On this morning, there are liberals and far-leftists still dancing in the streets, celebrating the election of Sen. Barack Obama as the next president. I will claim that this is historic in the sense that he is the first black man to win the presidency. I will argue however, that I do not belive that this is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had in mind when he dreamed of this day. Dr. King proudly proclaimed that we judge the content of a man before we judge the color of a man. Regardless of what people may say, there were a lot of individuals that voted for John McCain because he was the white candidate, and on the other side, many people voted for Barack Obama because he was the black candidate.
This race was not won on pure experience or standings concerning political beliefs, or who was more qualified to run this country. Exit polls conducted by Zogby and the AP in both Ohio and Pennsylvania proved this point. Among those who were polled 60% believed John McCain was the more experienced candidate. 69% believed that John McCain had the better foreign policies and was more qualified as a leader. With that information now on hand, I have to ask the question, did people vote for Obama, or did they vote against the Republican Party? I tend to believe that it was the latter.
I cannot change the outcome of this election. I cast my vote and my voice was heard. With that, what is next for America? I think the following problems need to be addressed. With the economy in an unstable, up and down cycle, Obama and his cabinet need to address relief to middle income families and small business owners throughout the US. That means a definitive tax break, not a tax increase. We need a continued focus on international security. The current situation in the Mid-East needs specific attention. The War on Terror must remain our most immediate focus. If this is placed to the wayside, like it has been during other Democratic presidents in the past, we will continue to see the escalation of nuclear arsenals in Iran, more sectarian violence in Afghanistan and Iraq and continued problems with the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Diplomacy may have its place in places like the UN and European Council, but it has no place on the battleground.
I do hope that there is change. I do not like war. Having been in two separate conflicts in my eight years in the Marine Corps, I can say without a doubt, that it was not an experience that I would like to repeat, but I would if my country called. I do not particularly like higher taxes, especially if those higher taxes pay for what I, and many people like me, consider unnecessary and corrupted programs like welfare and Planned Parenthood. These programs may have good intentions, but they need to be regulated better.
In the next four years Barack Obama has to put into place a lot of campaign promises. Promises that were unrealistic goals. Now he has to stand by them, and begin to take action. Failure to deliver will only reinforce what many have said allready, that Barack Obama was never ready for this position and never will be.
Jordan Fleck
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I stayed up late last evening to ring in the dawning of a new age in America. It was a moment of unity and purpose among the people of our nation that emanated from the faces of those in Unity Park that defined the moment for me. As the cameras panned the crowd, I was amazed by the looks of joy I saw. Their excitement reached through the television screen and touched my soul. I was watching what is referred to as ‘a moment in history’. There are not many that we actually see and experience in our lifetime, but you know one when you see one.
I was a student in Maryland in the 1960’s where desegregation was the order of the day; where we had race riots in my high school; and where ‘hippies’ were the new generation of peace and love. I wondered where we were going. I have always embraced the belief that all men and women were created equal, but in reality, I saw that was not so. It has been an up hill struggle for those of color and women in this nation to make their voices heard and fight for that equality. To overcome the stigma of a negative characterization some tried to brand us with, we had to rewrite that definition by harnessing a firm hold of our belief in equality and to demonstrate a determination that we would prevail in that belief. The mantra of ‘equality’ has been a low-pitched hum vibrating beneath the ebb and flow of society since the 60’s. Through the years, the constant pulse of that drumbeat gave us the fortitude to hold on to that tiny flicker of hope. We believed that our perseverance would eventually payoff.
The last several months I watched that flicker of hope grow. I watch as it was rekindled in the minds and hearts of the people across this land who are a part of the nation I love. It ignited a firestorm that enabled a visionary, Senator Obama, to carry that torch to a well-earned and well-deserved victory. Today, I awoke with a renewed believe that we can do anything we put our minds to, be anything we want to be, and to know that America will be a better place for our children and grandchildren.
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