Shortly after taking the oath of office at his inauguration today, Barack Obama delivered his highly anticipated inauguration address. In the speech, Obama pointed out the problems with our country that he now must face as President, focusing mostly on the “badly weakened” economy. President Obama told the people of America:

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.”

As usual, Obama was inspiring and eloquent. I thought the speech really set the mood for the next 4 years to come, and the mood of “change” was definitely in the air. I’m excited to watch Obama fulfill his goals and bring about the change everyone is hoping for.

What about you? What did you think of Obama’s speech?

(And if you missed the speech, you can read the transcript here.)

January 20th, 2009 will mark the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one.

It marks the end of an era when American politics were plagued with apathetic citizens, who found nothing in the candidates inspiring enough to take a passionate interest in.

It marks the end of an era when race was an invisible barrier over politics, the end of affirmative action being a weapon against the status quo, and the end of divisions in America over race. Barack Obama has attained the highest office of the American political system, and to some people, the free world. There is no reason anymore why any good citizen of America should not be able to succeed in their goals and dreams through diligence and perseverance, because it has been proven that the highest goal can be accomplished by normal people.

Finally, it marks the end of an era when the media was an impartial observer in the American Political system, and when committed voters were educated properly about their candidates. During the 2008 election, there was an enthusiasm towards our democracy that has not been seen in years. There was also, however, a vast prevalence of ignorance on both sides, and it was spurred by a media that displayed ruthless bias not seen in years. Mainstream news magazine Newsweek published six issues with covers devoted exclusively to Barack Obama, five of them issues in this year alone. 2008 was a year in which public opinion was ruled by media portrayal of political affairs.

The wedding is overshadowing the marriage. The Inauguration has magnified into something bordering on a spectacle, with commemorative trinkets being hawked in every possible commercial medium, and huge celebrations being planned across the country. Happiness and joy at an inauguration are not bad things. Blind euphoria and an unwillingness to accept shortcomings in the president-elect are. Read More »

Despite my pounding headache right now, I just had a moment of clarity that I want to share with you all.

The Inauguration of our 44th president is on tomorrow, and frankly I can’t remember anyone ever really caring about this ceremonial aspect of an election. Until this year.

And, wow, do they care.

D.C is “poppin’ off,” as the kids say. People have been partying all week, and will continue all week. What seems like the entire world is flocking to DC and my campus is on security lock-down, since GW is only 4 blocks from the White House. A huge, free concert with everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Beyonce to Bono was held on the National Mall on yesterday to celebrate. There are legit balls, as in Cinderella balls, to honor this man. Even the Metro tickets have Obama on them. Signs, posters, and more port-o-potties than you can fathom are popping up all over the city. This is big.

It is all strangely reminiscent of the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy accidentally crushes the Wicked Witch with her house, and all the little munchkins are crazy happy. Ding, Dong, the witch is dead Bush is gone! Read More »

Lauren Conrad and Heidi HUG IT OUT?!

JC Penney is gettin’ cute!

Is Beyonce trying out for Divas on Ice?

Romance makes us barf (sometimes).

Justin Timberlake: Vote in a Box

7 fashion rules every lady should break.

Funny woman, Amy Sedaris, is getting her own show!

Salma Hayek’s baby will never go hungry.

Election rap battle.

Please God, let this end with Spencer’s head in that bucket.

Miley Cyrus finished her autobiography. Because 15 years takes so long to cover.

Don’t forget to watch the final presidential debate tonight!

It’s been a while since a turned 18 and became legal, but I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I have never cast a vote — not for a local, state, or national election. My first opportunity to vote was the midterm elections in 2006, and I just wasn’t informed enough about the House and Senate to make a smart decision. So I didn’t.

The other thing that paralyzed me, and that made me think it wouldn’t matter if I voted even in the presidential election, was the electoral college. I’m from good old Massachusetts — you know, the first state to legalize gay marriage, the so-blue-we-don’t-even- see-the-color-red state, the most liberal state in the union. There is never a contest about who wins our state’s votes. In fact, the politicians don’t even try; in the last election, I didn’t see a single presidential campaign ad.

So why bother voting? My vote amounts to a spit in the wind, and as long as we’re not talking about national popular vote as an option, things are going to stay that way. Still, though, I felt a renewed urge to cast my vote this year, because more than ever it seems like a year when a tremendous amount is at stake. Like hundreds of millions of others, I’ve seen my country slowly going down the tubes in the past eight years. It’s gotten a lot harder to be proud of my country, and I see the ideals it stands for increasingly obscured by smoke.

That’s when I found out that several states — including my college’s state of New Jersey — have voted to pledge their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular election. Hot damn, my vote counts for one vote again! It’s a very exciting and rebellious move on the part of several states who are tired of only Ohio and Pennsylvania getting all the love.

So I registered! Read More »

Another week has come and gone. And so has the summer. Tear.

This week we put our white pants back in the closet, returned to the lecture hall and answered the questions on everyone’s minds:

Who would be better candidates for VP?

Who would we never wanna see in a sex tape?

Should we fart in front of our bf?

Which fall shows should we be excited for?

Should we ever consider sex without a condom?

Is hooking up with the hottie prof worth it?

Can the new 90210 really match up to the old one? (Not even close.)

What kind of germs did that dude leave in our sheets?

What do we need to have when we hit the party scene?

Why do we insist that we can still drink like we are in college?

Do guys really care about our sexual history?

Is there an alternative to yucky beer?

And, the most important question of all:

Who’s hotter?

Much has happened since John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his Vice President, having chosen her after an extensive vetting process composed of… oh, I don’t know, picking her name out of a hat, perhaps, or a lively session of “Spin the Bottle” with all available candidates. Back in those days – the halcyon, innocent days of August 29 through 30 – I was merely insulted that John McCain had chosen to exploit the feminist optimism born of Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Lots of people were inspired and made hopeful by Hillary Clinton’s relative success as a candidate, which was undeniably historic; even if you preferred Obama’s policies (as I did), Hillary Clinton made it possible to believe that someday, some woman might be elected President of the United States. Many of the same people were disappointed when Obama picked Joe Biden, Long-Time White Dude, to be his running mate. He could have chosen Sebelius! Hell, maybe he could even have chosen Clinton! What is Grandpa doing at the party?

Then, John McCain picked Palin as his VP. Read More »

A growing sense of disdain for Dubya didn’t cut it. Being able to register at the DMV just didn’t do the trick either. P. Diddy couldn’t get us to do it, for Christ’s sake. So just what will it take to seriously win the youth vote? We are, after all, 20 million strong and dammit we deserve to be wooed!

I, for one, would like to see an increase in, shall we say, “game” from candidates both blue and red. McCain, obviously, has taken a step toward this lofty goal by recruiting the support of one of our high holy leaders. Sorry, Obama, that you have neglected to secure such a prestigious pledge of loyalty from the chosen generation (us, duh) but feel free to borrow any of these gems that I think would increase voter turnout for those of the youthful persuasion. You see gentlemen, the key to our hearts is to manipulate our basic dependence upon the following:

Natty Lite

Slap some platform positions on the back of those bad boys and cover up the saddening nutrition facts–we don’t need to see that anyways. I consider this a double-edged sword. Not only would the important issues be readily at hand (provided you go coozie-less), but additionally, voters can appreciate the conversational lubrication that is cheap beer. As inspiring as 4.2% alcohol can be to philosophical convos (if you drink, don’t EVEN pretend you’ve never been there post bar crawl!) that stuff takes a while to imbibe, making those discussions last just a wee bit longer. Now that a pseudo intellectual discush has gone down, both candidates have enjoyed spirited (literally) debate over their issues that should inspire sober consideration come November. Read More »

Young African American Democratic contender Barack Obama has made quite a splash as his 2008 presidential candidacy campaign pushes forward.

His popularity is high among America’s youth, as he promotes their culture and holds many of the same liberal views stereotypically attributed to this age group.

Another group Obama scores big with? The hip hop community.

Obama has appeared on the cover of this month’s Vibe Magazine and is nicknamed “B-Rock” within its pages, according to a recent report by CNN. Although, in the past, Barack Obama has been accused of criticizing rap music, his recent meeting with esteemed (and unforgivably raunchy) rapper Ludacris is said to have been focused upon “empowering the youth” and promoting AIDS awareness, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Rappers seem to forgive Obama for his lack of musical support, as his name has been mentioned in a variety of rap songs such as “The People” by Common and Talib Kweli’s “Say Something”. In these songs, the rappers aquaint Obama with positive change and the empowerment of African Americans. Read More »

When it comes to politics, I’m every activist’s worst nightmare, regardless of whether they sport a bleeding heart or a Brooks Brothers suit. I am the apathetic young adult. I barely managed to vote in the last election and I’m pretty sure I wrote in Jackie Kennedy.

Don’t get me wrong, I care. I am informed. But I’m easily distracted by less abstract issues, like what kind of conditioner to buy, or whether my cubicle mate meant to rub my shoulder like that. And after eight years with this current buffoon in office, it’s easy to become disillusioned and look the other way.

Sad, right? Abstract is the last thing the political system should be. But face it, American politicians act more like self – interested, fame – starved celebrities than advocates for the progression of mankind. Paris Hilton for president, anyone? With the Terminator holding down California, it’s not such a far – out prospect.

That’s why I’m grateful for Michael Moore, with his nosy, annoying, righteous knee – jerk liberal fastidiousness. I’m not one to base my vote on a film, but “Fahrenheit 911,” “Bowling for Columbine” and “Roger and Me” were jarring works of cinema. Despite how many “inaccuracies” people claimed they contained, their messages rang true and clear: America’s got problems. Read More »