Features Jan 29, 2009 at 4:00 am

On the Inauguration, the "Historic" Week, and the Problem with Living in the Present Tense

kathryn rathke

Comments

1
COMMENT DELETED: Off-Topic We'd rather not moderate your comments, but off-topic, gratuitously inflammatory, threatening, or otherwise inappropriate remarks may be removed, and repeat offenders may be banned from commenting. We never censor comments based on ideology. Thanks to all who add to the conversation on Slog.
2
I am praying to Obama (at my Obama-hope-art altar) that he does another airstrike on Afghanistan like the one he ordered last week that killed at least 18 civilians.
3
Glad to see the night visit and the Taylor song bit showed up here. Further glad to read ruminance on the speech itself. Not sold on the 'unbeliever' in the mirror bit. Nice thought, though.

Night at the monuments in DC is always and will ever be the best. I envy you the experience of combining that with the inauguration. Hope your historic toast was good.
4
Loved the bit at the beginning about the over overuse of the word 'historic'. Are all commentators so lazy they can't think of anything else to say? Or when it comes to adjective use, is going with the crowds always the safest thing?

Also appreciate being informed about the likely agnosticism or at least lack of faith of Lincoln and Obama. I've been getting tired of all the comparisons, some quite superficial, between these 2 men (much of it built up by Obama campaign and now staff), but this one comparison or similarity was interesting. But then I'm agnostic so I have my bias.

Thanks.
5
Really a lovely article Cristopher, I can't think of anything else I've read which as adequately captures the whole Obama phenomenon.
6
Washington Post headline day after the election:

"Obama Makes History"

No shit.
How about: "Obama Elected President"? or "America Elects First African-American President" or "OBAMA WINS BITCH!!"

Of course he made fucking history. Nitwits.
7
Totally wonderful read, Christopher. Thank you so much.
8
Breaking News: Barak Obama is the first black President to take a crap in a White House toilet, what a historic day!....Seriously people, its been just over a week and I'm already tired of hearing about this guy. Just because he isnt George Bush doesn't make him the most spectacular being ever to walk this planet. Overall he is still just the best choice between a giant douche and a turd sandwich. Hes still just a politician with an agenda. And in this "new historic era of change," why are there still troops in Iraq? Why hasn't the patriot act been repealed yet? There is total liberal control in Washington right now and the state is getting more powerful than ever. How much money could be saved getting rid of Homeland Security? Not to mention over 100 million dollars spent on his inaguration. Thats double what was spent on W's 2nd inuaguration. Gee...with this poor economy couldn't 100 million dollars go a long way bailing out some other douche who was too irresponsible to pay his bills...but that is annother topic all together.
9
I haven't had time to sit down and read the article through yet, just glanced at it, I just wanted to say the illustrations that accompanied the story by Kathryn Rathke are just fucking beautiful.
10
What an excellent piece of writing. I can practically feel the monuments in the cold and smell the happy people in the subway. It's nice to have more to chew on than the trite and the superficial. Well done, Christopher.
11
Thank you for so eloquently capturing this thing we like to call history, even as it happens, even as we do it. Your article is recursive and self-transcendent, without sacrificing beauty and simplicity.

Continue, please. It's not history unless somebody writes about it.
12
Good stuff!
13
Umm Latin has a historical present?
14
Yawn. Aren't we still just the coolest and the hippest.
15
Raincity.org: I'm with you partway. I don't believe that Obama is going to make America into a beautiful Secular Utopia and shit gold bricks to save the economy, but, for fuck's sake, Rome wasn't built in a day, and it sure as hell wasn't torn down in a day.
16
Just another Obasm from a naive fag liberal Obama-cultist.
17
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