You didn't ask me, but I have a million thoughts running around inside my head ever since President-Elect Barack Obama sealed the deal.
So in no particular order here's a tour of my brain today:
- How will Obama govern? I believe he built an extraordinary coalition of voters who combine center-right, center, center-left and left political ideologies. My only hope is that Obama will take a center position on financial and economic issues and a progressive stance on social and cultural issues. We really need BIG thinking on health care, global warming, energy independence, poverty, and education.
- I hope Obama brings in fresh thinkers and new faces - I'm already a little distressed at all the Clintonites being mentioned as potential key appointees.
- I just joined the Loyal Opposition - to help watch and monitor the new Obama Administration. I'm so far left in my political ideology that I no longer expect a candidate or a President to speak to my issues. But, I do expect this President to reject center-right governance and make some very big progressive moves in the areas I mentioned above.
- Where goeth the Republican Party? How will they now re-brand and re-identify themselves. The Republican Party is so splintered that's it's almost inconceivable that they will end up agreeing on anything. But beware the further hijacking of the Republican Party by their rabid, far right wing social conservative movement. These are the Republicans that base everything upon their Christian fundamentalist value system. These are the Republicans that place ending any hope of gay marriage and ending abortion on top of their "to do" list at the expense of all else, including election victories. These are the Republicans that the Republican Party sold it's collective soul to. I would love to be a fly on the wall when the neo-cons meet in D.C. I would love to hear the discussion that the "Guns, God & Country" folks will be having.
- I'm thinking that maybe a meaningful percentage of the American voting public have grown tired of the slash and burn, divide and conquer philosophy of the Republican hierarchy. I'm hopeful that Americans have had enough of the lies, divisive rhetoric and hateful speech that has dominated our political landscape for the past decade.
Meanwhile, I'm going to continue to bask in the still unbelievable joy of having helped elect America's first African American president. And a man of exceptional intelligence, courage and strength.
I don't want to have a beer with President Obama, I just want to be able to admire him from afar.
