Inauguration Day 2013: Obama 2.0 & Congress 113

Congratulations and best wishes to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden as the Obama Administration begins its second term leading America.

President Obama officially sworn-in
for second term on January 20, 2013.
(Photo: White House)

The President and Vice President were officially sworn in Sunday in accordance with the Constitution.  Today, we’ll all watch as the ceremonial events take place in Washington, DC.

I sincerely hope and pray that all of our elected officials in Washington will keep in mind that they are in DC to work—not for themselves—but, for us.

I sincerely hope and pray that the President and his team at the White House; Speaker John Boehner, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and their teams in the House of Representatives; and Majority Leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and their teams in the Senate will keep in mind that none of them will get everything they want, nor should they.

Compromise is not a dirty word.  It is—in fact—necessary and expected.  The petty partisanship of politics-as-usual is not acceptable.

The name of the game is moving America forward.  Democrats, alone, don’t have all of the answers.  Republicans, alone, don’t have all of the answers.  But, between them and various independent voices, America can flourish under the leadership of men and women who know and understand that we rise, we fall; we sink, we swim; we, as Americans, meet our fate together.

Godspeed to the Obama Administration and the 113th Congress as they work together to meet America’s challenges in 2013 and beyond.

Muted Emotions

Sandy Hook School in Newtown, CT

I woke up this morning and the emotional enormity of what happened in Newtown, Connecticut finally hit me - 24 hours after the event.

President Barack Obama wipes tears

from his eyes while addressing the

nation following the Newtown, CT

school shooting on December 14, 2012.

Despite having watched a great deal of the coverage and watching President Barack Obama deliver emotional remarks from the White House while wiping tears from his eyes and fighting to control his emotions, my emotions didn't fully manifest themselves until this morning.  This morning, when I turned on follow-up coverage and listened to the latest information and saw many of the same photos from the day before and found myself doing, a day later, what the president of the United States did at the White House. I wiped quiet tears from my eyes.

Election Day 2012

Did You?!?

Please pass the Pepto!

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) accepts GOP nomination for vice president at
2012 Republican National Convention. Photo: Politico.com

As much as I like the drama and intrigue of politics, it really makes my blood boil when politicians twist the words of rivals.  They don't put words into each others' mouths, they conveniently disregard words that actually come out.

Last night, during his address to the Republican National Convention, vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan all but blamed President Obama for the closing of the General Motors assembly plant in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin.

“Right there at that plant, candidate Obama said: ‘I believe that if our government is there to support you … this plant will be here for another hundred years.’ That’s what he said in 2008. Well, as it turned out, that plant didn’t last another year. It is locked up and empty to this day,” said Ryan in his speech.