Oh, Baraaaack...

Yesterday was just amazing. I have never watched an entire day of inaugural events in my whole life. I have seen portions of some inaugurations in past years; others, like during the last two election seasons, I missed completely. But yesterday was different. You couldn't help but be struck by the awe of it all. There is nothing like having a smart, sophisticated, vibrant couple in the White House. There is also nothing like having such a vital young couple, to make the other political people around them seem old and crotchety. Even the Clintons appeared stodgy - and they are comparatively younger than the rest of the crowd. Dick Cheney was so decrepit that he had to use a wheel chair. I know, he had back issues; but there was something bizarre about it. I couldn't help but think that his powers were lessening, and that once Barack was sworn in, that he would take off his Darth Vader-like helmet. The whole "ushering in the new" seemed to play itself out dramatically, with Ted Kennedy having to be taken out of the Inaugural Luncheon by wheelchair after suffering a seizure.

The comparison is often made between Barack and Michelle Obama with John and Jackie Kennedy. I understand it. There is the whole cool-youth factor. Once having read more details of John Kennedy's life, the similarities seem less strong. I am referring mostly to Kennedy's womanizing and significantly poor physical health. Personally, while the new President and First Lady were walking portions of the road to the White House yesterday, I kept picturing Rob and Laura Petrie (photo above on right). They are the characters that Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore portrayed on the Dick Van Dyke Show back in the 1960s. Rob and Laura were a young, smart, and hip couple who you could tell really loved and liked one another. Rob Petrie was able to laugh at himself, and seemed to have the knack to bring out the best in people at his job. He appeared to be more of the "boss" at work than at home. Laura was a "stay at home mom" (that term was a given in those days) who supported her husband; even though it was subtle, viewers somehow knew that Laura Petrie was in charge of the family. These dynamics are what I picture when thinking of the Obamas.

Of course, since making these comparisons, I could not help but think of the other characters on the Dick Van Dyke Show, and wonder who are their counterparts in President Obama's team. Well, let's take a look. First, you have Buddy and Sally. Buddy Sorrell (Morey Amsterdam) was one of the writers for the Alan Brady Show. He was Jewish, and had a sarcastic wit about him. You could somehow tell that he had won a few fights as a kid. To me, Buddy Sorrell = Rahm Emanuel. And, how about Sally Rogers (Rose Marie). Sally was a bright woman who knew how to get along with the guys in the office. Sometimes, they even forgot that she was a "girl." One thing about Sally, however, is that she could never find a guy who would treat her with the respect that she deserved. OK - this is not a tough one. Sally Rogers = Hillary Clinton:

Alright, four down. Who else do we have? Oh yes, there is Melvin Cooley (Richard Deacon). He was the balding producer of the Alan Brady show. Mel ran things and did much of the grunt work, but did not have the type of personality that would win him the respect that he probably deserved. OK, I've got it. Melvin Cooley = Howard Dean (chairman of the DNC):

We're doing good here. We only have one more person at Rob Petrie's workplace to consider. That is none other than, Alan Brady (Carl Reiner). He was the egocentric star of the Alan Brady Show. Alan took much of the credit for things that others put their time and energy into. He had a kind of - "it's all about me" type of attitude. OK, no one said that we can't go outside the sex of the original character. Are you ready? Alan Brady = Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House). Just an aside...I am not sure if Nancy sometimes wears a wig:

Are you still with me? We are almost done. Who would be Rob and Laura's fun-loving neighbors, Jerry and Millie Helper (Jerry Paris and Ann Guilbert)? They were a little bit older and did not seem to have as much sexual energy as the Petries, but you knew that they really loved one another. They were good people - somewhat less suave than Rob and Laura. Millie tended to talk too much, sometimes. To me, there is only one option. Jerry and Millie Helper = Joe and Jill Biden.


We did it. We got through everybody. My only question to ponder now is, I wonder if Rahm Emanuel's wife is named, Pickles?