Sitting Out This Dance

Some of my friends who are fully aware of my political persuasion have been asking me if I’ll be watching the inauguration. A loaded question from some of them for sure. My answer has been, and remains “no”. The accusatory thoughts of “sour grapes” is probably first and foremost in their minds. Absolutely not true.

There is no doubt that for the black community, this is an amazing piece of history that they are now part of. It’s got to be a feeling of pride that only they can fully appreciate. For the rest of us, this is a wonder and should be a sense of pride also. I was among those who said it could never happen; that the country was not ready or willing. I was clearly wrong, and on that aspect of it, I am very pleased that I was. Still, there is no way for me to fully relate to the weight of what has transpired, and what racial divide has been overcome.

But I am truly colorblind to the more important issue. It doesn’t matter if this President is black, white, yellow or polka-dot. What matters to me is that we have elected the most liberal man in the senate. And that’s the least of his faults. He is a person who is not only the polar-opposite of my political beliefs in almost any topic you can measure, but is also one who has the documented, close relationships with those that see the U.S. as something to detest, something to dishonor, something to deny. Even something to harm. This is not a man of character, fit to be our commander in chief. He is what he is, and his color doesn’t change that for the worse or for the better.

There are no sour grapes here. There is extreme disappointment and real concern for the future. May we have the “audacity” to hope that much of his “change” does not come. No, I will not be watching.