Pull out your Democratic or Republican membership cards and put them aside for a second. Today is special – Republicans and Democrats marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 60s, and his dream is realized (at least to some extent) at a few minutes before noon. Democrat Barack Obama will be sworn in as President using the same bible that the 16th President (and most well known Republican) used when he took office. Tomorrow is historic – soak it up, whether you voted for the guy or not. Change, whether you agree with this President’s change agenda, means a fresh start, and those of us who rely on optimism and growth in the economy to make a living, welcome the fresh start that this new administration represents. We need optimism; we need a push for the next level. As I stated in an earlier post the day after Obama was elected, while some things will surely change, others will not. We in the investment community will still live by the same rules we’ve always lived by, knowing that our most worthy pursuit is to build companies that endure, companies that grow, companies that employ good people and create shareholder value every day. As VCs, we thrive when growth is the agenda, when our portfolios have unfettered access to success. I think it’s safe to say that most of us (if not all of us) will support our new President and wish him the best of luck. We will hope for him what we hope for our Partners and the businesses in which we invest – longevity and prosperity. We can all come together to celebrate what tomorrow means for the world at large and for the piece of the world for which we are caretakers.
Stay tuned…
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Blake Perdue 01.20.09 at 12:21 am
Having the new administration seated will be nice as we’ll no longer be in that uncertain period between presidencies. Hopefully the next few weeks will help businesses large and small understand what they can expect from the government in the next year or so.
Mike Blake 01.20.09 at 12:50 am
I’m one of the guys that didn’t vote for him but hopes he proves me wrong and makes me vote for him in 2012. but it’s clear this inauguration is an historic moment - probably the most significant inauguration in most of our lifetimes - at least rivaling those of FDR, Kennedy and Reagan in terms of marking a milestone in American culture.
I’m taking this opportunity to teach my son about the Presidency for our Wednesday night study session and then visit the Jimmy Carter Library this weekend as our “field trip”. Even a President we don’t necessarily love is worthy of our respect unless he behaves in a way that betrays that respect - but we need to give him a chance.