At Last
The presidential campaign has finally ended with our nation selecting our next President. The last 21 months filled the TV and general media with what seemed like a never to end stream of invective, hateful insinuation and plain mean spirits.
This was not a new phenominon in an election. There has always been an element in each party that follows the low road in describing their opponent. It is is more evident now because of the increased capability we have in getting the news. Abraham Lincoln was described by opponents in terms more viscious than anything we have seen in recent elections. The attacks then were limited to newspapers, pamphlets and speeches which were often inaccurately reported.
No Internet, no TV, no radio made news a slow moving item 150 years ago. Lincoln got elected and history has recorded the monumental task of saving our nation that he preformed. The hatred of his opponents remained and the tragic end is known to us all.
Obama will now be the President of the United States of America. We as a nation remain united because of Lincoln and the hundreds of thousands of men who fought to preserve the Union. The action of Lincoln in enacting the Emancipation Proclamation was an important step in the long road to recognizing the potential, as well as the capabilities, of men and women of color. The road set by Lincoln was maintained by many commited Americans through the years and has led us to this historic event.
Obama has a tough road ahead. The first check he needs to write in January is for the trillion dollar bailout package. He has two wars to win and end pretty quickly. While doing these, not so small tasks, he has to lead his associates in Congress on a prudent path to the changes he has promised.
There is no doubt that Obama remembers well that, after his first two years in office, Clinton lost both the House and the Senate largely because of mishandling the Medical Coverage issue. This issue remains to be successfully addressed after 16 years of Congressional squabbling. He needs to establish a relationship with the military and earn respect as the Commander in Chief. He had a great win but the fact is that 48% of the population did not vote for him. I am confident that he will try to work for that half of the nation as well as those who gave him his victory. The last Democrat that received a plurality was Jimmy Carter. Those of us old enough remember well, those 4 years.
This is truly a full plate which some of his critics will jump on hard if he doesn’t preform quickly. I have doubts that he is going to get the traditional 100 day honeymoon period from opponents at the start of his administration. It is an exciting day for America. Let’s hope for more than simply excitement in the next 4 years. I’ve had enough excitement in recent years. Results would be a pleasant change.
Buck
PS I often wonder, why in the world would anyone want the job.
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Hi Buck. Thanks for sending the link. You are right about Pres Elect Obama, he has many big challenges ahead. We need some big ideas to address those challenges, but big ideas that will work and produce results….Look forward to your observations on the world at large.
Rick