Kinda Crushin' Here

I know a day-after-election post should probably be full of wise quips, reflections, and mots justes, but there are about a billion other websites where you can read that stuff, and I never pretended to be knowledgeable about all-things-politics. So, as usual, I'll just come right out and tell you how I feel about the new president. I'm basically crushing.

Not in that George Cluny kind of way, mind you, where you'd be kind of tempted to trade your husband in if the guy showed up at your door and said, "You and me, baby. Right here. Right now." But more in that, "awww" kind of way. And not just for the new President himself (oh my god, those words felt so good to type), but also for his wife and kids. They're just so...beautiful. And cool. And respectable. The kind of people you can point to to your kids and say, "Now those are people you can model yourself after without giving mommy a heart attack." 

OK...I KNOW what spin is. And I KNOW that everything isn't always what it looks like on CNN. And I KNOW that Michelle had to reign in her sassy self in order to seem like First Lady material to the majority of Americans.  (Personally, I like sassy, but I'm obviously not the majority of Americans.) And I KNOW that what you see isn't always what you get. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to adopt them.

Yes, now's the moment you're allowed to say "sucker". But I can't help it.

On the other hand, I would also like to point out that having the picture-perfect family doth not the world leader make. You can be a pretty flawed human being and still pass really good laws, be an excellent diplomat, and make huge strides for the country that elected you. If you erased from the history books all of the French heads-of-state who cheated on their wives, for example, it would look like the country had been an autonomous collective* since day one. And if you compare the state of the U.S. at term-end of the last two Presidents, one of which was doin' the dirty right there in the White House, and the other with no known blemishes on his marital record, it seems like country-running ability is not synonymous with keeping your cigar in your pants.

But, as a friend of Laurent's dad said last night, when we dropped by my FIL's to catch some post-inauguration footage on CNN, "Besides the fact that he seems to be the perfect person for the job, it's nice to see a stable, respectable family at the head of a country." He went on to compare the French President's marital history (e.g. a charade followed by a People Magazine headliner) to the Obamas, shaking his head in disgust at his misfortune in having such a man represent him to the rest of the world.

And maybe my crush has something to do with that. With my pride in having this man (and his family) represent me to the rest of the world. It's kind of like showing up to the prom with the most popular guy in school. You blush with pleasure at the attention you're getting, but way down deep you know you deserve it and you're damned proud.

*Yes, I know that's not a real form of government.

I just like quoting Monty Python.