Inaug Day

I have avoided posting anything political thus far, but I guess if I'm going to do it, it may as well be today. To all my Democrat friends, and to those Republicans who chose to vote across party lines for this election, congratulations. I know you are excited; I hear about it almost every day.

While I feel disappointed in an election that was so media/race/"change" driven and am fearful because the election went to a popular vote (which is never a good thing), I truly hope that Obama does well in office. It's not that I thought McCain would have been a spectacular president, and certainly his choice of running mate was a poor one, but I am surprised at how quickly people forgot about 9/11. Bush kept this country safe since that horrible day, yet no one seems to remember. People were so eager to vote anti-Republican because Bush is Republican and things aren't going so swimingly in the economy right now. What do you expect? This was inevitable...it probably should have happened seven years ago, but it didn't. An economy post-terror attack is a hard thing to regulate, let alone keep stable. But we enjoyed a good economy for several years after those attacks. A country filled with large corporations employing greedy execs (yes, Bank of America, I'm talking about you) and ignorant home-buyers will eventually experience an economy like this. It's cyclical. Now starts the learning phase again; everyone has to learn how to spend and save their money intelligently all over again. Remember all that stuff your parents told you when you were a teenager and got your first job? Yeah.

The election year was rampant with talks of race, sex, and Muslim heritage; fixation on Palin's wardrobe and hairdo and the baby in her daughter's belly; "experience" quickly turned into "he's too old." It was offensive on so many levels. I know that many of my Democrat / Independent friends can articulate why they voted for Obama, and that's great. Whether you always vote in your party or you liked what he had to say and what he stands for, at least you knew what the hell you were doing. But a lot of America had no idea why they were voting for Obama other than (1) he isn't Republican; (2) he's black, and wouldn't that be great to elect our first black president?; (3) my union says I have to vote Democrat; (4) hmmmm, change sounds good! Yeah, I want change!

But change from what, exactly? They had no idea. I asked several people to explain Obama's platform to me. After several moments of racking their brains trying to figure out if they even knew what the hell they were talking about, they ALL responded, "change." That is not a platform. That is a promise, and we all know how politicians deliver on their promises. People think this guy walks on water, that things are going to change with a flick of a switch. I'm not saying that Obama is going to fail miserably as a President; I certainly hope he doesn't. But it's like paying $100 at a fancy restaurant for a meal and getting a tiny 2 ounce steak and a couple steamed carrots on the side. People expect a lot because he promised a lot. He's charming and people like him. But he can't possibly deliver what he has promised. Not in four years. And we know how people turn on their Presidents; many Bush supporters were cursing his name at the end. I think Bush was a decent president considering what happened during his tenure but of course I questioned a lot of what he did, and I'm fairly certain that an entire dictionary could be published with words he just made up. But I think Obama is in over his head simply by the way he duped everyone into thinking that he is our savior from this economy, that he will bring change to this country. He should know better; people aren't going to just wait around for this change, they're going to want it NOW. And he won't be able to deliver that quickly. And people will get restless.

I think it was a disappointing election year for both parties. Several times I asked myself, "Seriously? THESE are our choices for President?" It was an historic election; not because Obama was elected the first "black" (I'm sorry, but wasn't his mother caucasion?) President or that record numbers of people turned out to vote. It was historic because SO many people voted ignorantly. Again, for those of you who know, really know, why you voted for Obama: kudos. But the majority of voters who hated Bush and judged McCain simply because he was Republican: shame on you. Again, I'm not saying that McCain would be the best President we ever had, or that he would have fixed things. But it was just SO disappointing to see an election go the way of the popular vote, especially at such an important pivotal time in our country.

I am literally the elephant in the room; a Republican surrounded by Democrats in my place of work. HOWEVER. I will stand behind the new President because I am American. No matter how bad things get, or if Obama royally screws the pooch on this one, I will NEVER EVER say that I am not proud to be an American. I promisize, plegisize, and forwardly give you my guaranteeness on that one. (Sorry, that was my last official nod to President Bush).