Elections have consequences

Nothing was more self-evident when George W. Bush uttered these words just four short years ago. Indeed elections do have consequences, but you won't hear Barack Obama so boastfully proclaiming it. Unlike George W. Bush in 2004, president-elect Obama isn't so quick to rub his newly received political capital in the faces of his former adversaries. The one thing we've learned from the former editor of the Harvard Law Review is that he is immensely intelligent and diplomatic. Make no mistake; Mr. Obama knows elections have consequences, and that he now has an extraordinary ability to affect change. Political capital can be used on something as simple as rhetoric. You won't hear Obama wasting his, proclaiming the obvious. This speaks greatly about the character of the man the voters elected by a margin far greater than George W. Bush won either time.

The day after the election, I took great pleasure in hearing, in his signature Texas twang, the words "Barack Obama" come out of George W's mouth during his congratulatory speech. It almost sounded as if it was the first time he'd ever spoke the man's name. I'm sure I wasn't the only one that felt a little awkward hearing it.

I also think its worth noting that Mr. Obama was elected on a very centrist platform. For all the charges that he is the “most liberal senator” he ran a remarkably centrist campaign. For those of you thinking that he will enact some wildly left agenda, I think you’re going to be in for a disappointment. The group that will probably be most disappointed by the Obama presidency is the far left. Mr. Obama has always been a fence mender, someone who seeks common ground with his adversaries. You don’t win states like Indiana, Virginia, and North Carolina running as a wild leftist. He has absolutely nothing to gain from governing as an extreme liberal, and everything to gain governing as a centrist. He likely won’t sacrifice his principles, but if history is any indication, his default position will be to seek common ground giving the opposition far more than they expect.

I'll make no bones about it; I believe the election of Barack Obama is deliverance. We were spared the horrible fate of electing a man exhibiting the signs of borderline senility, and his bible pounding ignoramus sidekick. The fact that John McCain, a 72 year-old with a history of cancer, would pick someone so horribly unqualified was a horrible judgment on him. No matter what you think about Obama and his policies, I believe electing him was the only responsible choice. Issues aside, I will always chose competence over ideology. Luckily in this case, I personally got most of what I wanted.