And it's finally over...

[missroserose]

I do not envy President-elect Obama in the least; he's got a hell of a lot of work ahead of him, and a number of falls to take that he likely can't do anything about. But I'm very happy that he's won, and I sincerely hope he turns out to be even a fraction as different and special and wonderful as he promised during his campaign.

But if nothing else, he's intelligent, calm, measured, and rational, and that puts him miles ahead of most potential candidates. And charismatic. I won't have to instinctively wince every time someone turns on the television.

And for the first time in years, I finally have some hope for our country's future.

Comments

[moonwick.livejournal.com]

But the polls are still open there! It's too soon! :D

Man, I'm so glad I get to go to bed tonight knowing who won. I wasn't looking forward to another drawn-out court fight this year.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

Indeed. Some folk were upset last election that Kerry conceded so "easily", but I didn't blame him in the least for not wanting a repeat of 2000.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Funny thing is I find a significant generational gap, not just racial division, when I look at the celebrators. But that still doesn't change the fact that I never thought I'd see this moment in my lifetime, nor the fact that I'm almost irrationally exuberant right now.

I remember the evening of September 11, 2001, sitting in our campus's old stadium, looking up at the stars with my sig-other, noting that there weren't any airplanes, having no idea what was going to happen next and being fascinated and pleased at that sensation. But if someone were to tell me that in the next seven years the Red Sox would win the World Series twice, a black man with the middle name "Hussein" would be elected president and Guns 'N Roses would release Chinese Democracy (maybe this month!) -- no, I would've lost my mind.

I'm so tired of watching history made on TV and recoiling in horror. Finally I watch history and the America I used to believe in wakes up from its long terrible slumber.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

LMAO. I hear you on that one. On all of it, really. I was really starting to wonder if the America I'd grown up believing in was completely gone.

[one-bat.livejournal.com]

This is such a positive move... I couldn't bear to think of what wpuld happen if the other team got in. can you imagine if the dude died in office? President Palin? Please!! The US people have made the only real choice. Well done folks.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

I certainly like to think so, although I'm well aware that there are many folk out there who think the exact same thing in the opposite direction. I truly hope Obama lives up to his promises to try and heal the partisan divide in this country - we are so constantly fighting with each other that nothing gets *done*.

[syonyk.livejournal.com]

Wonderful.

And after the assault weapons are banned, concealed weapons are against federal law, the criminals are the only group left armed because "Well, if nobody can carry a handgun, we really don't need to leave them legal," and we've destroyed small businesses and large businesses alike ("Tax the wealthy" and "windfall taxes"), leaving no employers left, at least we'll have the government to give us our handouts!

Handouts being, of course, a one way ratcheting function that never decreases in scope but relies on ever increasing tax income from people who are busy moving their wealth out of the country. Yea. Brilliant.

-=Russ=-

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

*shrug* That seems a bit pessimistic. But time will tell.

[borismarkovich.livejournal.com]

To be completely honest, I have very little faith in the governmental body that hoped it could get enough people to make it so they didn't have to debate the pros and cons of major legislative decisions. Frankly, I'm entirely baffled that the democratic party gained seats considering their attitudes and unwillingness to actually do...well...anything over the past couple of years. If anything, this election has basically proven that the logical fallacy of correlation equals causation is still an enormously effective rhetorical tool. And that running "not Bush" as a candidate will work about 50% of the time.

I keep hearing that the Republican party is out of touch...I always ask, "With whom?" The vocal portion of our nation? Possibly. The media? Definately. Urban populations? Well that's pretty obvious, given voting trends. But the Democratic party is just as out of touch with the needs and desires of rural populations. Most democrats will look at a rural citizen and see some hick who isn't worth talking to. But those are the people that basically drive our country. They have desires that are different from those of Urban populations. The have different needs. Urban and Rural lifestyles are both completely different from one another, and both have a great deal of positives about them. To abandon one population group in order to please another is...well...idiotic. When you look back at history, that type of attitude has existed quite prominently in American history. Right around the 1850s.

I didn't really like either candidate. I wasn't impressed with Barack. He seemed incredibly indecisive and unwilling to lead in some of the situations he was placed in during the election. I also don't like McCain because...well...Let's face it. I don't think we actually got to see the real McCain because frankly, his campaign managers were smacktards. He kept trying to play to the far right and that cost him the election.

Basically, Obama needs to seriously spend some time reaching out to the people who didn't vote for him, instead of pandering to the frenzied mob that want what they want regardless of the consequences. Anyway. I'm rambling now.

[roseneko.livejournal.com]

You are, but that's okay - that's what blogs are for.

I very much agree with that last. Slate had a very good article (http://www.slate.com/id/2203761/) on several ways Obama can walk the walk about being a different kind of president. The two that stuck with me most were #2, appointing Republicans to key positions, and #3, working without pay. #2 would do a lot to support his claim of wanting bipartisanship and to move beyond the red-state vs. blue-state mentality, and there are some very intelligent Republicans out there who could bring a lot to the table. #3 would be a relatively easy move that would be an excellent way of showing his seriousness about fiscal policy. Frankly, if he can make any progress whatsoever on paying down the national debt, he'll be my hero.

[likable-lemur.livejournal.com]

Your train of logic is specious at best, and pigheadedly ignorant at worst.

Assault rifles, bullets and concentrating wealth in the upper echelons of an already-collapsing deregulated capitalism experiment are not the paths forward.

[jamesd.livejournal.com]

Developed countries are in ample supply with things like good national health care, safety net benefits systems that actually work, small businesses in abundance and taxes that aren't outrageous. And a lack of significant risk of a random burglar shooting you in your own home, because the burglar doesn't need to carry a gun in case the home owner has one, so has no reason to risk the extra jail time for carrying he weapon.

You just happen not to live in one of those places, so you're vulnerable to doom-mongers misleading you.