That Obama is the best president that this country has seen in a generation. I didn't vote for him because I don't agree with the Democratic platform on many policy issues. That said, this country is in a mess and needs strong leadership to get back on track. I hope that Obama will live up to the promise that so many have seen in him. While I will undoubtedly continue to disagree with some of the policies that the Democrats will propose, I wish them success in getting the economy going again and rebuilding a sense of confidence. Frankly, we all need to be inspired and to have a sense of faith in a better future.
Again, I feel he may be good for the masses. However, I believe that small business and the "american dream" will be put secondary to an overall mediocre, yet adequate standard of living. That's not really a bad thing, but I think upward mobility will be secondary to the masses and taking care of the population as a whole.
Very cool sentiment. I wish all republicans were as classy as you. I have the feeling some want to see him fail . . . even if it mean bad things for the country as a whole?
He will bring forth socialism and uniformity. Again, nothing wrong with that, just an ideology I personally want to see fail in favor of capitalism, limited government.
That's an interesting post. I hope he governs from the center rather than from the left, but I have my doubts. I am one of the few that doesn't believe the country is a mess, but that we're no longer willing to do the hard work that made this country great. We're fatigued by war, but that's the primary weapon the terrorists have against us. Should we be surprised they're using it? We're facing a credit crisis, but it's one of our own making--we were the beneficiary of loose credit for a long, long time. The majority of people who purchased houses in the past decade are better off than they were four years ago. By any measure, we live materially richer lives than we did a decade ago. Cell phones, the internet, video games, flat screen TVs, larger houses, more cars per capita, etc. Government has never done more for us, yet it's still not enough. I hope the lesson learned is that material wealth doesn't equal happiness, that it's ultimately unfulfilling. Before the third quarter this year, we had 28 consecutive quarters of economic growth, yet we've whined about how bad everything is for years. The fact is that things were generally pretty good for most Americans during the Bush Administration, but we thought the road would be easy. Like generations before us, we face challenges at home and abroad. Rather than looking to someone else to lead us from the perceived darkness, we need to look at ourselves and raise ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Rather than having government do for us, we need to do for ourselves. We don't need to be inspired by someone else, we need to inspire ourselves. This lack of confidence blows my mind. We're still the strongest country militarily, economicially and poltically on the face of the planet. Our unemployment rate is still one of the lowest in the world among developed economies. Our economic downturn, while bad, still isn't as bad as others. Enough with the self-doubt and pessimism. Stop pondering and start working. [/soapbox] I hope Obama says The Shepard's Prayer (that's Alan Shepard, one of the Mercury 7) tonight: "Please Lord, don't let me fuck up."
I'm not excited at all about an Obama presidency, and I'm torn between being happy for about 95% of the people around me (all of whom ARE terrifically excited) and being extremely cynical. And a bit scared. Happy is obvious. I'm hopeful that he'll be a great leader to bring people together and be honest and a centrist. Cynical because part of me feels that a lot of his supporters (especially younger ones) see him as a different kind of person than an average politician... and I seriously doubt that he is. I believe that most politicians want to be elected first and foremost, but generally want to do good for the country. And well by it. Obama's been elevated to such a degree by so many people that if he fails to make them happy, or if he compromises to get things done, or if he, say, has to initiate a military conflict... that it will deflate a lot of his support and they will become jaded. It might seem mean to say, but many of his supporters seem naive. Again, that's the cynical angle (and NO, of course many of his supporters are not naive... just an observation of people I know in real life). Scared? I don't want change. I don't think the country is broken. I think that we were going to be exiting, for the most part from Iraq and I have confidence that the credit mess will straighten itself out over time. I welcome a housing correction if it will mean longer-term stability. I fear that Obama's change will be some basic restructuring of the way government operates, and I fear that the rules will be changed and it will be harder to root out that restructuring. Of course, I've read and heard people on the left state similar things the past eight years: elections were going to be postponed! Elections were stolen! The Constitution has been neutered! and rolled my eyes, so I recognize that my fear might be just as unfounded as those claims. Ed O.
I say we give the man a chance. I have my theories about what will happen, I have my own personal concerns with my own situation, but I'll just have to adapt and overcome. I'll probably just get sick of his fanatical followers, but success is the best revenge. look how tron's livin'...in the citaaaaaaaaayyyyyy. The redistribution of wealth will sicken me, as will upcoming bailouts, stimulus checks, blah blah blah...but fuck it. I don't got time to think about that shit.
