Reflecting on Election 2008

[12voltman59]

It was certainly one long election campaign--that at sometimes got nasty both in terms of the Democratic primary between Obama and Hillary Clinton and then between Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin.

While I am sure that some of you are not happy Barak Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States---I am sure we will all agree--THANK GOD IT IS OVER!!!!! irrespective of the outcome.

I do have to say this---I am so very glad that the era of George W. Bush is going to soon be over--at least in terms of his being in office---his legacy--such as it is (mostly negative I am sorry to say) going to be long lasting.

I was not an early fan of Barack Obama---but once I did come to like him----he was certainly "my man" for many reasons.

I have to say--I was very moved at both the concession speech made by John McCain and by Barack Obama's acceptance speech. Both speeches were much in keeping with the best traditions of America and the history of our political system.

I have been most cynical in recent years in regards to politics----while Bush is not totally to blame for that---the way he ran his campaign for president along with the way he filled the role of president, in my view, appealed not to "our better angels" but to our worst instincts. His performance very much heightened my cynicism.

Bush ran his campaign to secure his politcal "bases" then cleave off enough independent/undecided voters to get to fifty percent, plus one to merely win the office--not strive for more--yet claim he had a "great mandate" to do as he would.

Barak Obama ran a campaign that went beyond merely securing this election--- he run a campaign that did get him a mandate that is one of the largest and sweeping in recent political history---in spite of the claims of those on the right such as conservative columnist Robert Novak who has already written that Barak has no such mandate----Obama ran a campaign that is looking towards the future of America---namely the greatly changing nature of the demographics of the nation in coming years.

I have to say--that for the first time in my life--I truly did feel good about voting for a candidate for president.

I first voted in the fall of 1980--I was 20 then---but it was my first presidential election. I liked Jimmy Carter in terms of his fundamental beliefs and such--but in light of the Iranian hostage crisis and the failure of the rescue mission that Carter had ordered, among other things---- I just could not vote for him, so I cast my first presidential vote for Ronald Reagan.

By the time 1984 came around---I was in the service and had met Ronald Reagan face to face--he came to our Coast Guard Base in Miami Beach--I had to both salute him and shake his hand---but I did not much care for him or his policies--so I voted for Mondale and have voted for Democratic presidential candidates ever since.

I was intitally excited by Bill Clinton, but by the time he ran for his second term--was not so enamored of him.

Well----jumping ahead to when I cast my vote this time--a few weeks ago in early voting----I have to say the vote felt very good----and on Tuesday night--it felt not just good but GREAT!!!!

For the first time in my adult life--I was actually proud to have voted---not just merely having done my civic duty.

Even though I was not present in one of those massive crowds that were so happy about Barack's win---I felt as though I was with them.

I do feel very strongly that Barack Obama is truly one of those "transformative figures" that does seem to come upon the scene from time to time---much like figures such as Lincoln and FDR---truly a man for the time. May he rise to the challenges of our day as did those great historical figures in their times.

I hope that the faith so many of us have in Barak Obama is not betrayed-----he may fail in what he tries to do---that is OK--but the faith will be broken if he comes out being yet another politican and not the great leader I think he is capable of being.

In Barack's speech on Tuesday night--I heard echos of those past leaders---and another one comes to mind---JFK---Barack's appeal to people working together harkens back to Kennedy's famous inaugural speech in which he said: "Ask not what your country can do for you---Ask what you can do for your country!!!"

That is something I have wanted to hear since the attacks of 9/11---not George W. Bush's exhortation that everyone "Keep on shopping!" just to keep the economy going.

While I am most optimistic in the future of our nation thanks to the election of Barak Obama---I know that there are many who are not so happy-and that is to be expected--but I find it troubling that we have some public figures---such as the right wing talking heads like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh who have already vowed to work at cross purposes to nearly everything that Barak Obama both stands for and seeks to do.

While I never agreed with much of what people like Hannity and Limbaugh are about---it hit me recently that they are a negative force in our culture---for all they do is bitch, piss and moan about things---and inspire their listeners/viewers to do the same----but yet----they never offer any positive, active alternative that makes any sort of tangible contribution to the betterment of the common good---they really do appeal to the darker side of human nature---extremely narrow self-interest.

They are merely divisive and help to coarsen the public discourse. They help to serve to divide the people of this nation--not unite them.

That they now vow to actively seek to stand in the way of the progress that Barack Obama promotes and they exhort their "followers" to do the same----does not take the nation to where we need to go----I think it is a chilling prospect they seek to thwart anything Barack Obama and by extension---what the rest of us want to try to do to move things forward in this nation.

If you don't believe me on this--go listen to people like Rush and Hannity-----they are very clear---they seek to be as obstructionist as possible and want those who listen and watch them to do the same.

Well---enough of my ramble here----I just wanted to share my view of where we are now----I know some will agree with me and some will not--that is fine----

I want to think that thanks to the election of Barack Obama--it does give so many of us hope and such---that things can and should be better than they have been----I do not think that we are totally lost-----and that it is our responsiblity to continually try to improve the world and life----the alternative is too scary to contemplate--to think that we will not be able to change and improve things----if we do give up--we are lost.

It might be naive and idealistic to put such hope in one person----but I think what is appealing about Barack Obama----is that he does truly seem to want us to all roll up our sleeves and work together to make things better!!!!

With the very real challenges we face at this time in our history----much of what we face is not going to be easily changed--improvement is not going to happen overnight----it might not even happen in the span of his first four years in office---but as long as we have started along a path that we can see the ligh at the end of the tunnel---that in and of itself will be worth it---and will "keep hope alive."

Make no bones about it folks---we do have some very serious and critical challenges facing us in the days, weeks and months to come----and we all need to get beyond the things that divide us-- things like being from red states or blue states---being "liberal or conservative"--- the color of our skin----

We need to once again--be not consumers who go out and buy stuff---nice stuff it might be such as wide screen TVs and X-Boxes---- We need to once again be AMERICAN CITIZENS and work together in this great and grand experiment that is AMERICA, to move it forward and make it a place that will be as good for future generations as it has been for us.

There might be some dark days ahead of us---but I for one--think that we are now--thanks in part to the election of Barack Obama--back on a good track that will lead to better days.

May God Bless Us One and All!!

Good Night and Good Luck!!!!

[FalconAngel]

I was in the service, already, when Carter was in office and his mishandling of the Iran hostage crisis turned me against him right off the bat.

I recall voting for Reagan. I was so sick of weak diplomacy. I have always been a Teddy Roosevelt kind of person; Walk softly and carry a big stick.

I believe that we can be a nation of peace and freedom again, yet still be strong.
Not just in our economy, but in our military strength. We have done it before, so why not again.

And the concession speech that McCain gave? That was the most truly bipartisan and truly American thing that he has said since this campaign started.
And he may have won, if he had been saying that from the start. But I saw more of the same politics, policies and programs that brought us to this crisis in the first place. His focus was on attacking Obama, while Obama was focused, almost completely, on the actual issues.

I was also not at all pleased at how McCain-Palin talked to the country as if the common working (95%) of the country were minimal, or how they seemed to think that making $250,000 a year made one poor. I wouldn't mind being that poor, for a change. I could live on a quarter million a year. I felt, both as an American and as one of those "Joe Sixpack" people, that I was being insulted; compared to some low class stereotype of "redneck" America. As if I were beneath them.

I could not, in good conscience, vote for people like that to lead my country.

I also happen to be one of those people that believes that if someone doesn't do their job for you, then you fire them, not hire more like them.

I could not allow someone in office who was going to do the same things that failed us, in the hopes that making the same mistake will result in a different outcome.

But, like you, I also saw a little of that JFK magic in the Obama campaign. JFK was one of my heroes growing up. I even had a record with all of his speeches, which I drove my mother crazy because I listened to them so often. His speech about community service to the nation and his "eich ein Berliner" speech were among my favorites, but it is something that Obama said in his speech after winning the election, on Tuesday night, that truely harkened back to the JFK presidency. It reminded me of his speech about the space progam; "We choose to go to the Moon and do the other things. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard".

It screamed at me that we are Americans. ALL OF US. We do the tough things because it is the only way to advance, as a nation, as a people and as a species.
Hearing the speech by Obama brought back that same feeling and I knew that I had made the right choice for our nations highest office in this election.

So I cast my vote, like you, feeling that I was actually voting for the right person rather than the lesser of two evils.

[Bluebiyou]

Well put 12V and Falcon.
Short and to the point!

:rolleyes:

[Hephaestion]

".....I have to say--I was very moved at both the concession speech made by John McCain and by Barack Obama's acceptance speech. Both speeches were much in keeping with the best traditions of America and the history of our political system....." (12voltman59)

Agreed. Both are to be applauded on these.

Heph (UK)

[cutenewlybi]

Very well said volt. I could not agree with you more. We are in for some tough days, but I now see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have faith the Obama will do amazing things for this country! But, I also understand that it is going to take some time to undo the mess that Bush left.
Lets work together America and make this the BEST AMERICA that it can be!!

[hudson9]

Yes, well said, all.

I've just been listening to an interview on Fresh Air on NPR, w/ Robert Kuttner, who's book is just being released: "Obama's Challenge: A Transformative Opportunity" He seems to have a good handle on the "herculean obstacles" we face, and he has a realistic, but optimistic, outlook on our chances.

I gotta check this book out!
(this is NOT a paid advertisement! Honest!)

[allbimyself]

For as long as I can remember I always found one presidential candidate from each party that I felt I could live with. Unfortunately, never before had those individuals won their respective party's nomination. This year was quite different. Early on I felt Obama and McCain represented the best their parties could offer. Imagine my surprise when both won in the primaries.

Unfortunately, McCain changed, or rather, his rhetoric changed. He bought into the Rove/Limbaugh line of thought that he couldn't win the general election without courting the extreme right. He muzzled his centrist/bipartisan philosophy and began spouting the same BS that GWB did. Naming Palin was just another nail in his coffin, a lame attempt to court the far right.

"Going right" was the biggest mistake he could have made. The far right wasn't going to vote for Obama. Some might not have voted at all, but most would have voted for McCain as the LO2E (in their minds). What he did was push those, like myself, with more centrist views into supporting Obama.

I'm kind of glad that it went down this way, tho. I didn't have to give it much thought.

[DiamondDog]

Well put 12V and Falcon.
Short and to the point!

:rolleyes:

LOL heh