Comments on: The Next Morning in America

By: natalija

natalija — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:39:07 +0000

To be completely honest, as someone living in Canada, I’m a little disappointed. Not because I don’t think that Barack won’t do a good job with the crisis he’s facing (or that he won’t try hard to do so), but because the circumstances of his being selected don’t indicate to me that the United States is as… forward-thinking and accepting as they’re making themselves out to be through this election.

In short, I think there were plenty of people who voted for Barack because in their minds he was the lesser of the two evils. Really, if McCain hadn’t done such a terrible campaign job (and picked such a horrid running-mate), would Barack still have been chosen? Probably not.

In short, I suppose, it feels to me that Barack was selected not for his ideas but out of sheer luck of the draw. Bush screwed up big time, and McCain also just screwed up his campaign (I mean, really, saying that Barack’s not an American? What?). So citizens voted for the other guy.

That being said, I’m still absolutely thrilled that he was chosen. In terms of what I think he’ll do with the government, I think he’s going to make smart, conservative choices that after years of practice lead the United States out of the grave it’s dug for itself thus far. At least, if America’s patient enough to wait for that.

Sorry for the length–I’m rather long-winded sometimes…

By: minxlj

minxlj — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 18:45:13 +0000

I don’t think it’s any secret that I’ve been rooting for Obama too – here in the UK we obviously have quite a vested interest in his presidency and all that will come from it. I’m expecting great things, and I think he’s already started doing great things – ordering the shutdown of Guantanamo already, the man means business and he’s not wasting any time.

I’m thrilled that he has specifically mentioned science and his intention to lift the current ban on any charity giving information about abortion being given state funding (I didn’t know that one before this week and I was thoroughly disgusted that it has even been allowed to happen, to be honest. Bush would have gone right to an archaic practice of outlawing abortion altogether if it were up to him)

Above any expectation I have of him, when I watch him speak I thoroughly TRUST him. I’m not sure if I’ve ever really felt that of a politician, in the true sense. He is a dignified man and a worthy public speaker…I really can’t see there being such a thing as ‘Obama-isms’ in a couple of years time. But then again, Bush has given the world all the gaffes we need

By: beckibritt

beckibritt — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:36:40 +0000

I do expect miracles. But I guess my definition of miracle is just to be able to enjoy my family without repercussions. My partner is in the Air Force and lives in fear that she can be discharged just for who she is. We have three beautiful children and pretty much live a boring regular life just like everyone else, except NOT like everyone else. We can’t file taxes together. When she stayed home for a year with our newest child, I couldn’t put her on my insurance coverage. And I have no legal rights to survivor benefits should something happen to her while serving our country. So do I expect miracles? You bet I do. I’m counting on them, and Obama.

By: blurb

blurb — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:35:58 +0000

makfan, I have appreciated the tone and nature of the comments as well!

Despite partisan differences, we can all find hope in electing a minority to the Presidency.

Thank you all for your civility. Here’s to the next four years being better than the last four.

By: Stacey G.

Stacey G. — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:20:12 +0000

I’m nineteen years old, and this was my first chance to vote in a Presidential election. I grew up with Bush in office; I don’t even remember the Clinton years clearly. I voted for Barack Obama. And today, I didn’t cringe when I thought about my– our– President. Instead, I felt an almost overwhelming pride and hope for who we’ve elected. What an unbelievable feeling to not be ashamed of being an American.

I’m not sure, frankly, if President Obama will live up to the expectations that people already have of him. But I do believe that he can only improve the situation we are in. I believe the American people are ready for change, and if nothing else, he is offering that. However small, we can only benefit.

Here’s to the next four years.

By: makfan

makfan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:26:50 +0000

I’m with you Jon. I’ll even go so far as to say that Obama will make mistakes. I expect they will be mistakes of good intention, rather than of cronyism and an unrelenting desire for more power.

I also want to say that I have appreciated the tone and nature of the comments from non-Obama voters in this discussion.

By: jesster

jesster — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:25:07 +0000

I supported Obama from the beginning…I like Hillary, but agreed with Obama more on more issues. I live in Hawaii and got up at 3 am to watch the coverage and have watched it all day.
There were several things that struck me about today…
He spoke about many faiths as well as non-believers, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever heard that come out of a politician’s mouth in recent memory. Just the vocabulary he used in his speech was refreshing. And you could tell that he knew what the words meant.
He and his family are real. There doesn’t seem to be any pretense there. Watching him and Michelle with their daughters today was great. I’m sure it helps that he is closer to me in age than I have ever been to a President, but he seems to “get” it – whether it is not wanting to give up his blackberry or knowing who Beyonce is. He isn’t completely out of touch.
I’m also dealing with this feeling that many call “patriotism.” I don’t exactly know what to do with the feeling, but it is kinda cool.
The day is one that I will remember for the rest of my life. My parents had Camelot, but I think I got the better deal.

By: NinaCoolada

NinaCoolada — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:47:15 +0000

Let me start off by saying, what an exciting time for so many people right now. My story is simple. I was raised in a very conservative home-Republican blood runs in these veins of mine. I work for a very conservative company and to top it off, I work in the Political division! Republican and conservative organizations that have been doing EVERYTHING in their power to try and stop Obama for months. I will admit now that no, I did not vote for Obama. But when I think back to that day at the voting booth, I just had this battle of epic proportions in my head while trying to vote for the next president. I wanted to vote for Obama, I did the research. I had Obama checked-and changed my vote because there was something inside me that screamed everything you have been taught to know goes against what your vote represents right now. I started to have a small temper tantrum because I wanted to. There was a significant number of Americans my age that voted for Obama. It was the cool thing to do. Celebrities, friends, teachers all believed in him. But i needed more satisfaction for myself before I made the plunge into the Democrat world. I have been raised to believe that Reagan was THE greatest president alive and Clinton was a sore on humanity. My mother along with several others have been saying that Obama is the Anti-Christ and after a year or so of repeatedly hearing that, how was i suppose to vote for the man without feeling guilty? Yeah, I’m 22 years old and don’t have the backbone to face my mother by telling her that i voted for the Anti-Christ
So I lost-Republicans lost. I am okay with that. I’m excited to see what happens next.
So we’re here. It is an amazing thing that happened today. What people have done to get this far. Watching a close friend cry because her son really can become the next president was a great feeling to experience. It’s for them. And now I get it. I get the hype. I get the hope people feel. I get that we need change for the good. We are pressing onto some extremely trying times. I hope that this will be what America needs It’s great that so many people are happy about the future and that is what this is all about-Change! Let’s see what he can do-what we can do by manifesting the dream!

By: Le Fiffre

Le Fiffre — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:42:24 +0000

Half a dozen colleagues gathered around my laptop as bandwidth strained to handle the load of hulu bringing us the inauguration and oath of office.

I’ll remember this. Riveting.

@ DrKoob +1

It was a good inaugural speech, but he wasn’t swinging for the bleachers. He was stating his values, steeling us for the long haul, putting congress on notice, and denouncing the policies of the previous eight years (in a code that may have sailed cleanly over the former president’s head). He knows this party is going to end, reality will sink in gloomier than ever, and he’ll need to pull out the oratorical tour de force to rally the nation to make the sacrifices that must be made.

Lincoln’s second inaugural speech is the one we remember best.

By: tcc

tcc — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 02:52:25 +0000

As a duel citizen I was able to vote in both the Canadian and US election in the span of one month. For the first time in a long time I was actually much more happy with the results below the 49th. Canada needs some new blood in the political scene, hopefully Mr. Obama has been an inspiration for something to happen up here.

Congratulation USofA, you not only gained a much needed new president today, you also gained an enormous amount of international respect, something that had been lacking fro some time.