Groups throw Bush farewell bash

Barack Obama will be sworn in Tuesday.

By Will Guldin

Published Jan. 19, 2009

Two days before President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, one celebration focused on the outgoing administration. 

The Bye Bye Bush Bash, held Sunday night at The Blue Note, was held to commemorate the end of George Bush's presidency and celebrate Obama’s election. 

The event was sponsored by the Columbia Peace Coalition and featured live music, guest speakers and a costume contest.

Event organizer Lily Tinker Fortel, the community outreach advisor for Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, said the event was also a call for people to remain active in the community, regardless of who is president.   

Mark Haim, the director of Mid-Missouri Peaceworks and one of the guest speakers at the event, echoed this sentiment and said both Republican and Democratic presidents have supported unfavorable policies in the past.    

He encouraged people to stay involved.

“It is people like you and me who elected Barack Obama to the White House, and its people like us who will get better organized, get more active, and have the ability to influence our country’s agenda as we look to the future,” Haim said. “The one thing I want to emphasize is that we just can’t expect this to happen. We have to be the ones to make it happen.”

Sixth Ward City Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe said she sees activism as an important way to accomplish goals, and she stressed involvement at the local level. 

Hoppe said the strength of our democracy are the people who take part in it.

“We can only be as good as everyone who participates,” she said.

While the event encouraged future activism, some at the event said that the election of Obama is an important step toward bettering the country.

Bill Monroe, a member of Democracy for America, which is a member organization of the Columbia Peace Coalition, said the election of Obama has restored hope to the country and that his election has given us the chance to solve many other problems.    

MU graduate student Zach Rubin said he sees the election of Obama as a way to start changing the direction of the country “as soon as possible.”

Tinker Fortel isn’t so optimistic. Invoking Obama's words, Tinker Fortel said the election wasn’t the change that America needed, but it was the opportunity to make that change possible.

“No one person is able to fix all of the problems we have,” she said.