Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Just so no one will be confused where I stand.


The true test of the American ideal is whether we’re able to recognize our failings and then rise together to meet the challenges of our time. Whether we allow ourselves to be shaped by events and history, or whether we act to shape them. Whether chance of birth or circumstance decides life’s big winners and losers, or whether we build a community where, at the very least, everyone has a chance to work hard, get ahead, and reach their dreams.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 4, 2005

While it is still early McCain's path to victory is looking thinner by the minute. So forgive me if I start to get contemplative on what lays ahead. It's an old military adage that while winning the battle is hard, winning the peace is even harder. A nearly wrecked economy, a military spread desperately thin fighting two wars, a drug-like addiction to foreign oil, an education system that after decades still falls embarrassingly short of preparing children for the 21st century, and finally and perhaps worst of all an American people that has been polarized and fractured to the point that some people openly question who is "pro-American" and "anti-American".

If Obama does end up winning the election the battle will be far from over. Expectations of a massive progressive agenda will have to be balanced with economic and political realities. Bridges will have to built with those on the other side who are willing to work together in good faith. Along with exposing and isolating those out to sabotage efforts to help the country from either side whether it be spiteful Republicans out for revenge or rogue Democrats out to score points for their own purposes.

A President Obama will still need our support even more then as he tries to knit a wounded country back together and sets it back on a road toward the principles it was founded on instead of a government that just craters to those with access to power and wealth. It will not be easy, success will not come overnight, and some might become impatient with pet issues that are not addressed as quickly or as intensively as they want. This is where we have to act with the same energy and motivation that carried Senator Obama through close to two years of hell to the White House. In other words instead of acting like spoiled children we will finally have to act like the Americans we claim to be. Lets hope we are up to this battle because it will be far harder than just getting Obama elected.

18 comments:

Vigilante said...

Well said, Beach.

lime said...

very well said indeed. thank you.

Randal Graves said...

You mean everything isn't magically fixed immediately? Well hell.

Unknown said...

Aye, Beach, aye!

Stella by Starlight said...

Change to: Now that Obama won the election the battle will be far from over.

Beach, this is so well written and exactly on point. The real challenge is the road ahead. Obama has a lot of clean up to do.

Commander Zaius said...

Vigil: Just today several of my African-American co-workers and fellow Obama supporters were talking about how good it was going to get under Obama. I had to jump in and say that we don't know what is going to happen tomorrow much less a few months down the road. I do believe Obama will achieve much during is time in office but to abuse another military term direct frontal assaults are often far more costly than they are worth and that compromise and leadership that inspires others to take on a issue that they normally wouldn't want can do wonders.

Lime: Thank you, Hopefully during this time we can knit the fractured sections of the country back together and build a real consensus.

Randal: Holy shit I wish, but far too many people believe that like in television problems can be solved in a convenient hourly time frame.

Stella: My reason for supporting him is my belief that he will inspire us to take responsibility for the country we say we love and work together to make it better. While we have much to clean up I think we will make real progress with him in leading the effort.

Keshi said...

BB I missed ya! :)

Im so happy abt Obama winning it. I was overjoyed!

A nation divided is the worst thing that can ever happen. United should all Americans be.



** It will not be easy, success will not come overnight, and some might become impatient with pet issues that are not addressed as quickly or as intensively as they want.

I so agree. There's alot of work to be done by the PEOPLE for the PEOPLE. Obama needs all Americans' support!

God bless America! :)

A great post here BB!


Keshi.

Forrest Proper said...

but... but.... but... you mean he won't ask us to solve all the nation's problems by going shopping???

Anonymous said...

Amen!

Jessica said...

Friend speak my mind! :)

Mike said...

Apparently the only people that really expected him to fix everything overnight are those on Fox News.They've already had a series of articles talking about his failures.

santoshi said...

i like Obama in the above image.

Distributorcap said...

well the battles are already beginnning and he isnt even in office

Commander Zaius said...

Keshi: I'm still not quite believing it, so much of the republican power base was arrayed against him and I was worried that the Clintons might actually sabotage him so Hillary could run again 2012. But he won and won big.

Colonel: Yeah, that "shopping" statement Bush made after 9/11 will give inspiration to many in future crisis just like the stuff Churchill said during the dark days of WW2 does today. I'm sure President-elect Obama (I get a kick writing that) is kicking himself for Bush already saying it.

Joan and Jessica: After President-elect Obama's press conference I had a huge smile realizing that we now had a leader that could talk and chew gum at the same time. Also, its a big plus that we will no longer have to watch Bush clearing brush on his ranch anymore.

Mike: I watched election coverage on CNN and MSNBC, but I did find myself wondering how the neo-nazis on Faux Noise were handling all the bad news. Yeah, they are going to be an even bigger pain in that ass now that it won't do any good to suck Bush and Cheney's ass anymore.

Santoshi: Welcome and please come back anytime. I'll drop by your site soon. I stole the image from Colonel's site.

DCap: Yeah, Limbaugh is laying the recession on President-elect Obama even now. Someone send him a bottle of Viagra.

Kentucky Rain said...

I agree that he won "big" but the pundits claim it wasn't a landslide. I wonder what constitutes a landslide?

Utah Savage said...

Great writing Beach. I'm with you every step of the way. And as I roam around reading blogs, I'm hearing a lot of people with this narrow, angry worry about their particular hobby horse not getting exactly what they want right now. At least lets wait until he's sworn in to start the sniping.

I was pissed off at California, but I don't expect Obama to fix that mess. I expect California, the ACLU and the courts to fix that mess.

Commander Zaius said...

Utah: California really disappointed me on the gay marriage ban. I expect such behavior from South Carolina. Yeah, I'm slightly worried that special interest groups will start whining when their sacred cows are not addressed fifteen minutes after President Obama takes office.

On a separate note working on a new fiction short story that I must admit has a good premise but working out the details is hard.
Finding some place quiet to work is not getting any better.

Commander Zaius said...

MadMike: Whats funny was that back in 2000 I remember Limbaugh claiming that Bush won a mandate completely overlooking that he lost the popular vote. What is an landslide? I don't know but Obama did win a mandate pure and simple.