I finally decided that I wanted to stand with the
arrival of the new majority. I wanted to join with millions in flipping
a big bird to those who insisted this country was "center-right." No, I
wanted to say, November 4th showed we are progressive-left. Perhaps
even my father.

Still I couldn't get the words of Rosa
Clemente -- the 36 year-old Green Party vice-presidential candidate who
was for many of us just as much a symbol of hope and progress and
change -- out of my head. "If we become the majority," she told me last
summer, "then we're going to have more people like us put into these
positions from really moving us towards justice."

As we look
at who Obama has brought in to his administration thus far, I'm struck
by the notion that perhaps even he doesn't yet recognize the
transformative possibilities of the new majority that elected him.

Cornel
West said last March, "I told Obama that when he wins -- which I think he
will --I will celebrate for one day, I'll breakdance in the morning and
party in the afternoon. But the next day, I'll become one of his major
critics."

Two -- no, three -- views on today: one from the center and two from out here. (The second vid is from Jay Smooth, the blogger who broke the Hot 97 story, lo, these many years ago. The quote is from Jeff Chang, thanks to Momo.)

What do you think about the inauguration? Obama's address? What he said he was going to do? Are we swinging to the left or is Obama walking right? And are we now, officially, "post-race"?

Some rules: please try to stick to the topic of the inauguration and speculation about Obama's first days in office. I'd also like to hear your thoughts on what the significance to anti-racism will be, that we have just inaugurated our first black president. No grandstanding or agendas, please!