And No, I'm not talking about the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. While there's plenty to be excited about with the election, count me amongst the people who are cautiously optimistic about the next administration. Emphasis on cautiously. I'm talking about the fact that, with record voter turnout, the country is proving to itself and to the world that it's not apathetic about its institutions. And that each citizen has the right to participate in something so sweeping and important is what's really pretty awesome about America. Oh, and Dr. Pepper. That stuff's delicious.
I don't want to get too political at the moment, since the Bruins just won and I need to blog about that, obviously, but here are my thoughts at the moment:
1. The election is OVER. Thank *God*. After hearing so much about how the opinions of undecided votes matter more in states that aren't mine, or how being horribly unqualified for a position doesn't mean you aren't the best choice for it, it's finally over. If nothing else, not seeing a screen full of "experts" talking about something that doesn't directly affect me at all will be nice.
2. ...There's the John McCain I know and love! Took him long enough for him to show up. I haven't seen him since...what, when he won the nomination? Maybe even before that...last year, when he nearly was out of the Republican race to the likes of Mitt "Please Tell Me What You Want to Hear" Romney. Maybe that's when he was abducted by aliens, or replaced by a bio-mimetic replicant. Maybe he's the Final Cylon, I don't know. All I am sure of is, if McCain had run his campaign with the same kind of grace and dignity that he featured in his concession speech, I would have DEFINITELY voted for him. Alas, somewhere along the way someone convinced him that he needed to shore up the Republican base at the expense of every single undecided voter in the country, and this is what happened. Also, he picked possibly the worst VP candidate in the history of the universe. Sarah Palin needs to go back to Alaska, change her position on the Bridge to Nowhere a few more times, and become the answer to a question in Trivial Pursuit in 2015. If this is the way the Republican Party is headed, then you can count me out until she's off the national stage. I dunno if I'd go as far as throwing my hat down with the Democrats, but if Palin runs for national office again, it might just come to that.
3. That being said, I am exicted about the Obama Administration. This is not because I feel that he will automatically become out greatest president ever. Unless he soundly defeats imminent threats to our national security on two fronts while simultaneously leading the country from a crippling depression into Superpowerdom, he's got some stiff competition. However, as the current administration has done such a spectacular job of fucking up everything they possibly could as badly as they possibly could, the bar is set pretty low for Obama to be a better president than Bush. This is not to say (as I think we need history to be the judge) that Bush is our worst president ever. But he's certainly in the running.
4. While I might be in support of the Obama Administration for what potential they have, PLEASE, Obamaites, understand that it is UNREALIZED potential. I might not be able to call myself a Republican while a once principled party is being held captive by the Religious Right and their Agents of Intolerance (seriously, Johnny Mac...where did you go?), but I'm no card-carrying Dem either. Anyone who believes that everything will be perfect now that Obama is president-elect is deluding themselves, and anyone who believes that his election in itself is proof of his awesomeness needs to take a deep breath. He even said as much in his speech. Obama has a long way to go in proving that he has the stones to be President, and a lot of that has to do with him coming through on his campaign goals. I'm not saying he needs to do everything in his first 100 days, but getting some smaller, more doable stuff pushed through the new Congress would go a long way to building a good foundation. And please, Obamaites...fanatical Bush supporters might make your stomach turn, but you're dangerously close to doing that to everyone else. Take your guy's victory in stride, and try to celebrate tasetfully. All I'm saying is, let's see what the guy can do before we annoit him. OK?
OK. Now that's out of the way. Can we all band together and make this a better 4 years? McCain called his supporters to do so in his speech, and while the Religious Right didn't deserve a candidate as descent and honest as McCain to corrupt and defile, I've got my fingers crossed that he's back to his old self. He needs to reach across the aisle, and Obama needs to take his hand. Otherwise, the country will remain as divided as it's been for the last 8 years, and in that case, nobody wins.
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