President-Elect Obama

 

I’ve had a few people asking for my thoughts on the presidential election results.  I guess I’m a lousy blogger for having ignored the results for several days.  Sorry about that – I let my day job and social activities get in the way.

 

So how about that Obama win?  Who saw THAT coming?  Crazy world, huh?

 

Obviously, based on my previous posts, I’m pleased with the results.  I honestly do believe that he is the right choice and I was pretty confident that he was going to win.  I was nervous right up to the end that something stupid would happen, but for weeks I’d been thinking that the popular vote would be pretty close and that it would be an electoral blowout.  I wasn’t that far off. 

 

What is odd this presidential election is how depressed and scared a lot of Republicans seem to be now that it’s over.  As if they didn’t see it coming and an absolute disaster has occurred.  They think that all the things that Obama said during the campaign were lies and that he’s going to get into office and his head will start spinning in circles.  They don’t know what to do with themselves – even praying may not help this time.  HE’S THE ANTICHRIST AND ARMAGHEDDON IS ON THE HORIZON!

 

Ah jeez.

 

With the possible exception of John McCain, a lot of hard core Republicans need a face slap to bring them back to reality.  I say except for McCain because even he recognized that Obama is a decent person.  They disagree on how to approach some of to the problems we have, but McCain acknowledges that Obama wants what’s best for our country.  Obama is not a secret Muslim, he is not a terrorist, and he is not the antichrist.

 

Obama won’t keep all of his campaign promises – no politician can.  But he will stick to the spirit of his message and he will do what he can based on what he thinks is best for the country.  He is thoughtful and highly intelligent and he is known to collect the views from all sides of a situation before making a decision.

 

Take a Xanax and prepare for a bumpy ride.

 

In case you haven’t noticed, things are kind of shitty these days.  War, nuclear aspirations of dangerous countries, global financial crisis, rising unemployment, global warming, record breaking deficit spending, a $10 trillion national debt, lions and tigers and bears…

 

Mistakes will be made and things will probably get worse before they get better.  You can’t fix everything at once and some things (believe it or not) are beyond the power of the president of the United States.  Democrats can have their day to gloat and enjoy the win, but at the end of the day there is a lot of work to be done and more pain to endure.  Hopefully the changes that are coming will get this country moving in the right direction and I believe we will be moving in the right direction.

 

Now that the election is behind us, I’ll probably post more non-political stuff.  I know politics creeps into just about everything, but I’ll try to mix it up a bit more.  Before moving on, here are a few thoughts (some new, some old) about our President Elect and where I think we go from here.

 

Rezko, Wright and Ayres 

Sounds like a good name for a law firm, eh?  Except it’s a convicted felon, a bombastic preacher and a former terrorist.  A lot of people feel that I didn’t give enough weight to some of Obama’s past relationships while assessing his candidacy.  Truth is I did consider these relationships but I tried to put each of them in their proper perspective.

 

I have a lot of colorful characters in my past too.  Just in the last two months I’ve spent a weekend with an extreme right-to-lifer, I’ve dined with a convicted felon, and I’ve gambled in Las Vegas with a married woman who wasn’t my wife.  Sounds terrible on paper but I assure you that these are all innocent relationships and that nothing nefarious transpired.  I hope those relationships aren’t dug up and that these people don’t pop off when I’m trying to get my next job.

 

When I looked at the context of Obama’s relationships with these individuals I found no reason for concern.  I heard no evidence to indicate that these individuals led him to make poor decision in his job as a public servant and there is every reason to believe that he will choose knowledgeable advisors and make important decisions based on ideals he has campaigned on.  I don’t agree with all of his views but I’m sure he will seek out advice from qualified individuals.  We don’t have to worry about Larry, Curly and Moe even if he had a few meals, prayed or served on some committees with them.  Just like I won’t make any stupid decision at my job based on relationships with my crackpot friends.

 

Earmarks, Campaign Finance and Lobbyists

Certain things about how our leaders govern are broken and some of the things they do for the greater good of their constituents don’t make sense.  However, with a few exceptions, most politicians probably play by the rules even if the rules suck.  Earmarks are a problem, but it that is the currently available vehicle to fund an important project then use it to your advantage.  Campaign finance rules and influence peddling are problems, but you can’t get in there and fix the problems if you aren’t there.  So screw it – get those campaign donations however you can as long as it’s legal. 

 

I don’t fault Obama for sneaking in earmarks while he was a senator and I don’t blame him for ditching out on public financing for his campaign.  He did what was best for his constituents and what he needed to do to get elected.  Legally.  Want someone to blame?  How about a guy who’s been in congress for over 20 years without getting the system fixed?  Oh sure, he’s a maverick and he’s been working on reform.  Good for him, but I guess that makes him an ineffective maverick because these things are still a problem.  I’d rather have an ineffective senator continuing to work on needed reform than an ineffective president.

 

These are complex political issues and I don’t envy the job of trying to make the system more fair and transparent.  I’m being overly harsh when I call McCain ineffective because I know he has made some progress.  Hopefully our next congress and the next administration will put some more dents it these problems.  Come on Johnny – You can do it!

 

ACORN

ACORN is a community organization that has been around since 1970 with economic and social goals primarily for the benefit of low and moderate income individuals.  Whether you agree with their methods or not, many of their stated goals are admirable.  That said – it has become clear that over the years this organization has developed a few bad apples.  Or should I say nuts? 

 

Is it time to shut down this organization?  Maybe, maybe not, but if it goes away I hope that something fills the void to keep their good goals alive.  Maybe this tree just needs some major pruning and some pesticide.  It may not have to be cut down.

 

As for election fraud – I’m hoping that just because Donald Duck attempted to register to vote (in multiple states) that he didn’t actually GET to vote.  I’m hoping that, regardless of community group activities, election laws at the state level prevented most errors from occurring.  Where there are problems, we should work to correct them.  I know that a lot of Democrats are not in favor of this, but I am in favor of requiring photo ID to vote.  What if you don’t have one?  GET ONE, maybe while you’re signing up to vote.  Can’t afford the fee or can’t get to a state agency easily to do this?  Maybe ACORN can help you with that.

 

As for Obama’s relationship with ACORN – Just like his relationships with Huey, Louie and Dewey, I believe his involvement with ACORN was overblown and exaggerated by Republicans.  Believe what you want if it helps you sleep at night, but here is a summary of Obama’s actual relationship with ACORN: http://www.acorn.org/?id=17856

 

Oh, Sarah (Palin)

In an earlier post I wrote that I would try to write a more complete post about why I think Palin is a terrible choice for VP.  I’m sorry that I didn’t get to that before the election, but I sense we haven’t heard the last from her.  So here are a few thoughts:

 

• When she became mayor of Wasilla the city had zero debt.  6 years as mayor later, the so called “fiscal conservative” left the town with $22 million in debt.  Doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you consider the population was let’s say 7,000 – that’s over $3,000 for every man, woman and child.  Don’t let her near your checkbook!
  • Let’s see… $3,000 times US population of about 305 million people… about $915 billion dollars.  Let’s round off to $1 trillion.  Add that to the national debt after they cut taxes and invade Iran. 
• Or there is the reverse – She talks about not punishing “big oil” with fees and windfall taxes, but she takes their $ and doles it out to Alaskan citizens instead of sending back the check.  Alaskans don’t have an income tax – the get a check for being there.  Maybe if all Americans got a “big oil” bribe each year we would be more inclined to “drill baby, drill.”
• Some have suggested that she did a great job going toe-to-toe with Joe Biden in the VP debate.  I don’t think so.  The winking, the you betcha’s, the lack of pronouncing a “g” on words that should have one… I’ll bet she snaps her gum and chews it with her mouth open.  That 80% approval rating she supposedly has in Alaska probably has a statistical margin of error exceeding 20% and it’s probably on the decline.  Rapidly.
• And then there are her extreme conservative views on birth control, sex education, abortion and homosexuality.  I’m sure some of you will disagree with me on this, but I call this a cherry on top of a disaster sundae.  She’d be such a good influence on the next generation that they’d all be knocked-up unmarried teenager.
• It took her 5 universities to cobble together an undergraduate degree in journalism.  She has no experience with international politics, the military, or constitutional law.  Being a Washington outsider isn’t a plus if it means you have no concept of how Washington actually works.  She’s qualified to read the news – not make it.
• Did anyone else see the way her husband was eyeing her on stage while McCain gave his concession speech?  You KNOW he wants this mess to be over so he can get himself a little sugar.  Since they don’t believe in birth control, I’m guessing she might be pregnant again by spring.  If she were in Washington next year, all knock-up and hormonal, I would fear for her proximity to the red button. 

 

Some WAY OUT THERE Republicans have suggested that I’ve been a little too hard on Palin.  Maybe I’m not giving her enough credit when I refer to her as an incompetent bubblehead.  Heck, governor of Alaska has to be a pretty hard job.  However, at the end of the day I still don’t like her political views and I still say she’s not qualified to run this country. 

 

Hillary, on the other hand, would have done fine.  That woman has balls.

 

Final Thoughts for Today

So many topics I’d like to cover.  Let’s save some for another day.  Topics like: Drilling (we should), Windmills off Massachusetts’ Cape (we should), gay marriage (go ahead, I see no problem), and various tax law issues (I’ll try not to bore you). 

Plus, I have a few fun posts I’m working on and come February it’s time to talk about American Idol performances.  I’ll bet you can’t wait!

In the meantime – What are your thoughts and what do you want to discuss?  Please use the comment feature below or email me at Christopher@grasshutandcoconuts.com

Oh, and congratulations to Barak Obama – the next president of the United States.