Where is The Confidence in Positive Change under Obama Administration?

Nestled into the rolling hills of Western Massachusetts, a local Springfield television station has an online poll asking if there is confidence in the idea of positive change under an Obama administration. These non-scientific polls are just for “fun”, not necessarily used for much more – the question that was poised is not frivolous and what is of interest are the responses (considering the location). 51% feel that yes, there will be a positive change, 49% feel otherwise – which, considering the spread in Massachusetts, 36% for McCain, 65% for Obama – why the discrepancy?




It is a bit too early for buyer’s remorse to set in, or is it? What is telling is the content and reaction to President-Elect Obama’s speech. In his speech he talked about a unified country, a bi-partisan effort, hope and change (“yes we can”), and the kicker, “sacrifice and hard work”. He did not evoke John F. Kennedy or any other great Democrat leader, rather chose Abraham Lincoln, the first leader of the Republican Party, a Party that has stood for inclusion from its inception, of fiscal responsibility, of less government and individual freedoms. Some individuals actually believed that once Obama was elected, the taxes would be cut, and giveaways were going to increase. One young woman at a rally in Florida, was overjoyed because she would no longer have to pay for gas, or pay her mortgage, (video below), others questioned who on earth was going to do all this hard work and sacrifice? They failed to get the memo. Obama, in this speech, sent a clear message that he was going to govern his way; and not one of us has any idea of what that will mean until he actually gets to work. His intentions however, his policies, have been in place on his website since inception (granted changes occur time to time, but heck, this is politics!), leaving one to question why supporters were not better informed. This is especially true of the youth group, and those single women who voted in droves – they are anticipating a great deal, the problem is that the President-Elect is going to face challenges unlike any other president has to date: a financial crisis that will only worsen (Wall Street already gave its opinion of a Democrat at the helm, by posting the biggest post-election drop in history. This should come as no surprise, free enterprise despises over-regulation, higher taxes, (sacrifice) will stymie production, one should understand that those on Wall Street did read the memo.), there will be wars, as well as a general disregard for the United States from countries who lean Marxist or might be a tad revolutionary, there may even be an attack on our own soil; the President-Elect will have to deal with all of these situations, not like Carter - but like a Reagan in order to keep the country solvent and safe. This will leave little in the till and the result will be; social programs will wait – taxes will increase, across the board and the social services.


This scenario would have been no different had McCain won the election, all of these challenges would have been in place; the difference is, of course, the expectation of McCain supporters were not quite as high as those supporting Obama. They understand that the world view can change quickly and those whose friendship we desire, will so deride us, that there is a need to watch the war on terror, and that Wall Street reacts more favorably to Republicans (Warren Buffett aside). What each citizen must do now is exactly what the President Elect suggested; get ready for sacrifice, there will be hard times, we must work together in a bi-partisan manner, because, my friends, this is going to be one rough ride. For those still unsure of where Obama stands on the issues, BarackObama.com/issues, if you want to compare where John McCain actually stood on these issues (apparently George Bush was somehow involved according to Obama’s Campaign website), go over to the dark side and do an actual comparison. What one will find is that, there are some minor differences between the two, (McCain being more like Reagan than Bush), and that it would be of no surprise should President-Elect Obama, in an effort to move swiftly to the middle, borrow one or two ideas from the Senator from Arizona; as they work together to better the nation. That is one thing of which one can be fairly certain: McCain and Obama will work together. The promise of bi-partisanship and reaching across the aisle will have to take place; the stakes are too high to continue the level of partisanship this nation has been exposed to for far too long.