At least we will still have Susan Sarandon living in these United States. The country has passed her test. It has behaved appropriately and judiciously, and she will deign to live among us for the indefinite future. I could not be happier. Just thinking that a John McCain victory would have forced her to live in another country, one more reasoned and compassionate than ours, sent shivers down my spine. Imagine how close we all came to calamity.
That is probably the only certainty that comes with President-Elect Barack Obama’s victory. How he will govern is not as clear.
If he governs as he has voted in the Senate, he will attempt, with ample liberal compatriots in both houses of Congress, to move our nation a step or three to the Left. If, however, he governs as he was campaigning, he will more closely resemble Bill Clinton, forcing Nancy Pelosi and other Democrat leaders to nip at his ankles for failing to follow their political agendas.
Yet, odds are that Obama will govern more from the middle. Once he digests the daily national security briefings he is receiving, he will better understand the task facing him. Many have suggested he lacks the experience to serve as President of the United States. My friends, if I may use a McCainism, no one has the experience for this office until serving in it.
No job can adequately prepare any person to shoulder the burden of the Office’s rigors and responsibilities. Sure, a candidate may have a wonderful resume, George H.W. Bush, for example. But look what the job forced him to do. Read my Literary Lips: He raised taxes after promising never to do so.
One of my readers provided a key insight: “I think the nation has made a grave mistake. I fear terminating our work in Iraq too soon, thereby wasting the lives we've invested up to this point. I fear socialized medicine. And I am always nervous when other countries celebrate our choice. It generally means they are confident that they can take advantage of us and intimidate us to get what they want. BUT, once the gavel comes down I always support the man in the big chair as much as I can. I believe in my heart that his intentions are good and he wants the best for his country. We just disagree on what that is.”
Conceptually, I shared the above views as I was considering how to cast my ballot. I especially agreed with my reader’s view that, as President, Mr. Obama will have my support. Perhaps he will not always have my agreement or blessing on certain actions, but he is my President from this day forward (January 20, 2009).
Now, succumbing to one of my many foibles – optimism – I believe that the country will benefit more from Obama’s intelligence and measured demeanor than it will suffer ruin from impetuous decisions to ‘redistribute wealth’ or commit other nefarious acts.
Wealth redistribution is a canard. Ever since this country implemented graduated income tax rates during the Civil War, those who have earned more contributed correspondingly more to its financial maintenance. In turn, they paid a higher percentage of our military budget, transportation budget, and, yes, our entitlement programs. Thus, those who have, have been paying to and for those who have not. The real ‘American’ question remains: how much of a bill should have’s pay?
As one closer to a ‘have’ than a ‘have not,’ sometimes I would simply appreciate some symbolic thank you every now and again. It would encourage me by knowing that fellow citizens appreciate the efforts of those who are blessed with the resources to contribute to our collective fiscal wellness. Yet many prefer to grouse and demand those with more money to pay up and shut up. I believe those two attitudes fuel today’s conflict over this issue. Of course, now we are not in particularly good fiscal health, and President-Elect Obama must lead us through this crisis as well as protect us from a persistently dangerous world.
It is for these reasons, the enormity of his responsibilities and the inherent danger extant on our planet, that Mr. Obama is far more likely to govern in a more moderate and measured means than many in the Progressive Community would desire.
Our President-Elect’s biggest problem will likely come from liberal leaders on Capitol Hill, not from McCain adherents fearing the worse.
NOTE: Check out fellow readers’ reaction to the election.
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Fred W. Apelquist, III, M.Ed.
Approximately 745 words.
© November 6, 2008
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