Thoughts on the presidential election

The Obamas at the Commander-in-Chief ball.

I can't say that I was thrilled with the presidential election. I had disappointments from start to finish. I didn't like the Republican nominee, nor did I care for the Democrat nominee. I liked Sarah Palin, but would have liked it more if she had been my kid's fourth grade teacher and not a candidate for VP. I liked John McCain, but think he would make a better college administrator than President. I've got too much baggage than necessary to support Hillary Clinton, and I had never even heard of Barak Obama before he ran for President. Of all the candidates, I thought Hillary would probably be the most presidential, but I don't think I could have supported her "progressive" agenda. It all would have been a lot easier if I had been more at ease with George Bush, but he just kept disappointing me in the way he failed to adequately communicate with his constituents (largely because of circumstances), and because he consistently gave in to or sponsored liberal legislation while claiming to be a conservative. In all, I think the country is in a really odd place politically, with no clear consensus from the public or our elected officials, Republican or Democrat.

I voted my conscience, but my heart was not in it. The whole thing was compounded by the lousy economy, which made for a great big "Do I have another choice?" moment at the voting booth. I can't say I was pleased with the ultimate outcome - I never quite understood the "messiah" status of Barak Obama; from my viewpoint he hadn't really ever done anything to deserve it. But now he's our President, and for four years we have to live with our collective decision.

The natural tendency for someone who is not pleased with an election like this one is to hope for the elected official to make some kind of colossal mistake, but our country is in kind of delicate place and I don't think it could take many more mistakes. For this reason, I have decided to throw my complete support behind our new President and try to be optimistic about what he is trying to do and where he is trying to take our country. Will I complain about decisions he makes that I don't agree with - sure. Will I be disappointed if he pushes legislation that makes our country more socialist and places further limits on our freedoms - you bet! But until he earns my disfavor I will support what he is trying to do. Let's face it, he has brought a lot of hope to a lot of people. He now has a constituency that he is beholden to - this will greatly limit his actions. If he taxes the rich, he stands to lose a lot of donations for his re-election bit in 2012, and if he messes up the economy any more than it already is, he will be blamed for much of its fallout. If he pulls completely out of Iraq and the country folds to the bad guys in Iran, history will not smile on him. I don't expect any really big reforms right away, and I don't think he is dumb enough to tax the middle class into a worse recession.

President Obama preaches hope. Well I hope that our economy improves. I hope that our standing among the nations improves. I hope unemployment improves. I hope the banking system improves. I hope that peace in the Middle East improves. I hope the flow of illegal immigration improves. I hope a lot of things improve. For this to happen, President Obama needs to be successful in his new position. Therefore, I hope Mr. Obama becomes the most successful president of our age. I hope his success eclipses the success of President Reagan. I hope his influence causes a new age in the United States just like he promises. If these things happen, I will be happy to vote to re-elect him. However, if he lets dogma rule practicality, I will vote for whoever he is running against - hopefully it will be someone more suited for the position than the choice we had this time.

And the pendulum swings...