Wow! There's so much to say about the election that it will have to be spread out over the coming weeks and months. But the strongest feeling I have is one of overwhelming pride in our country. It's amazing that a nation as enormous as ours is is able to go to the polls by the millions in just one day (although in some places, as the President pointed out last night at 2 a.m., that has to be improved on) and then by 11 p.m. the same night we are able to know who has been elected President. The Founding Fathers would be thrilled!
As I wrote about in my recent post, I think our democracy is working just fine. And yesterday was more proof of that. It will be very interesting to see what impact President Obama's reelection now has on the gridlock in Washington. Will the Republicans finally now try to cooperate with the President on all of his initiatives? Should be interesting to watch how much progress is made in the coming months on all of the things the President had been pushing for in his first term.
And, it should be interesting to watch in the coming weeks and months if a full-fledged civil war breaks out in the Republican Party amongst the moderates and the extreme right-wing (Tea Party). With the so-called "Tea Party" completely responsible for the Republican Party's loss yesterday, it should be interesting to see if they are finally called out by the more mainstream Republicans as the irresponsible fanatics that they are. The behavior of those people has been absolutely reprehensible—the very worst example of America. In just a few years they managed to alienate virtually every group of Americans except perhaps rich white people. I haven't seen more despicable behavior in modern-day American history. Kicking handicapped people on the sidewalk, booing our soldiers, screaming for sick people to die! Stomach turning.
As I wrote about in my recent post, I think our democracy is working just fine. And yesterday was more proof of that. It will be very interesting to see what impact President Obama's reelection now has on the gridlock in Washington. Will the Republicans finally now try to cooperate with the President on all of his initiatives? Should be interesting to watch how much progress is made in the coming months on all of the things the President had been pushing for in his first term.
And, it should be interesting to watch in the coming weeks and months if a full-fledged civil war breaks out in the Republican Party amongst the moderates and the extreme right-wing (Tea Party). With the so-called "Tea Party" completely responsible for the Republican Party's loss yesterday, it should be interesting to see if they are finally called out by the more mainstream Republicans as the irresponsible fanatics that they are. The behavior of those people has been absolutely reprehensible—the very worst example of America. In just a few years they managed to alienate virtually every group of Americans except perhaps rich white people. I haven't seen more despicable behavior in modern-day American history. Kicking handicapped people on the sidewalk, booing our soldiers, screaming for sick people to die! Stomach turning.
Drake, First let me state for the record I have no party affiliation. I am a social liberal but fiscal conservative. I do not rejoice in Obama's victory NOR would I have rejoiced in a Romney victory. The problems are GREATER than either one of them and GREATER than either party. I agree that it will be interesting to see what happens in the next four years. However, I disagree about about the state of "Democracy". The United States is NOT and NEVER WAS a "Democracy." We are a Republic. As such, over the past several election cycles, Rebublicans and Democrats alike have been disenfranchised. Why? Because NY has been rendered irrelevant. We are solidly BLUE. All the federal graft will go to the so called SWING states. See, their Votes matter. I literally laughed that the networks waited to call NY, NJ, CA, IL, CT, MA, VT, etc. These were never a question. Literally, Sandy could have wiped out the entire North East and the Electoral Votes for these states would have been the same so long as ONE polling station was able to open. It was laughable that people were talking that we would not know because of Sandy.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, my pessimism stems not from the party in charge of the Executive Branch because like it or not the President is a mere figure head in charge of "enforcing" laws that Congress passes and he signs into law. The President is NOT a decision maker - except to put troops in harms way unlawfully as we have yet to have a declaration of war since world war II.
It seems ALL including the Pundits on both sides have forgotten that the President has absolutely NO economic powers. He can only spend what the House Appropriates and the Senate approves. The House has passed budgets that the Senate refuses to act upon. Now, that House remains Republican and the Senate Democratic - we will have 4 more years of NO Budgets. Does anyone realize that the US has not had a budget has not been passed in the last 3 years. So, we all can dance around the May Pole that Obama has won (it would not have made any difference if Romney won). But, the harsh reality is the United States got what it deserves - "Status Quo".
So to all you Republicans and Democrats - Job Well Done
While you make some good points, I don't think it is quite as simple a situation as you describe. Vitally important is his power to make appointments to the Supreme Court, for example. As we just recently saw in the health care ruling the Supreme Court's decisions impact every American.
DeleteAnd don't underestimate the power of the Presidency to influence public opinion and thereby other elected officials — as long as the policies being proposed are sane ones and not extreme. One such example of the latter was Bush's attempt to privatize social security after he was re-elected. So there are limits to what the president can do even right after being re-elected, if he oversteps.
I am by no means an expert on all of this, but there you have a couple of examples right off the top of my head about why who is President matters big time. If it didn't, you wouldn't have both parties spending billions of dollars to win every four years.
Also, if you want more evidence - just look at the stock market today. It is plummeting. Why? Because the big investors are terrified of what the President will now push for in terms of enhanced regulations on the types of devious financial shenanigans that almost destroyed our economy.
I disagree. It's not all about money. Technically, the President "has absolutely NO economic powers" but this so-called figurehead has the indirect ability to foster a positive or negative outcome for his constitutents. Clinton, thanks to his charisma and cleverness, generated an atmosphere of prosperity that led to an actual, measurable surplus. Bush was entirely destructive - thanks to his willful ignorance, he embarrassed the U.S. in the eyes of the world, poo-poohed Obama Bin Laden (which led to 9/11) and enabled his cronies to push us into the Iraq war, leading the miserable deficit we now have. So don't dismiss the Prez as having limited powers - he has the power to influence others by being the official representative of the U.S. on the world stage. Whether he succeeds or not, Obama stands for multiculturalism, women's rights, fair chance to all, and under his watch, Bin Laden was killed. So cheers for Obama!
ReplyDeleteRepublic and democracy are descriptions of two different things (one is a form of goverment, the other is the system of goverment).
ReplyDeleteAnd the stock market tumbled because of Europe and the fiscal cliff.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I missed something. I thought this WHOLE election was about money, the best steward for the economy to get the "millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share." The Bush "Tax Cuts" can now expire in peace(Yeah) and the "millionaires and billionaires" will start paying their fair share immediately.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to say that Obama's charisma, charm and cleverness have not served this country well thus far. Obamacare is a work in progress which remains to be seen. I do not know of one person who has received medical care under it yet. Nor does anyone else. I know that my boss has now dropped me from a salaried employee into an hourly employee. I now only work part time (but at a rate to keep my weekly pay the same - so I guess that is a raise of sorts - Thanks Obama). But, now I have to find an insurance carrier or pay a Health Care Tax for myself, my wife and my two children. Do not know how that will work yet.
I hate to say this, "World Opinion" means nothing as I have to wait on line to get gas. "World Opinion" does not serve my family well when I am paying a greater price for electric, water, gas, and groceries. Seriously, "World Opinion" did not matter to the Founding Fathers or those before us who marched from one end of the country to the other displacing whole nations of peoples in the name of "manifest destiny". "World Opinion" did not matter when we confiscated Puerto Rico, Guam, etc. "World Opinion" simply did not make this country great". What made this Country great were peoples of ALL different cultures coming here with a unified purpose to make their individual life better through hard work and define themselves as Americans (Irish, Italian, African, etc.) which is FAR different from Today. What made this Country great were all those who served in the Armed Forces to twice save those with "world opinions" who were at war from Tyranny. 29,000 Americans died on D-day alone. How many died 9/11 - approximately 3,000.
Yes, go preach to all the Yahoo's how Obama got Bin Laden. Was it worth it? Trillions of Dollars, Thousands of U.S. Soldiers Lives? Evidently, Obama and Biden now thinks it was worth it. He won an election. Yeah, Death. BUSH put us in these worthless "Police Actions" (Wars), Biden voted to authorize them (please do not try to argue he did not because the record shows he did) and Obama was not in the senate at the time. Obama has presided over these "wars" for 4 years. He could have pulled the troops out on day One but did not (I know it was logistically impossible but we could have left these countries to themselves).
And, if YOU read my statement carefully - I did NOT dismiss Presidential Power - I point out that the President has not the Constitutional Authority to put us into a war. If the Congress abrogates their responsibility then we are left holding massive tax bills for Wars the American People have not voted for. Seriously, do some research - The United States has NOT declared war since WWII.
So, both parties are left with a history of putting Americans at risk for unpopular undeclared wars. It is simply NOT about Bush, Obama, Democrat or Republican. Cheerleading is left for High School girls.
Yeah, Obama lost a billion dollar stealth helicopter for Bin Laden whose death has not been verified nor corroborated by a single non-American.
Wow. Lets Cheer for Obama for killing Osama and lets cheer George Bush for putting us in two unconstitutional wars to give Obama the chance to kill Osama.
So Cheer away. Pardon me - I am not so Cheerful. I will be Thankful when ALL of our troops are home and out of harms way. On that day, IF it occurs under Obama - I will cheer.