Obama Inauguration: What The Inauguration Meant To Me

This video of my thoughts about the Inauguration of President Barack Obama will never, ever get old. Indeed, it's a good reminder of the basics that drove so many people to jump on Barack's bandwagon - in my case in December of 2006, when I joined BarackObama.com and made a donation.

It wasn't just the chance to elect the first African American President, that's came up before, but Barack represented, and represents, me. He's the representation of the new American mainstream that caught many in the U.S.A by surprise.

Not me.

I told anyone who would listen, and many who would not listen, that Barack would be the next President, and skin color would not stop it. Barack represents that guy in high school who you voted for for class president, or the person who you invited to your party, or that dude in your carpool, or the person you played poker with, or your college roommate.

Most in America were waiting for that person to emerge - the one who we said "I always knew that guy could be president." Well, in 2008, here we were - ready to elect 'that guy.' And we did.

Yes, there are many who are disappointed with Barack since then, and mostly, largely, because of the economy. I blame the Democrats and the liberal electorate, too. And for allowing Couch Potato Conservatives to hijack the narrative and convince Americans to cut spending, rather than deficit spend to get us out of this low period of private investment.

We need a new stimulus package, or to threaten to jail the nation's bankers, and have them get off the credit they're sitting on. We need a good cash infusion of $400 billion, at least. And all of that should go to helping private sector firms make payrolls - which fuel business. In other words, target that spending just to payments for salaries and wages for work in American firms where the unemployment rates are highest.

We should do nothing else.

But I digress.

We need President Obama to have a second term and because a Republican President would be the kiss of American economic death, choking off spending and causing economic failure.

Some business people, like Jack Welch, say we have to "innovate" our way out of our problem. But that's just plain silly because of the long lead times required to make new products and get them to market.

No. Jack doesn't get it.

CNN's Fareed Zakaria does get it - but to a point.

We need to work on pure, hard core, urban economic development. And at the heart of that is the maintenance of businesses and jobs in America.