The Reluctant Socialist Shouts "Booyah!"
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there,"
~Barack Obama
Booyah! I have been calling every ultra conservative I know and leaving them this one word message on their answering machines. For some reason Republicans in my neighborhood don’t seem to be answering their phones. Maybe it’s because Obama opened up a can of mighty whoop ass on John McCain and took the White House like a fucking warrior!
Last night after eight long and dark years desperation turned to hope as Obama claimed victory. Let’s enjoy the excitement. Let’s dare to hope for something better; let’s dare to dream again! But, let us not get carried away either. Let’s hear what Obama told us in his victory speech last night and take it deeply to heart.
Obama has just inherited a big heaping plate of shit tacos! It is going to take years, maybe even more than Obama can accomplish in two terms - should he be a two term president - to put this country back on even keel and readjust our course. Sorry about the trite nautical metaphor I have been missing water lately.
Let me share with you some predictions that I have had about this election season. I predicted that Obama would be elected, although I didn’t expect it to be quite the ass kicking that it was. I thought McCain was going to close the gap a little better than he did. But, I am far from disappointed. I also predict that Obama will be a two term president.
I also predict that Obama will have some difficulty in his first term. My fear is that expectations are set very high. Pundits commented throughout the campaign on the rock star quality of Obama. Even I jokingly referred to him as the Messiah - a joke that, as it turned out, wasn’t all that original. A lot of people seemed to notice the Obama as the second coming vibe early on.
But, that could very well be a problem for Obama and for us as our newly elected government goes about the business of cleaning up the mess left behind by George W. Bush and his neo-conservative cronies. If you have ever been to a frat party then you will understand what I am talking about. W is leaving Washington much in the same condition that you would find your parents house after a wild college party. Be careful where you sit and definitely wear shoes at all times. This is good advice for living in Washington on a good day!
I predict that Obama’s popularity and approval rating will start to wane sometime during the 2nd or 3rd quarter of his first year. Rabble rousing conservative pundits such as Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh are going to jump on every perceived failure and on every potential inconsistency of Obama’s administration.
This first year is crucial for Obama. His administration has to perform and continue to convince us that what they are doing is the right course for Americans. We are a fickle bunch! We have come to expect to get what we want when we want it. The media often formulates and dictates opinion to lesser minds. We gave W eight years; we can give Obama at least four.
The Democrats have the power! They have 56 seats in the senate and 252 in the house. And they have a Democrat in the White House. This gives their party authority with responsibility. They have nothing really standing in their way. The Neo-Con assholes have been sent packing. America has delivered the verdict on their ideologies. But, like herpes, bad ideas can flare up again at the most inopportune times. The Democrats will have to work hard from having that nasty and embarrassing rash flare up again.
My final prediction is that Obama will overcome most of the objections to his performance and policies. He will gain a second, but more modest victory for the White House in 2012 and be as popular as Bill Clinton if not more. For those that cough at that statement you would do well to remember that President Clinton retired from the Oval Office after 2 terms with a 70% approval rating. So, just because he can’t keep it in this pants…
Obama is a smart man! He is a shrewd and capable politician. He will fill his cabinet with equally smart and shrewd people. Unlike W, Obama seeks out different opinions and ideas and he possesses the ability to cogitate and come to his own decision.
The talking heads are giving a lot of the credit of electing Obama to Blacks and Latinos right now. But, let’s not forget all of us White folks who voted for him to. Obama is not just the president of minorities simply because he is the first African-American president. This is a great achievement and to leave it at that would cheapen and demean it.
Obama is a smart man - said that - and he is not the darling of the radical left or progressives in this country. Despite what conservatives and Joe the Plumber want you to believe we are not entering an era of rob from the rich socialism. Obama is going to further disappoint the left because he may very well turn out to be a conventionally liberal president. The radical left didn’t elect Obama. The voters on Main Street did. You remember Main Street don’t you? That is where the majority of Americans live!