Cynthia Russell, 50, of Newberry, recently won a ticket to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration through an essay contest sponsored by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Russell, who has lived in the area since 1978, worked with Obama's grassroots campaign. She owns three businesses, Emerald Ventures, a construction company, Studio One Home Staging, an interior design company, and Magnolia Manor, a property management company. She enjoys riding Harley Davidson motorcycles and cooking gourmet food with her boyfriend, Chris. Here are her thoughts on the win:
MC: What qualities in Barack Obama attracted you to his campaign?
CR: He seems highly intelligent - very intelligent - very focused and very calm. It never seemed like he got really negative in the campaign. You know, he seems like he respects people and their ideas, but the biggest thing was his message of change. I've voted Republican in the past, and I don't vote for a particular party. I vote for whoever I feel will do the best job.
MC: How does Barack Obama inspire you?
CR:I said in the essay he gave me hope that the coming years would be better. The economic situation especially affects all of us. The housing industry has been hurting for a while in Gainesville. We've been feeling it for a couple of years, but it's just now getting where people are noticing it in the banks and Wall Street and retail. I think all of that stems from the housing market. When I build a house, I put hundreds of people to work. That trickles down to hundreds of suppliers and hundreds of manufacturers that make our products. That's one of the problems with the economy. I've built one house in one-and-a-half years. That's what gives me hope: Finally, someone's going to get in there and take care of the changes that need to be done. He may not be able to do it this year or next because of the economy, but I think that it will eventually get taken care of. The guy's got a lot on his shoulders. I don't know why anyone would want to be president, but I'm glad he does.
MC: What was your initial reaction when you found out you won a ticket to the inauguration?
CR: Right when they called, I thought, "Hmmm. What's going on?" The guy on the phone said, "We're trying to narrow them (the essay entries) down," and I said, "OK. Maybe I'm in the running." I thought my boyfriend had put someone up to trick me. I said to the guy, "I hope I'm not being Punk'd." I'm still surprised in my essay because it's very short. I didn't even realize it was an essay. It was just a thought that I had about my situation, and I guess it's what they were looking for because it really did come from the heart.
MC: What events are you looking forward to attending at the inauguration?
CR: The biggest thing for me is just seeing the swearing in and go home and just be perfectly happy. We went through 21 months of campaigning, and him getting sworn in is what it's all about. It's the highlight of the whole week. There's going to be like 2 million people there, and I don't know what kind of view we're going to get, but it's just cool that we get to be there. It's like watching the Gators play for the national championship on TV versus being in Miami. It's so much more exciting to be in Miami.
MC: If you had to name one fault in Obama, what would it be?
CR: He wants there to be a playoff (laughs). I think we know the winner and who's No. 1-it's the Gators.
As far as some of his other things, I'm not really involved in Washington politics at all. I never went into this automatically thinking that I was going to support Barack Obama. I did try to get onto his Web site so I could be a little knowledgeable, but it's really impossible for someone like me, in Florida, working every day, to know everything that's going on in Washington. I was always getting these e-mails saying that Obama is bad, and that he voted for this or against that. And then I look at the actual bills, and they have all of these attachments and add-ons that most people don't even realize exist. I just have to vote for the person who I feel
the most comfortable with, who agrees with me. With John McCain, I thought he was a wonderful man and a great public servant. I believe he would have tried to do the best job possible, but for some reason, I didn't see him as our leader, the president, but as a politician trying to get the next job up the ladder, you know? And the issue of him being black wasn't an issue for me. I'm glad we have our first black president. I'll be glad when we elect a woman, but really I just want the best leader whether they're white, black, male or female.
MC: What do you think will be Obama's biggest obstacle as president?
CR: Our only perception of Washington is what we see in the media, what we read in the newspaper or watch on TV. Sometimes, Republicans have a way of attacking the other side and spinning it in the media so people won't be supportive. I think the first couple years, unless he does something horrible, we should support him. They (Republicans) will be too critical and nitpick everything he does because it seems like in Washington every single thing gets nitpicked to death. I don't know the workings of Congress, but what I see is Republicans nitpicking the Democrats and the Democrats trying to find fault with the Republicans. I just hate all that crap.
MC: If you had a chance to speak to Obama, what advice would you give him?
CR: I wouldn't offer any advice to him. I'm not that smart (laughs). I can't really give him advice. He's surrounded himself with really intelligent, brilliant people, who know so much more than me. I would just tell him to remember us people out here working every day and sending our taxes in. We're not asking for bailouts. I think most Americans want to work and pay taxes. We just don't want it wasted. I don't know. I mean, I can't really give that much advice to the president of the United States.
The Winning Essay:
"I'm a single woman who has been building homes for over 18 years. I've supported myself and have been able to help out my mother from time to time. Now I find myself wondering how much longer I can hold on and be able to pay my bills and keep the doors open for business. Barack gives me hope. Hope that 2009 will truly bring change to Americans who find themselves in this mess with me."
