There was a telling qualitative difference in the crowds' responses to Obama's and McCain's election night speeches that spoke volumes
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By Rocky Boschert
The telling difference between Barack Obama and John McCain was exemplified at the very end by the supporter response they each got during their respective election night speeches. Obama’s acknowledgement that John McCain “has sacrificed more than anyone can imagine for the country he loves” was greeted with applause and appreciation. John McCain’s recognition that Obama’s resounding victory was an historical American milestone was greeted with boo’s and jeers.Clearly, one Presidential campaign exemplified hope, good will, positive thought and youth while the other exemplified divisiveness, distrust, and a sort of ‘business as usual” contempt. It is this qualitative difference that propelled Barack Obama to be President-Elect of the United States of America. The United States and the world will be a better place with a Barack Obama Presidency.
With this Presidential election, a majority of Americans finally agreed that for our nation to effectively lead and prosper in a 21st Century global economy, the US President must 1) be intelligent, 2) work from a compassionate multicultural perspective, 3) hire competent help, 4) listen to all sides, 5) try to find mediation and solutions to conflicts, using war only as a last resort, and 6) help others prosper, both inside and outside our country. These are the qualities George W. Bush was unable to instill in his presidency. And in the end, compared to Barack Obama, voters didn’t believe John McCain had these leadership qualities.
Good Riddance to Republican Party Divisiveness
What was rejected on Tuesday, November 4 was a narrow minded, fear-based Republican mindset that tried once again to keep Americans divided and confused with outdated platitudes and false ugly accusations. The election of President-Elect Obama was a national statement signaling an end to the divisive post 9-11 indignation that the Republican Party has exploited all these years to stay in power.
For example, voters ultimately rejected the insipid and phony white, blue collar symbol of “Joe the Plumber.” Joe was in fact neither a licensed plumber nor an entrepreneur nor the average guy looking for economic answers. His image was really an ill-conceived Republican advertising ploy that failed to resonate with the economic multiculturalism of a comprehensive America. In reality, Joe the Plumber seemed more like one of those exploited wrestlers you see on the WWF pay per view events. In the final analysis, Joe the Plumber was Joe the Scammer, going rogue and using the RNC to further his own entertainment career.
The election of Barack Obama to the US Presidency also exposed the lack of competence inherent in the Republican Party leadership. Remember when Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin, as part of their convention speeches, both asserted that Obama’s “community organizing” background was a clear sign of his vapidity and inexperience? Well, Mr. Giuliani and Ms. Palin, it is those inner city “community organizers” from Chicago that kicked your butts and the butts of the Karl Rove-engineered Republican sleaze machine. Forever changed are the strategies and tactics to be used in future election campaigns.
In reality, President-Elect Barack Obama is the best thing that could have happened to the Republican Party. No longer can the RNC and its state and local clones continue to rely primarily on right wing extremists and/or mindless free markets fanatics to get their candidates elected. What is very telling about the current state of the Republican Party is that most of the Party’s moderate intelligentsia ended up endorsing Barack Obama. As a result, a new bi-partisan cooperative America may have emerged from the smoldering ruins of mean-spirited Republican politics and the new confirmed hope of Barack Obama.
In reality, the honeymoon won't last long – progressives must walk the walk
In the end, however, the historic Obama election honeymoon won’t last long. The US economy is in taters and the world needs reconciliation and a coordinated economic plan. Obama and the Democrats need to make good on most of their promises. It is time for liberals and progressives to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Obama has the good will of most of the country now and hopefully he and his party won’t screw it up. All truly patriotic Americans will support Barack Obama as long as he shows common sense and intelligence in matters both domestic and foreign.
Finally, with the election of Barack Obama, we can now take a rest from two endless years of presidential campaigning and three sadly laughable months of Sarah Palin’s political beauty pageantry.
Rocky Boschert has resided in Wimberley since 1993. He currently serves as board president of the Katherine Anne Porter School (KAPS) in Wimberley. Mr. Boschert owns and manages Arrowhead Asset Management.
5 comments:
I respectfully disagree with some of your comments, Rocky.
I am a confirmed "Republicrat." I believe in chosing the best person for the job regardless of party.
It is idealistic to think one party is BETTER than the other. This kind of thinking has divided the American people for too long. Too Left or too Right is not the answer. Barack Obama is not the panacea of all our problems. He will be tested in many ways during his tenure and will need the support of ALL people to succeed. The way he handles responsibility for his failures as well has his accomplishments will be noted by all of us. As an American, I am tired of the blame game that has resounded throughout the two year campaign. Unting takes place when the bashing stops.
Bury the hatchet. Realize ridicule of leaders which were chosen "by the people" is a sign of party frustration and desire for dominance by a specific party to MAKE people think in like ways. That goes for Democrats and Republicans. If Barack doesn't do what he promises, the people will shift the other way.
Hope and Change is a good promise.
The people have spoken and it is our duty to support our new leader.
We should be fostering individual thinking in our young people and encouraging them to investigate the candidates for themselves not intimidate them with ugly remarks in an attempt to sway their opinions.
Real Hope and Change should be about teaching the perils of hate ridden biases by political parties...or the cycle continues.
Dear Anonymous,
What you say about moving on and starting to work together, especially through our kids, are right on. And I thank you for countering and balancing some of my more admittedly cantankerous comments.
But you must admit the ugliness of the (mostly) Republican political campaigns around the nation -- implying that some people don't love America because they are city dwellers, or want to use taxes to help people, or are anti-Christian – should be exposed for its divisiveness and its ignorance.
This may surprise Anonymous but I am a fiscal conservative. But I am also a social liberal. So if and when the Republican Party gets back to its small business, small government roots and becomes truly fiscal conservative again (and stops trying to control people's social lives through religious based legislation), I will again vote for Republican candidates.
Clearly, your Party has some major work to do. Remember when the Republican Party was once the anti-corruption party and used to embrace a libertarian “hands off” civil liberties and foreign policy viewpoint? What happened? Only you and your Party can answer those questions.
What we really need is a third-party, one that uses the best and least intrusive of conservative and liberal values. But until then, both the Democrats and the Republicans are obliged to represent the most Americans possible.
At this point in time, in my opinion, the former does the better job of it and does it in a more positive and compassionate manner.
Rocky Boschert
A strange thing happened Wednesday morning while I was picking up the mail....I ran into a lot of people smiling back at me and even heard two guys whistling two separate tunes(and in harmony!)I really like this new collective mood...can we enjoy it just a bit longer...
"I did not leave the republican party; the republican party left me." What happened to being fically conservative? Why the necessity of combining church and political party?
The most foolhardy, selfish act of this entire election season was the choice of the Alaskan governor for party VP nominee. It was not a choice of reason; it was not a choice of "country first"; it was not a path toward country or world reconcilliation.
It was absolutely the most reckless, irresponsible, selfish, pandering choice I have ever seen- or may ever see- in US politics.
Let's hope that we have hit rock bottom in reckless political foolishness (we're no where near rock bottom economically, right Rocky?), and we can emerge again with a strong 2 or 3 party system full of sensibility.
Ironically each party feels the other was at fault for a dirty politics.
Imagine if the Democratic Party had found McCain attending a church condoning the damning of America. Imagine if the Democratic Party had found McCain with ties to militant anti American leaders during his lifetime. Do you think that information would have been repressed?
Both sides did their best to expose background unbecoming to a polician.
Barack, a relativley unknown by the general public was a masterful invention of the Democratic Party. His charismatic appearance and loquacious speeches overshadowed his lack of credible leadership experience. It is sad to say an old war veteran was hardly a match for this sophisticated invention.
Not to give Bush a break but many difficult decisions took place on his eight year watch. These massive events cost the American people exhorbitant sums of money, pain and suffering over that period. Does the American people forget our tragedies so fast? Would these events have been avoided if the opposite party had been in place? I doubt it. We measure our leadership by how the progression of events are handled from begining to end. I do not fault any President for doing the best they can. I fault a President for doing nothing at all. I want a stong decisive President proud to protect our freedom and capable of making an unpopluar decision if it safeguards our ability to enjoy the Democracy we receive from our labors.
One thing I did not like about the Democratic Party's strategy was the amount of money thrown at this race. Almost a billion dollars was spent to purchase America's Democracy. The sting of this statement may be difficult for some people to hear but it is emarrasing and true. I couldn't help but feel our Democracy CAN be purchased by the highest bidder.
Mainstream media crammed Obama down our throats in a brainwashing frenzy to a point I quit watching TV completley. I resented the low down tactics to constantly belittle, spoof and represent Repulicans as "uncool." I resented the exploitation of poor, uneducated Americans to sign up to vote; something I find a low tactic in order to get more votes for a specific candidate. Caring appropriately for these people should be our main concern, not dumping them the day after elections.
Yes, people do dispicable things to WIN at all costs. I dread voting again in four years. I don't feel my voice or my vote is meaningful anymore. The very thing that meant the most to me my entire adult life has been manipulated by wealthy contributors. The candidate with the most money WINS. Makes for a hollow victory on either side.
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