The good and bad of the election part 2...
As promised, here's some of the good stuff that happened in the election we'll start with the most obvious...
Barack Obama was elected president. Now, I consider myself to be a fairly realistic person. That realism borders on cynicism at times, especially when it comes to politics. Because of this, I can't be one of those progressives who thinks that because Obama will lead us for the next 4 to 8 years, we're going to be able to magically solve all of the many problems our country faces. He is only a man, and he will surely have both his successes and failures in navigating our rather screwy political process. Yes, he is young and relatively inexperienced, but no one is experienced enough to be president of the most powerful country on earth, there isn't a manual or a training course. All you can do is what every other president has done, surround yourself with a staff of smart, trustworthy advisors who actually wield more power that most people realize, trust your instincts, and learn from your mistakes. Sometimes your staff will lead you astray and your instincts will be wrong (ask our current president about that), but I honestly think that anyone who is willing to subject themselves and their family to the rigors of a political life, must be doing it because they believe they can make life better for the people the lead.
Having said all this I'm going to try to explain why I'm truly excited about Obama's win and I'm going to attempt to use as little campaign rhetoric as possible.
First and foremost, I'm am excited to have an an intellectual back in the White House. By all accounts, Obama is a brilliant man. But more than that, he has a thirst for knowledge that our current president has never shown. I read this article recently which talks about a meeting that Obama had with General Petraeus, who expressed his concern about Obama's proposed timetable for pulling our troops out of Iraq. Rather than pulling the typical politician move of thanking the General for his input and walking away, he actually engaged him in a discussion giving he personal feelings about the situation and listening to Petraeus explain his side (read the article for further info). This might not seem like a major thing, but this discussion between two people with differing opinions in an attempt to understand each other is a far cry from people on the right who argue that liberals are anti-american for not supporting the war, or people on the left who take out full page ads in a newspaper insinuating that a decorated Army General is out to "Betray-us." That type of partisan bickering gets us absolutely nowhere, and I want a president who is willing to talk to people and come to reasoned decisions. I think Obama will always be willing to do this, even if it sometimes pisses of many of his more progressive supporters.
The second reason I'm excited about Obama is his potential to help our standing in the world. As my brother told me on election day, finally with Obama it seems like the US is putting it's best foot forward. There is no doubt that electing him made our country look good in the eyes of the world. The only place this election was close was in the US, virtually every other country ever polled about the US election wanted Obama to win and it was never even close. Most of these people probably knew next to nothing about American politics and had very little vested interest in the outcome, but they saw Obama and heard him speak and realized that this guy could put the US on a different path when it comes to world relations. Even if this sounds shallow or stupid, there is no denying that our country is in major need of a PR blitz. Going it alone is not a long term solution to world problems.
Finally I'm excited because we took a risk in electing President Obama. There is no doubt that McCain would have been a safe pick. I don't buy the whole argument that he would have been the same as Bush if for no other reason than he wouldn't have wanted his approval ratings hovering around 20 percent for his entire term. He probably would have made a perfectly fine president. However, with the damage that has been done in the past 8 years, we need much more than a fine president. With Obama, for all the reasons I've stated above, we have the potential to have a great president. I'm encouraged that by in large the group that most pushed for this risk were people my age. Young people got involved in this election in a way we've never done before. For possibly the first time ever, people ages 18-24 will have a vested interest in our leader and a voice in government. The energy expended by young adults proved that our generation is finally ready to make government our own and the excitement surrounding the Obama presidency will bring young, smart people to Washington who actually want to work in government.
Now that he has been elected, comes the hard part of making good on his promises. It certainly helps that the Dems have control of all three branches of government, but it also means that they have no one to blame but themselves if problems arise. I truly hope that Obama is going to be able to do all he wants to do, but realistically, it probably won't happen, especially not as fast as people want it to happen. Everything costs money, the economy is in the tank and people really don't like paying taxes. He will have to make compromises that will piss a lot of people off who feel that he owes them for getting him elected. Ultimately though, I'm happy because no matter what the future holds, I can't see myself saying in four years, "I wish I'd voted for John McCain."
Barack Obama was elected president. Now, I consider myself to be a fairly realistic person. That realism borders on cynicism at times, especially when it comes to politics. Because of this, I can't be one of those progressives who thinks that because Obama will lead us for the next 4 to 8 years, we're going to be able to magically solve all of the many problems our country faces. He is only a man, and he will surely have both his successes and failures in navigating our rather screwy political process. Yes, he is young and relatively inexperienced, but no one is experienced enough to be president of the most powerful country on earth, there isn't a manual or a training course. All you can do is what every other president has done, surround yourself with a staff of smart, trustworthy advisors who actually wield more power that most people realize, trust your instincts, and learn from your mistakes. Sometimes your staff will lead you astray and your instincts will be wrong (ask our current president about that), but I honestly think that anyone who is willing to subject themselves and their family to the rigors of a political life, must be doing it because they believe they can make life better for the people the lead.
Having said all this I'm going to try to explain why I'm truly excited about Obama's win and I'm going to attempt to use as little campaign rhetoric as possible.
First and foremost, I'm am excited to have an an intellectual back in the White House. By all accounts, Obama is a brilliant man. But more than that, he has a thirst for knowledge that our current president has never shown. I read this article recently which talks about a meeting that Obama had with General Petraeus, who expressed his concern about Obama's proposed timetable for pulling our troops out of Iraq. Rather than pulling the typical politician move of thanking the General for his input and walking away, he actually engaged him in a discussion giving he personal feelings about the situation and listening to Petraeus explain his side (read the article for further info). This might not seem like a major thing, but this discussion between two people with differing opinions in an attempt to understand each other is a far cry from people on the right who argue that liberals are anti-american for not supporting the war, or people on the left who take out full page ads in a newspaper insinuating that a decorated Army General is out to "Betray-us." That type of partisan bickering gets us absolutely nowhere, and I want a president who is willing to talk to people and come to reasoned decisions. I think Obama will always be willing to do this, even if it sometimes pisses of many of his more progressive supporters.
The second reason I'm excited about Obama is his potential to help our standing in the world. As my brother told me on election day, finally with Obama it seems like the US is putting it's best foot forward. There is no doubt that electing him made our country look good in the eyes of the world. The only place this election was close was in the US, virtually every other country ever polled about the US election wanted Obama to win and it was never even close. Most of these people probably knew next to nothing about American politics and had very little vested interest in the outcome, but they saw Obama and heard him speak and realized that this guy could put the US on a different path when it comes to world relations. Even if this sounds shallow or stupid, there is no denying that our country is in major need of a PR blitz. Going it alone is not a long term solution to world problems.
Finally I'm excited because we took a risk in electing President Obama. There is no doubt that McCain would have been a safe pick. I don't buy the whole argument that he would have been the same as Bush if for no other reason than he wouldn't have wanted his approval ratings hovering around 20 percent for his entire term. He probably would have made a perfectly fine president. However, with the damage that has been done in the past 8 years, we need much more than a fine president. With Obama, for all the reasons I've stated above, we have the potential to have a great president. I'm encouraged that by in large the group that most pushed for this risk were people my age. Young people got involved in this election in a way we've never done before. For possibly the first time ever, people ages 18-24 will have a vested interest in our leader and a voice in government. The energy expended by young adults proved that our generation is finally ready to make government our own and the excitement surrounding the Obama presidency will bring young, smart people to Washington who actually want to work in government.
Now that he has been elected, comes the hard part of making good on his promises. It certainly helps that the Dems have control of all three branches of government, but it also means that they have no one to blame but themselves if problems arise. I truly hope that Obama is going to be able to do all he wants to do, but realistically, it probably won't happen, especially not as fast as people want it to happen. Everything costs money, the economy is in the tank and people really don't like paying taxes. He will have to make compromises that will piss a lot of people off who feel that he owes them for getting him elected. Ultimately though, I'm happy because no matter what the future holds, I can't see myself saying in four years, "I wish I'd voted for John McCain."