Yes, Obama Is My President

I've been writing about the election just past since 2006 and some posts reference it earlier. I was wrapped up in the daily minutiae more than most and some would say to an insane level. I followed every detail and you can read my thoughts just scanning this blog.

That said, I admit that yes, I am disappointed. I'm disappointed that McCain ran a bad campaign, I'm disappointed that America forgot about Iraq and Afghanistan because things are going well there, I'm disappointed that Americans allowed the media to dictate the stories of the day, I'm disappointed that Sarah Palin was treated like garbage when it would have been different had she been a Democrat, I'm disappointed that the Bush administration strayed from the conservative principles that have made us a center-right country since 1980, I'm disappointed that Hillary supporters have so little self-respect that they still voted for a man who disrespected her immensely and poured salt in every wound and finally, I'm disappointed that Barack Obama won.

But the simple fact is that Obama did win and did so in convincing fashion (not a mandate but I'll cover that later). He ran a solid campaign and stuck to the points he wanted to make. Yes, he actually espoused many conservative views and yes, he pandered but he was steady and smooth. So, as the next President, he will be my president. I'm not about to play this game that liberals did when George Bush won; running around saying "he's not my President" or some other such rubbish. No, I'm a vet and a vet is trained to follow the orders of the Commander in Chief. The new CinC will be Obama. I don't have to be happy and I will criticize every single policy decision he makes but he's still the President-elect of the US and as such deserves my respect.

The country sought a new direction after the last eight years, it happens often as it did most recently in 2000. The economic collapse was a big deal as was, ironically, the surge that was championed by McCain and panned by Obama but which actually was so successful, it took the war issue off the table. People are looking for a scapegoat and some have focused on Palin but she was not to blame. John McCain is a good and honorable man and deserves the respect and gratitude of every American but he was a horrible candidate. He didn't energize anyone (Palin sure as hell did, though) and juxtaposed with Obama looked old, sounded stale and lacked the pizazz of the younger, more vibrant Democrat.

So, to sum up, I accept the fact that Obama is the next President and I congratulate him and his supporters for the long hard campaign they won. It was a grassroots effort that energized people (some so much they contributed daily and voted three times, but I digress) from all walks of life. Dare I say it was Reaganesque? I'm not going to be like the libs were over the last eight years where they hoped for bad things to happen, wanted the economy to tank, some even hoped we would be attacked again or were joyful when the death count in Iraq reached two, three and four thousand. Those people are scumbags and beneath contempt and were the very worst of what America is. I'm not them, I want good things for this, the greatest nation God has ever given man. I want low unemployment and low taxes so people can live their lives with a little spending cash and a chance at a decent retirement. I want a secure nation where we worry about what college our kids will get into and not where some Islamo-fascist is going to target next. I want a nation of free markets and freer people. I want the Dow to pass 20,000 and the median income to approach $70,000 per annum. In essence, I want America to thrive and that surpasses any and all partisanship.