Why I Voted for President Barack Hussein Obama Ii

© 2012 by D.S. Brown. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 07/28/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-2528-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-2527-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012911243

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 January 5th

Chapter 2 January 6th

Chapter 3 January 7th

Chapter 4 January 8th

Chapter 5 January 9th

Chapter 6 January 10th

Chapter 7 January 11th

Chapter 8 January 12th

Chapter 9 January 13th

Chapter 10 January 14th

Chapter 11 January 15th

Chapter 12 January 16th

Chapter 13 January 17th

Chapter 14 Still January 17th

Chapter 15 And It’s Still January 17th

Chapter 16 January 17th

Chapter 17 January 18th

Chapter 18 January 19th

Chapter 19 January 20th

Chapter 20 January 21st

Chapter 21 January 21st

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Previously known as…

D.S. Brown goes

To

The

Inauguration

An account of my trip to the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama II; why he earned my vote in 2008, and why he continues to earn my vote in 2012, as the 44th President of the United States of America

Introduction

This book started out differently. It had a different name, as evidenced on the previous page. However, I should have foreseen this. I should have known it would in time become much more, and require this requisite change. The title spoke directly to what this meant… to me, a personal account of my mental journey down the road of the 2008 Presidential Election, the after-effects, and the wonderful voyage to the Inauguration. This was meant to be a book for 2009. However, from the moment I started I felt something different, a needed delay to observe what I knew would come to pass. I’m no oracle, but the writing on the wall so to speak was bright red and plain as day , as the saying goes. The election itself foretold the tenor of the Presidency and its opposition, and why in my mind, if he stayed true to form, true to spirit despite the encumbrances and obstruction of the ideologically divisive, this book may very well be needed in 2012.

It is now 2012, and I was right.

First, allow me to say thank you for sharing this experience with me. I can’t begin to tell you exactly how this feels. Even as I type these words, I smile at the sudden giddiness, the butterflies fluttering in my stomach, the elation that envelops me as I glance at the picture of my daughter, knowing that what has happened in this time, in 2008 and 2009, strikes a cord for change that will deeply affect her and her opportunities, as she grows into womanhood.

I am so moved.

My daughter, Elle Lindsey Brown, will be raised to be a critical thinker, a responsible and passionate citizen of both America and the world. Her mother and I will teach her to consider and be considerate, to thirst for knowledge, and truly enjoy the gift of learning, for it is a gift. Combined with our powerful emotions and self-awareness, our ability to think, and grow exponentially from what we learn, is what makes us so unique on this world called Earth. It is a gift, and it is a responsibility. She will be raised to truly understand both. As she charts her own course based on the foundation we provide, we will ensure she knows from whence she came.

She will know that she is the daughter of Erica Lindsey Brown, daughter of Michael Forsythe Lindsey and Jeannette Morton Lindsey Fullard. She will know that she is the daughter of Derrick Sherroid Brown, son of John Heard Brown and Bessie Williams Brown. She will know that she is American by birth, African-American by ethnicity, member of the Clan Chosen, a Descendent of the Emancipated, and a true believer in the Tribe of the People, the Tribe of Humanity. She will know her history, the importance of her ethnicity, the distinction and historically destructive influence of the arbitrary contrivance called race, and the sincere importance of clearly thinking and understanding how in arguably one of the most important countries in human history, thought, action, and ideology grew, evolved, and made room for change and understanding, allowing for her to come into this world per chance the opportunity to achieve whatever her heart desired… within reason, and with positive intent.

So how did this book come about?

What I have just written above forms the basis of the rationale. Elle will know the events that took place around January 20th, 2009 through the visual and emotional filter of her parents. Her father will chronicle this incredibly important and most historic event. She will have the written word from the perspective of her father. She will have video of both of her parents as they take in and participate in history. She will have a TIVOed recording of the event back home to showcase details from the perspective of the media. She will have this wealth of information at her disposal, as a plank in the forever education that will be part of her life journey of growth, love, learning and so many other things.

This is now the objective. It started with me committing myself to write blog entries. I’m not sure what I was thinking, honestly. I’m passionate about writing. I have ideas literally pouring out of my head. Yet, at the time, I was thinking a couple of entries in my blog might be enough. It wasn’t until I was asked to participate in a committee that would celebrate the inauguration in January and again in February during Black History month that a wider project entered into my mental view.

A friend and coworker asked that those of us going to the inauguration be so kind as to document the event and share it with our fellow associates. I though to myself, sure, why not? Then, this same friend sat across from me at a table. As I ran my big mouth, waxing philosophic about the virtues and potential vices of a celebration for Obama at a corporate workplace, she simply looked at me and smiled.

Some of us should write a book about the event, she said, still broadly wearing her smile.

I let her look and smile pass me by. Surely, she was not talking about me? Then, I thought about it. Why not? If I’m going to produce a wealth of material about this experience from my own perspective, which is just as important as anyone else’s, why not share it? Why not compile all the material together into a book? I mean, I’m sure hundreds if not thousands of others will be doing the same thing. People will be writing about this for decades. Why not share my voice, such that it is? And so, that was the genesis of the project.

As I left that meeting I started thinking about where to begin, what would be the layout? I have my focus, but how do I approach it, do I need more structure or less? Is there a recurring thread through each chapter subordinate to the primary focus? Is it just a collection of one individual’s ramblings? Is it all these things?

I smiled. I felt good. I was going to enjoy this.

I considered the combination of my YouTube video vlogs imbedded in my blog entries. I thought about the blog entries

forming the basis of my book. I considered critically how true and sincere emotion would play a big role in what I would convey. This was not just about looking at what was occurring with a critical eye, classing myself as some kind of pseudo-intellectual, ham-fisted wanna-be historian. No, even though I am a true acolyte of the mind, and I’m passionate about applying reason, I’m also passionate about how I feel, and how I make others feel. I have faith. I have hope. Today, as I write this, I feel the butterflies. My mind and body resonate as I hear words echo in my head. They are the words of the President-Elect, Barack Hussein Obama, who by the time you read this, will have been sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.

A wind blows through the corridors of my mind. It is a strong wind, powerful, and full of intent. I open my mental windows wide. I give it a free way through which to flow, deep into the cluttered, order-aspiring spaces in my head. Mentally I focus. It doesn’t take much… not really. I listen and I again feel the butterflies. There are words on the wind. As they blow, I hear them. It tells me that I am my mandate. What does it say? It says…

I AM CHANGE.

Chapter 1

January 5th

Yesterday, which was Sunday January 4th, President-Elect Barack Obama’s plane landed at Andrew’s Air Force base. The Air Force Boeing 757-200 airplane that carried him to the Capital was painted with the distinctive blue-and-white colors of Air Force One, even though it was not, and could not, be Air Force One. There was some joking about the plane’s designation. Should it be called Air Force One-Elect?

This was the first time the President-Elect had flown in one of the planes in the Air Force’s Special Air Mission fleet, one more step signifying his status as the nation’s next elected leader. Chicago was behind him. He said that leaving his hometown choked him up. It choked me up as well. Why? I felt a tad bit emotional and most certainly excited because the business of Change was moving forward.

Events for the administration were in motion. Even though the transition team had already been moving aggressively forward, just seeing this event on television, this flight of the President-Elect, was moving to me personally, just as the entire election had been an incredibly emotional event to me personally.

Today, on January 5th, Barack Obama met with the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a controversial but most definitely important historical figure. She is the nation’s first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives, a rather wealthy liberal, and a strong, opinionated, and so I’ve been made to understand, rather vindictive democrat. In other words, just like many men she brings the heat to the issues she believes are of vital concern.

I had not been thinking about the President-Elect at the time. What was on my mind? Well, I had just come home from work, I wouldn’t be writing this for several hours. I kissed my wife and baby, and truly reveled in the joy of my family. I sat down wearily and I started playing with my child, as my wife and I talked about our day.

It had been a challenging day. My wife had experienced much the same. I think we followed the pattern of many Americans blessed with gainful employment. It was our first day back after the holidays and there was much to do. My wife, whose job I consider to be far more important than my own, talked about the kids coming back to school, and getting them ready for the semester’s activities. She molds the minds of young people. She happens to teach AP History, Politics, and other Social Studies. Everything that was happening in our nation was relevant in her classroom, as it always is. However, the level of student involvement was unusually high. I thought this was a great change, most certainly amazing. The kids were totally engaged.

At my job, which is not about molding minds but still extremely critical to the well-being of my family, we were working on trying to ensure our production environments were stable. By production environments, I mean the hardware and software that together comprise the environment in which our customers conduct their day-to-day business of running a global retail enterprise. We had a few challenges my first day back. We also had mounting concerns. The 2008 Christmas season had not been great, as you all well know, and people at my job were worried, just like people all over the globe.

Erica, my wife, and I sat in the kitchen and talked about these things. We had the idiot-box on, and it was turned to CNN. That’s when the image came on. There was President-Elect Barack Obama, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. By this time, my little sugar-poi (pie), which is one of many names we have for our child, was sitting in my lap, crying just a bit. She was struggling to get back on schedule after the holidays. Life can really be rough for an 18 month old.

Look at that, boog! Erica exclaimed.

Look at that indeed, I said. The MAN.

President-Elect Obama was sitting behind a table. Camera’s flashed, white light created a lightning-like flutter across our television screen.

It gives me chills, she said. I still…

I looked back at her, and a smile was slowly spreading across her face. She slowly shook her had back and forth. Admiration was there. It was plain. In her eyes, where tears were beginning to form, there was the promise of hope. I smiled, feeling just the same. There was a black man on the screen, a man that looked like me, my father, and my grandfather, and he was our new President. Some people can’t, or won’t, understand my saying this. They will glom onto my use of the word Black. They will ask, why do you have to bring that up? If they give me a moment, I will take the time to try and explain it to them. If they have an ear to listen, I will relate some of what they should have learned in school, about the American ideal, the dream for all, and not just a select few, and why the realization of an Obama Presidency is the powerful culmination of generations of dreamers, thinkers, lovers, fighters, and slaves. Through multiple layers of sincere honesty I reach for the words to explain, but I consistently feel I am falling short. However, as I continue, I will truly strive for an honest attempt at explaining my feelings.

WHY I VOTED FOR OBAMA

Equal pay for equal work

Just to be clear, this nation’s President can and will run for re-election on his record. There is no failure in his record. It has its ups and its downs, there are trials and tribulations as there would be in any legislative agenda. However, the President has kept his promises as best as he could, moving forward with one of the most ambitious agendas in American history. Without equivocation, once you dispense with ideology and embrace the facts with a critical thinking mind, you can question, but you can’t deny success. The President has been incredibly successful. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to shy away from. We can look to his record and be proud of the man we elected.

I recall in 2009 mere weeks after the election seeing stickers all over the place here in Georgia asking How’s that Hope and Change working for you? And I can’t forget the stickers with the picture of George W. Bush and the question, Miss me yet? I would look at those signs with bewilderment, but I would quickly move past the feeling. The country was still in the midst of crisis and these people happily presaged President Obama’s failure. They actually followed Limbaugh’s lead by the thousands and wished for our President to fail in the midst of a financial crisis and wars on two fronts.

This is the very height of purposeful stupidity.

You may not like your leader. You may want to replace him when the time comes to do so, but you should not wish for him to fail when his job is crucial to the survival of the nation. The man had barely started the job and they were all over him. Still, it’s to be expected. For the ideological opposition, that has been and always will be the plan. It is politics at its best, taking facts and bending them, re-framing them claiming language in propaganda and rhetoric that panders to the lowest common denominator. They used the tool of fear to motivate millions, the effect of which gave rise to the Tea Party, and would eventually give us the 2010 Congressional election, and a federal government more bitterly divided than any we’ve seen in generations.

However, in the midst of this turmoil the President never shirked his responsibility. He was clearly honored and humbled by the duty put before him. He did not take it for granted. The ideological powers on the Right shook with fear, true fear at what they thought might be the decline of their movement, something they had been building for almost a century, but they had a plan, and they would execute it very well.

While the GOP staged their comeback, the President swiftly moved into positive action. On January 29, 2009 he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The Republicans blocked this bill in 2007.

Today in 2012, many of us are describing the callous call by the GOP to days of yesteryear as partly a War on Women. Even some women Republican lawmakers are saying as much. Yet, the GOP continues successfully to push their message to man and woman alike within their dedicated ranks. The common people of their rank and file happily imbibe their party message and keep right on moving, as state by state the rights of women are curtailed.

You see, for those Republicans like Speaker Boehner and Senator McCain, who claim the GOP is not prosecuting a War on Woman, that this is a political stunt by the Democrats, we must recognize

that their words, even as they love and support women, or words that carry political intent for their own party, their own agenda. They may not have declared war, but make no mistake, shutting down centers that support providing women with medical exams, passing laws that support the invasive examination of women’s genitals, or choosing to not support laws that a woman’s right to the same level of compensation as a man is a de-facto act of social war, infringing upon the personal rights of women, no matter their political alignment.

What is the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act? It’s an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensuring that people who see that they are being unfairly discriminated against in terms of their paycheck retain the right to file a complaint within 180 days of receiving that paycheck, and that the time for filing the complaint resets to another 180 days after receiving another discriminatory paycheck.

Consider, Lily Ledbetter discovered that her employer was paying her less than men doing the exact same job. People want equal work and they want equal pay. If two people, be they black or white, male or female, are doing the exact same job, and they are doing it effectively, then their pay should bear that out. One person shouldn’t get paid more because he’s a male. The world is not fair, granted. However, there are some things in which one can expect and should demand fairness. And if we don’t get fairness we look to our officials, who we have duly elected to govern and mediate for us, to resolve our areas of conflict.

By signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act our President is doing exactly what he was elected to do. He signed into law an act that would ensure that a blow for fairness would be struck on the side of women.

Why did I vote for President Obama? Because I truly believed that he was just this type of man. That he would look at the issues judiciously, with a critical thinking mind before deciding, and that in his decisions he would act on the side of the greatest good. He would seek fairness. And if it was within his power to do so, he would act. Today, in 2012, as the War on Women, denied by the GOP, actually escalates with lawmakers comparing women to cattle, I can be sure my President stands on the side of women, as do I, supporting them as human beings, not farm animals. He had my vote in 2008, and he has it again, 2012.

Chapter 2

January 6th

On Monday, January 5th Governor Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination for United States Secretary of Commerce. I had watched Governor Richardson during the Democratic campaign as he debated Obama and Clinton. As I observed the man, it became quite clear that he was truly a shrewd politician, a smart man indeed. Unfortunately, as so often happens in the pursuit of wealth and power, the growth and change that comes from the pursuit can blur the lines of ethical behavior. And make no mistake, as easy as we say and think it should be, often enough for the man in the middle, it presents a serious challenge. After all, we can’t forget the fact that we’re all just human.

I don’t know the specifics of Governor Richardson’s situation, the ethics or the legalities. I will assume that all he has worked for, all he has struggled to achieve was for the good of his constituents, and for himself to an appropriate degree. What I will not assume is that his position had so quickly become politically untenable. He could have continued his pursuit of the position. However, he was now the subject of a government probe. What was being investigated? His dealings with several business interests were being questioned. So, the Governor did the right thing. He bowed out.

I considered this first from a practical and rational perspective, which I believe is a requirement for any person that wants to engage in the political process. And thanks to the Internet many more of us do, more than ever before in all of human history. Our technology has exponentially elevated the democratization of our society. We must be appropriately informed if we are to engage. So, I considered the many perspectives, then I considered what might be personal.

There was already the judgment, the misstep by an untried quantity, a President-Elect too ignorant to know what he was doing or how to direct his team. I smiled as I thought of the words and vitriol that had already climbed to an ear-splitting crescendo. In my opinion this was nothing more than another in a long line of forthcoming challenges for the nation’s first African-American President. Hilary had already accused him of not being ready to take the early morning call. The Democratic Party had come together and moved the early morning call premise to the background, but the ideological Right had not. They were all just getting warmed up.

I don’t say all this to imply that any other President-Elect would not have the same challenges, clearly they would, given our country’s current circumstances, and the state of politics and power in general. However, as an African-American I’m simply speaking about something many of us consider germane to our particular ethnicity’s American experience. It is something we have heard time and time again, have often ignored, to our own detriment, but when understood and faced effectively, the challenge only served to make us a better person, a better American.

For me this was so very personal. Given who I am you might have assumed this. However, I would ask you not to do so. I looked down the road at what this man could be, this man who seemingly came out of nowhere and I was pleasantly surprised. He didn’t have my vote. No, I don’t give that away. Every person I vote for must earn it, not just once, but again, and again. In my opinion that is the way our system should work. If you choose to serve publically you must continue to earn the public’s trust.

It’s not a one-time thing.

I considered this Barack Hussein Obama II, and recalled how he had wowed the world at the National Democratic Convention. Truly, I was intrigued by the fact that he looked so much like me… at least in terms of close-cropped hair and skin complexion.

Seriously, for us Americans of a certain ethnicity the realization of a candidate with such potential was a WOW moment.

Unfortunately, there are many people out there that say, SO WHAT?

The peculiar rot at the root of this nation creates such a dichotomy, a division of natural character that sets up an argument between those that are tired of slavery, racism, and all that accompanies the conversation, and those that demand recognition, if not outright compensation. The rest of us are caught in the middle of the argument. We can’t stand outside of it, even if we tried. You see, because of this argument, this state of our nation that gets better to be sure, but still persists, it’s this argument that makes me say WOW, that fills me with pride, that truly we have arrived at a moment of true consideration, that someone like me could be chosen by grace, providence, and the people to serve as leader of this august nation, and further the so-called Free World.

Wow!

Some people will still sigh and roll their eyes. They’ll want to hear none of it. They’ll talk about him being half-white. They’ll talk about how it doesn’t matter. They’ll mention in no small voice, are you people satisfied now? They’ll ask this with the utmost sincerity, and no empathy. They won’t consider the weight of the moment for Descendants of the Emancipated, people of mixed ancestry, Chinese-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Indian-Americans, Native-Americans, women, any kind of minority you care to consider, all Americans. They won’t note the power of this change in national perspective.

If fate be a great and wondrous thing for the common good then this event is even more powerful than we can imagine. The repercussions will impact generations. It is history yes, but it is more than just history. It is a paradigm shift in world perspective. For me, aspiring critical-thinker, ever-hopeful, positive and motivated, a proud American named D.S. Brown, this is very, very special. To me, it means so very much.

However, regarding what was of the moment on this day.

Yes, Billy withdrew his nomination for Commerce Secretary, took his hat out of the circle. And yes I called this just one of many upcoming challenges for the black man in charge. But WOW. I mean WOW! The black man is in charge of this thing! He’s actually in charge!

Man, ain’t that somethin’?

. . . Here’s the honest truth. The job of leading this nation is challenging, and will forever be challenging for any worthy man, and one day soon I predict, any worthy woman. The mantle of leadership is quite the burden to bear. Heavy hangs the head that wears the crown my friends, be it real, metaphorical, or not at all in the form of a crown. Still, the burden of leadership is very heavy indeed.

I can’t predict what will happen to Bill Richardson. A good guess would be he will vanish from the national stage. I do wonder how he will be perceived as he steps out of the limelight, and what will be the result of the investigation into his business dealings? The real story often has a way of hiding from the light, refusing to come to the surface for years. Still, there will be those who judge him. Even though many of us strive to not judge lest we be judged, we still spend an inordinate amount of time judging others, and that judgment often breeds discontent, a lack of understanding.

Unfortunately, there are those of us who revel in this behavior. Some of us never had a need to be sympathetic, or empathetic around how we perceive others. Those who dismiss our fellow Americans of black and brown ethnicities are often guilty of this transgression, and they don’t deny it. In fact, they display their contempt proudly. They rationalize their behavior by classifying some of us as less than human.

They refuse to view the world through a different perspective, to strive to view the world through the eyes of the