I glossed over this in a comment, but I do think it's incredible that an african american worked his way all the way to the Whitehouse. It's a testiment of what America is all about. Education, desire, work, and dedication. Obama wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He worked. He strived. He accomplished. Hopefully his story will be one of inspiration and example to many young people.
But to think that his victory is some how racially healing is over reaching. Crime won't go down in the inner city. Truancy won't suddenly reduce. Rap lyrics won't suddenly become positive in its message.
I'd like to think Obama will inspire some to understand that to get ahead in this country means to stay in school, make good decisions, and apply yourself. Not to think that the government will provide for you. Pheisty had an excellent post about the speakers at the Democratic convention and that none of them mentioned the great government programs that helped them get ahead. No. They all spoke of dreams and hard work.
Unquestionably, having an african american as president looks good to the rest of the world. America has suddenly become progressive. As far as that goes, I don't care. Question is, will Obama command respect from other country's leaders?
As for McCain, we should remember he wasn't that far off from Obama on many issues. If McCain had won, we would have had a republican president and a democratic congress. I do think the country would have become stagnant. McCain lost, and Hillary lost, in some part because many were done with Clinton and Bush.
Speaking of Hillary, I'll also give Obama kudos for winning the nod over her. Many felt she was a shoo in. The heir to the throne. Going up against and defeating the Clinton machine was quit an accomplishment.
Anyway, as I also mentioned in a post, I was shocked to see McCain constantly winning primaries. I liked MCain as an Arizona senator, but not as presidential candidate. Of the bunch, I liked Huckabee. Romney was too plastic, Gulianni was too centrist, and Thompson was too boring. My support for McCain was simply a resignation of the nominee.
Then came Sarah. A conservative. A babe. Me likee. After all that has happened, I still think Sarah was a smart choice. She energized the base to a point where she was drawing bigger crowds than McCain himself. She threw the left and the press in to full panic mode. The attacks were immediate. No surprise. But the initial attacks were a bunch of lies. Even now, after the election, the lies continue. Fallout in the ranks? No one knows for sure. Each story is being debunked. For all we know, the leak isn't from within.
If there were any surprises on election night, it came from conservative wins. Too few, to be sure, but some solace to the party.
As for the party, I think they're finally getting the message. Less government. More local power. Individual liberty. Less spending. Lower taxes. Free market. Don't be afraid of these values. Embrace them. Campaign on them.
What am I afraid of? National security. Foreign policy. Environmental regulations. Liberal judges. To a degree, we can be thankful our economy is down as it severely limits what the new administration can do as far as raising taxes or increasing spending is concerned. That's an incredibly dopey thing to say, I know. Many would prefer the economy to be flourishing. But, that would be a sure path to spending nirvana.
It appears Obama might be fiscally central. This may not bode well with Pelosi and the rest of Jurassic park. But, I'm actually somewhat confident the economy will turn around.
With all this said, I'm ready to move on and embrace our new president. I'll be watchful. I'll be critical. But, I'll be fair. I've given nods to both Dole and Barrett when I thought they've deserved it. I can do the same for Obama.
Locally, I'm not so optimistic.
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