I’m heading out to DC later today along with three other grad students willing to sacrifice a few days for this historic occasion. Somehow, I tell myself, I’ll get some work done on the road.

The last time I was a new student at the University of Michigan, we were about to elect Al GoreGeorge W. Bush. I remember my dad telling me at the time, “The republic will survive!” Technically, I guess he was right, but there have definitely been moments over the last few years when I feared the coming of the new American Empire (I mean, officially), the dissolution of the Senate, George Bush’s appointment of his dog to consul, and the inevitable decline and fall.

Things aren’t really so bad as we head into Barack Obama’s first term. After all, many people do have jobs. Some are safely ensconced in graduate school. Especially lucky are the people who didn’t have jobs before the recession, so they didn’t have any to lose! (Those people usually have the additional advantage of not owning any stocks.) Furthermore, we’re only involved in two major conflicts abroad, and everyone knows that two is a very small number.

The best news, of course, is that Barack Obama owns a magic wand.

Seriously, though: I think it’s a time to be hopeful, but also an opportunity to hold leaders accountable to the change they promised. Barack Obama ran on a platform of change—and, contrary to the beliefs of many, he in fact did enumerate a number of important specific changes to make.

One promised change is the elimination of lobbyist money from the political process. Lawrence Lessig’s Change Congress project aims to do just that, and aims to do it via the very effective tool of public shame. The organization did not make much of a splash when it first appeared, but momentum seems to be growing, and I encourage all three of my readers to sign up with their ongoing donor strike (see the website for more info), especially if you donated to any congresspeople last year. (I signed up for the strike, effectively witholding $0 in donations this year!)

Due to the threatened demise of the auto industry, I also think this is the perfect time to implement really ambitious fuel economy standards. More on that next time.