She has a loving family and a rich spiritual life. She wrote a book while she was being treated with stomach cancer.
I recognize a few of the godspeed-wishers. Harriet. Dean B. Ronnie. I’m not surprised these writer-intellectuals crossed paths with Judith Strasser, who passed away three days after the blog post.
Isn’t it funny how all of a sudden, now that she’s dead, I’m curious to know everything about a woman I’ve never known?
“Everything happens for a reason,” a brain tumor survivor was once quoted as saying in Madison Magazine. “You just have to figure out what it is.”
I found this poem on Judith Strasser's website and for some reason it feels like the perfect way to remember a I person I will never have the pleasure of knowing.
How to Stay Alive
by Judith Strasser
Trash your cigarettes. Shun restaurants and bars
that traffic in second-hand smoke. Eat organic
and low on the food chain. Steam vegetables;
don't grill meat. Just say "no" to marijuana, Jack
Daniels, and cocaine. Stay home: do not rent cars
at Miami's airport, or ride the New York subways,
or dig potshards in the Negev after massacres
in Hebron. Don't drive vans older than you are
to places you've never been. Always buckle your
seat belt. Have someone else strip the asbestos
from your furnace and heating pipes. Test for radon
in the basement, lead in the drinking water, cracks
in the microwave shield. Avoid electric blankets.
Use condoms, or don't have sex. Walk to work.
Remember your sunblock. Don't go jogging after dark.
Keep off the neighbors' grass after they've sprayed
the yard. Wear a helmet when you bike. Take
a buddy to the lake. Don't lie about your weight
to the man who adjusts your skis. Lower stress
with yoga; divorce your husband if you must. Cross
your fingers, say "Star Bright" to Venus, avoid
black cats, spit three times over your shoulder
on your thirteenth annual visit to the oncologist.
Originally published in Prairie Schooner, Winter 1995
Books
While I wait impatiently I open her latest book, “Facing Fear: Cancer and Politics, Courage and Hope,” to the first chapter. I should’ve read it the day it came out in 2008 but instead it sat on my desk as the days’ and weeks’ mail slowly buried it beneath ten and twelve and sixteen other books by local authors I should be reading and blogging about.
The comments I'm waiting to read are in response to the post titled “Changing Voices” (which is a brilliant title) written by her sister, Susie, who signed on to let us know Judith was “declining fast.” Susie has encouraged her community of friends, fans and colleagues to write, as Judy is still "definitely interested" in hearing what people have to say.
God I want to know what people are commenting about. How do you even BEGIN to respond to such a beautiful and sad and heartfelt blog post?
I don’t even know this woman and I’m touched by the mark she made on humanity.
She raised the money to build the Children’s Museum that my daughter treasures. She is a domestic violence survivor and now that the comments have finally popped up I know she was an inspiration to the DV community. She has a loving family and a rich spiritual life. She wrote a book while she was being treated with stomach cancer.
I recognize a few of the godspeed-wishers. Harriet. Dean B. Ronnie. I’m not surprised these writer-intellectuals crossed paths with Judith Strasser, who passed away three days after the blog post.
Isn’t it funny how all of a sudden, now that she’s dead, I’m curious to know everything about a woman I’ve never known?
“Everything happens for a reason,” a brain tumor survivor was once quoted as saying in Madison Magazine. “You just have to figure out what it is.”
I found this poem on Judith Strasser's website and for some reason it feels like the perfect way to remember a I person I will never have the pleasure of knowing.
How to Stay Alive
by Judith Strasser
Trash your cigarettes. Shun restaurants and bars
that traffic in second-hand smoke. Eat organic
and low on the food chain. Steam vegetables;
don't grill meat. Just say "no" to marijuana, Jack
Daniels, and cocaine. Stay home: do not rent cars
at Miami's airport, or ride the New York subways,
or dig potshards in the Negev after massacres
in Hebron. Don't drive vans older than you are
to places you've never been. Always buckle your
seat belt. Have someone else strip the asbestos
from your furnace and heating pipes. Test for radon
in the basement, lead in the drinking water, cracks
in the microwave shield. Avoid electric blankets.
Use condoms, or don't have sex. Walk to work.
Remember your sunblock. Don't go jogging after dark.
Keep off the neighbors' grass after they've sprayed
the yard. Wear a helmet when you bike. Take
a buddy to the lake. Don't lie about your weight
to the man who adjusts your skis. Lower stress
with yoga; divorce your husband if you must. Cross
your fingers, say "Star Bright" to Venus, avoid
black cats, spit three times over your shoulder
on your thirteenth annual visit to the oncologist.
Originally published in Prairie Schooner, Winter 1995
Books
Friday, January 23, 2009
Big Hugs
Check out Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's blog on journalism. When elected officials respect, appreciate and understand the role of the media, you just want to hug 'em. Last year on Neil Heinen's Sunday news show, For the Record, I opined that Mayor Dave was a great city manager but a political animal he was not. Among the many issues I was reacting to were his quietly confident style—as opposed to some of his more outspoken and dramatic predecessors—as well as a few high-profile dust-ups, like the Meadowood Neighborhood meeting where residents took aim at him for not putting public safety first.
Soon after the mayor dropped his campaign for light rail and redoubled his efforts on crime and other grassroots problems the city faced. I've heard plenty of folks say he's actually an extremely skilled politician who simply gets the job done differently. I'm starting to see what they mean. Maybe now it's time those neighbors whose concerns Mayor Dave took to heart step up again, this time to help him fight for a greener, more affordable and cost-effective transit system, including streetcars, to get them where they need to go.
Soon after the mayor dropped his campaign for light rail and redoubled his efforts on crime and other grassroots problems the city faced. I've heard plenty of folks say he's actually an extremely skilled politician who simply gets the job done differently. I'm starting to see what they mean. Maybe now it's time those neighbors whose concerns Mayor Dave took to heart step up again, this time to help him fight for a greener, more affordable and cost-effective transit system, including streetcars, to get them where they need to go.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Writing a New Day
It’s kind of daunting to be an editorial writer today. So I took the easy way out and solicited my contributing writers to paint a portrait of “right now” from Madison, Wisconsin. I asked them to tell me what was on their minds on the eve of the inauguration of our first Black president, Barack Obama, during such tumultuous times. As I read each entry, what slowly emerges from the dialogue is a collective sigh of relief. That’s no surprise. Eight years after we were encouraged to go shopping as a solution to terrorism, we are suddenly being asked to participate in our future. Change we can believe in? I sure hope so.
First, let’s hear from the baby boomers:
“Two months ago, for the first time in my life, I walked past a young African American child and thought, 'She might be president some day.' Imagine during the rioting of the late 1960s if someone said, 'Hey, there’s an African American child six years old living in Hawaii, conceived out of wedlock, who will be president of the United States in forty years.' All good things are possible." –Denis Collins
“My memory takes me back to Lakewood School in Maple Bluff, January 20, 1961, where we watched John F. Kennedy sworn in on a black and white TV set. I was in seventh grade and one of very few Democrats watching at that place on that day. I have never had as much enthusiasm for a presidential candidate since that day. I actually was a paid employee of the McGovern campaign in 1972 and it soured me on Presidential politics. Until this past year. I remember watching Barack Obama’s keynote speech four years ago and realizing this was someone who was on fire. I supported his bid for President from the very start, but admit I had little hope he would win. That was until the Iowa caucuses. Tomorrow, I will be watching his inauguration with that same sense of awe and admiration that I did back in 1961." –Dan Curd
“It’s been said the first responsibility of any American politician is to 'get right with Lincoln.' By his character, temperament and intellect, Barack Obama has done more to get right with Lincoln than any politician ever. His combination of emotional maturity, intellectual curiosity and political openness augers well for the republic.” –Stu Levitan
“I have never thought of Barak Obama as a man of color. For a lot of people that is the most significant change. That is true but is not what is most important or impressive to me. … My earliest awareness and impression of Barak Obama was of a very bright, very articulate person. The night he spoke at the Democratic Convention during the Clinton administration, I was blown away with his speaking ability. I believe he thinks about topics thoroughly, gathers advice from a variety of sources, and is able to reach decisions by weighting the information in a balanced manner. In addition, his ability to be articulate means he is able to communicate those decisions in a way that we (the public) can understand. For me, I don't care a bit about the color of his skin but about that attitude and ability.
“I am most excited about the comparisons Lincoln and FDR. This is a terrible time in our history, two wars, an economic crisis, and yet, I am full of hope, great hope. I think President Obama has to be honest with us, that it is not going to be easy to recover from these challenges and, at the same time, speak to the 'better angels' that Lincoln referred to and 'nothing to fear but fear itself' that FDR spoke of. He has to get all of us behind our ability to get through this difficult time and to move forward in positive ways. Make the America that we as Americans think we have, or thought we had, or think we messed up the promise of. This time is the closes to that promise in my adult life." –Nancy Lynch
"I am struck by this nation’s barbarities of her past and the brave hopes of her future. As a toddler, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Chicago, I watched the sunset in the west, the beauty of the orange and red hues, all colors playing in harmony. Then, forsaking the moon and the stars, riotous flames danced on the horizon as the city burned. In my life I have seen legalized segregation and the fact that, because of their skin, people could not vote. Now a black man is President. That transformation symbolizes hope for me." –Kent Palmer
“Hooray, we finally chose intelligence over ‘one of us’ and inspiration over lies. The challenge is great. Consumption as a percent of our GDP will drop. What will fill its place? We must envision a new business model for our economy, not just stimulus to get us back to the old economy. The former could usher in a wonderful future. The latter will be a disaster.” –Kay Plantes
It’s interesting that as I separate these thoughts by generation I notice how the lens starts to change. While baby boomers are hopeful and resolute, Gen X-ers are anxious, ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
“I’d love to be eloquent, witty or even cheeky, but really I’m just a jumble of nerves, excitement, hope, relief and pride. I’m also a little nostalgic. I lived in D.C. when Clinton was inaugurated (the second time), and I’d love to be back in my apartment on Connecticut Avenue this week, bars on the windows and hold-ups in my basement and all. And I lived in a good neighborhood!" –Jennifer Garrett
"For me, the idea of Obama transcends policy and procedure. Does that make me a dreamer? Probably, but I’m not apologizing for it. We can argue politics and practice until we’re blue in our faces, but that’s the thing—Obama makes me want to. I haven’t felt that way in my entire adult life. This is a first." –Maggie Ginsberg-Schutz
"I hope he doesn’t get shot. What I mean is, I love this guy and I am worried that we are not post-racial in this country." –Robert Gutsche, Jr.
"Obama has (wisely) not been shy about stating the challenges we face. But for Inauguration Day, I am going to try to push those worries somewhere toward the back of my head, so I can appreciate and marvel at everything this historic event means to our country and to the rest of the world. After a couple months of nothing but bad news, I am more than ready to revel in a little hope." –Jenny Price
“When I saw the crowds at the McCain rallies, I thought of America as she used to be.
When I saw the crowds at the Obama rallies, I recognized the America that is.
For anyone who still thinks diversity is a trend, the train has left the station. We’ve leapfrogged our prior consciousness of what we are as a country.
Buckle up." –Rebecca Ryan
"As our new president takes to the stage, we have finally reached a long overdue milestone that, despite the challenges ahead, has helped renew the spirit of a nation. Partisan politics and pundits aside, I hope we all can continue to ride this wave of inspiration and meet community, nationwide and global challenges head on." –Laura Salinger
Contributing writer Mary Erpenbach just called me to say she was sorry she didn't send anything. She's headed to watch the festivities with her son, Ted. We talked about her granddaughter Lucia, who's just over a year old, and about what a difference this all makes to the next generation. And the best part? They'll never think twice about it.
And this just in—fashionably late—from Mad Mag's back-page columnist and boomer:
"After so many years, it feels good to know that the Declaration of Independence, and our Constitution, are now true.: –John Roach
First, let’s hear from the baby boomers:
“Two months ago, for the first time in my life, I walked past a young African American child and thought, 'She might be president some day.' Imagine during the rioting of the late 1960s if someone said, 'Hey, there’s an African American child six years old living in Hawaii, conceived out of wedlock, who will be president of the United States in forty years.' All good things are possible." –Denis Collins
“My memory takes me back to Lakewood School in Maple Bluff, January 20, 1961, where we watched John F. Kennedy sworn in on a black and white TV set. I was in seventh grade and one of very few Democrats watching at that place on that day. I have never had as much enthusiasm for a presidential candidate since that day. I actually was a paid employee of the McGovern campaign in 1972 and it soured me on Presidential politics. Until this past year. I remember watching Barack Obama’s keynote speech four years ago and realizing this was someone who was on fire. I supported his bid for President from the very start, but admit I had little hope he would win. That was until the Iowa caucuses. Tomorrow, I will be watching his inauguration with that same sense of awe and admiration that I did back in 1961." –Dan Curd
“It’s been said the first responsibility of any American politician is to 'get right with Lincoln.' By his character, temperament and intellect, Barack Obama has done more to get right with Lincoln than any politician ever. His combination of emotional maturity, intellectual curiosity and political openness augers well for the republic.” –Stu Levitan
“I have never thought of Barak Obama as a man of color. For a lot of people that is the most significant change. That is true but is not what is most important or impressive to me. … My earliest awareness and impression of Barak Obama was of a very bright, very articulate person. The night he spoke at the Democratic Convention during the Clinton administration, I was blown away with his speaking ability. I believe he thinks about topics thoroughly, gathers advice from a variety of sources, and is able to reach decisions by weighting the information in a balanced manner. In addition, his ability to be articulate means he is able to communicate those decisions in a way that we (the public) can understand. For me, I don't care a bit about the color of his skin but about that attitude and ability.
“I am most excited about the comparisons Lincoln and FDR. This is a terrible time in our history, two wars, an economic crisis, and yet, I am full of hope, great hope. I think President Obama has to be honest with us, that it is not going to be easy to recover from these challenges and, at the same time, speak to the 'better angels' that Lincoln referred to and 'nothing to fear but fear itself' that FDR spoke of. He has to get all of us behind our ability to get through this difficult time and to move forward in positive ways. Make the America that we as Americans think we have, or thought we had, or think we messed up the promise of. This time is the closes to that promise in my adult life." –Nancy Lynch
"I am struck by this nation’s barbarities of her past and the brave hopes of her future. As a toddler, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Chicago, I watched the sunset in the west, the beauty of the orange and red hues, all colors playing in harmony. Then, forsaking the moon and the stars, riotous flames danced on the horizon as the city burned. In my life I have seen legalized segregation and the fact that, because of their skin, people could not vote. Now a black man is President. That transformation symbolizes hope for me." –Kent Palmer
“Hooray, we finally chose intelligence over ‘one of us’ and inspiration over lies. The challenge is great. Consumption as a percent of our GDP will drop. What will fill its place? We must envision a new business model for our economy, not just stimulus to get us back to the old economy. The former could usher in a wonderful future. The latter will be a disaster.” –Kay Plantes
It’s interesting that as I separate these thoughts by generation I notice how the lens starts to change. While baby boomers are hopeful and resolute, Gen X-ers are anxious, ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
“I’d love to be eloquent, witty or even cheeky, but really I’m just a jumble of nerves, excitement, hope, relief and pride. I’m also a little nostalgic. I lived in D.C. when Clinton was inaugurated (the second time), and I’d love to be back in my apartment on Connecticut Avenue this week, bars on the windows and hold-ups in my basement and all. And I lived in a good neighborhood!" –Jennifer Garrett
"For me, the idea of Obama transcends policy and procedure. Does that make me a dreamer? Probably, but I’m not apologizing for it. We can argue politics and practice until we’re blue in our faces, but that’s the thing—Obama makes me want to. I haven’t felt that way in my entire adult life. This is a first." –Maggie Ginsberg-Schutz
"I hope he doesn’t get shot. What I mean is, I love this guy and I am worried that we are not post-racial in this country." –Robert Gutsche, Jr.
"Obama has (wisely) not been shy about stating the challenges we face. But for Inauguration Day, I am going to try to push those worries somewhere toward the back of my head, so I can appreciate and marvel at everything this historic event means to our country and to the rest of the world. After a couple months of nothing but bad news, I am more than ready to revel in a little hope." –Jenny Price
“When I saw the crowds at the McCain rallies, I thought of America as she used to be.
When I saw the crowds at the Obama rallies, I recognized the America that is.
For anyone who still thinks diversity is a trend, the train has left the station. We’ve leapfrogged our prior consciousness of what we are as a country.
Buckle up." –Rebecca Ryan
"As our new president takes to the stage, we have finally reached a long overdue milestone that, despite the challenges ahead, has helped renew the spirit of a nation. Partisan politics and pundits aside, I hope we all can continue to ride this wave of inspiration and meet community, nationwide and global challenges head on." –Laura Salinger
Contributing writer Mary Erpenbach just called me to say she was sorry she didn't send anything. She's headed to watch the festivities with her son, Ted. We talked about her granddaughter Lucia, who's just over a year old, and about what a difference this all makes to the next generation. And the best part? They'll never think twice about it.
And this just in—fashionably late—from Mad Mag's back-page columnist and boomer:
"After so many years, it feels good to know that the Declaration of Independence, and our Constitution, are now true.: –John Roach
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