DWill wrote:

Mr. Pessimistic wrote:This was without a doubt the right choice. I am sure he will make the same mistakes any President could make...things may not go perfectly...but I cannot see things going as bad as Bush. At least we will have intelligent, thinking President...one who is not afraid to consult with smart people and educate himself.

I think Obma's election has created a great deal of hope in the country. While we could say that realizing all these hopes is unrealistic, we'd also be foolish not to take advantage of this feeling and take it as far as possible. That said, he has set himself up for a huge fall. It will take both political genius and sheer intellect for him to succeed. For myself, his promises about ending division-- the red-blue thinking that has diminished us--are what I will mainly hold him to. If his talk of this turns out to be just that, if he doesn't have the wherewithal to slap down the sometimes obnoxious figures in his own party, he's going to end up being just another politician, and all talk of "transformational" will cease. He also needs to stop pandering to us, tell us what is wrong with us, the people, and ask us to do some work and make some sacrifices, or he also will fall short as a leader. This man has his work more than cut out for him, deserves every penny of his big pay raise.

The division issue is more on the Republican side, as they have been so arrogant the past 8 years. Lugar turning down any chance of serving in the administration is a bad sign IMO. I can just see some hard line Republicans holding back working with this administration in order to set the stage for 2012. Obama has made a great start in reaching far from the party already and has many leading Republicans on his side already. Hopefully, others in the party do not envsion themselves as the foil to Obama's efforts.

The sad part is, that with what he is inheriting from Bush and the Republican party is so bad that he is going to get the blame for anything that now continues to go wrong. There is no good coming out of the past 8 years at all.

Mr. P.

I'm glad that Obama won It is so strange for me to be saying that about a Democrat candidate because some of my views are aligned with the Republican party (some, not all) but he honestly won me over, and I do believe that the right candidate won.

I am a little concerned with what he will do about Iraq. Since the US has brought about so many changes in Iraq I feel that they need to stick around for the transition stage. While the insurgents are running around blowing people up, it would be a bad move to withdraw, but if it is safe to do so then by all means I am for it.

... other than that Yay!

Bohemian Girl wrote:

... other than that Yay!

I knew it was a word and other people actually said it, too!

Thanks, Bohemian Girl.

I'm excited about Obama's victory, for a few reasons.

As a liberal, I agree with the Democrats more than I agree with the Republicans on virtually all issues. The fact that the next President has a (D) after his name, instead of an (R), implies that the nation with have more ethical policies and that the country & world will be better off.

That reaction is heightened by the fact that W is one of the worst, if not the worst, President in US history. His administration is incredibly incompetent and has enacted extreme right-wing policies. His policies caused the biggest problems the nation is facing: the Iraq war and the economic breakdown.

While McCain isn't an imbecile like W, his policies are equally extreme. As illustrated during the campaign, he's emotionally erratic and rather ignorant about what's going on in the world. And those factors will becomes worse as he grows older, while at the same time his VP pick is totally unsuited for the job.

Finally, Obama is an incredibly impressive candidate, who seems to have more potential than any President since FDR. He's brilliant, both in terms of his grasp of the issues and his political skills. Though I supported Edwards in the primaries, my opinion of Obama steadily rose throughout the campaign. My only concern about him is that he's a bit too centrist for my taste. Still, this nation faces some massive problems, and Obama seems capable of deciding how to address the mess that W left behind.

An Obama campaign worker recounts calling a home in Pennsylvania. The caller was exhorting the resident to vote for Obama. The resident responded positively. "Yeah, I'm gonna vote for the Nigger."

How bittersweet.

http://whydoeseverythingsuck.com/2008/11/president-elect-obama.html

Although I did not vote for Obama, I believe that since he is to be our next president he is deserving of our support. Whomever our president may be and those who have taken it upon themselves to represent us, they must be supported. That being said, it is still America and we have to make certain our wants and needs are known. If our representatives do not do what we think they should, we need to be very vocal (and I do not mean grumbling).
I will reserve further judgment on his readiness and abilities until after I see him in action.