<\/p>\n
For four years, I’ve been driving around with one of those But today–Easter Monday 2009–I had a conversion Today’s news carried a host of stories about the Obama In other words, in a single sweeping day, we witnessed the A month before the election, a young friend of mine assured On this Easter Monday, the words of the ancient Easter hymn <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For four years, I’ve been driving around with one of those “01\/20\/09” stickers on the back of my car.\u00a0\u00a0 However, with the exception of election night and the inauguration, I haven’t really, truly believed that there has been a change in the White House–there have been way too many painful challenges left over from the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-defining-progressive","category-religion-in-the-public-square"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n“01\/20\/09” stickers on the back of my car.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>However, with the exception of election night and the
\ninauguration, I haven’t really, truly believed
\n<\/i>that there has been a change in the White House–there have been way too
\nmany painful challenges left over from the Bush administration to rejoice and believe <\/i>in the change.\u00a0 <\/span>I’ve felt like a political doubting
\nThomas.\u00a0 <\/span>For weeks, I’ve been
\nwondering, “Will this really work?\u00a0
\n<\/span>Can the president really change the direction of the country?”<\/p>\n
\nexperience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nadministration.\u00a0 <\/span>Two serious pieces
\nof news: first, that Cuba will be opened for travel and trade and second, that
\nthe President stood up to pirates without sounding like a cowboy.\u00a0 <\/span>But the smaller stories were perhaps even
\nmore interesting–a Kennedy puppy is now part of the First Family, Michelle
\nObama’s organic garden has caused a run on seeds this spring, and the traditional
\negg roll brought tens of thousands of regular people–including gay and lesbian
\nfamilies–to the aptly named “Come Out and Play” Easter celebration at the White
\nHouse.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Just when I thought
\nnothing else could surprise me, MSNBC reported that the day’s Easter events
\nincluded a group of yoga instructors sharing their practice on the White House
\nlawn.<\/p>\n
\nfirst step toward normalized relations with Cuba, a successful military
\noperation by a Democratic president, a Kennedy in the White House, a political
\nadvance for the real food movement, and social and religious inclusion hitherto
\nunheard of at America’s house.\u00a0 <\/span>It
\nis a stunning expression of the progressive political, social, and religious
\nagenda that millions of us hoped for in electing President Obama.<\/p>\n
\nme that it “didn’t matter” which candidate one voted for–that Republicans and
\nDemocrats are both alike.\u00a0 <\/span>I’d like
\nto submit that Easter Monday 2009 disproves this contention.\u00a0\u00a0Things are different. \u00a0<\/span>The Bushes are no longer in Washington;
\nneo-conservatism is O-U-T; the religious right is in disarray.\u00a0\u00a0We live in a post-01\/20\/09 world. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\nkeeping running through my head:\u00a0
\n<\/span>“The strife is o’er, the battle done.”\u00a0 <\/span>OK, that may be too optimistic when it comes to
\npolitics.\u00a0 <\/span>There’s a lot of work–a lot of work–to
\ndo.\u00a0 <\/span>But on this day, it is change
\nthat I can believe in–because I’ve now seen it with my own eyes.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>I’m doubting Thomas no
\nlonger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n