Turned on the TV this morning. Wasn’t sure what time Meet the Press came on, and so got to watch Channel 5’s coverage of the Flying Pig Marathon. Which was great, because I had meant to get up even earlier and walk up the hill to watch it on Madison Road – and / or to walk down the hill to Eastern Avenue later in the morning. But I was watching Barack by that time.
Tim Russert did the ancient Jeremiah Wright thing for the first 20 minutes. So Barack couldn’t easily smile and relax. He handled it all presidentially, I felt. I particularly liked his handling of the gas tax, and his handling of the complexities of Iran and Iraq – and how our invasion of Irag really increased Iranian power and influence in the region.
He is determined to talk to us like the smart voters we are, not to play to our fears, and not to pull easy short term answers out of his pocket. He really knows we can work with him on turning the country around, and he is helping us see the full range of issues. He wants us to see the long term, feel the importance of talking to our friends and those not currently our friends, to understand our choices.
What a relief and a change from the usual interactions between politicians and constituents. Hurray for Barack!
What a change in politics he has already brought us.