Give Obama A Chance

To my disappointment—but not to my surprise—Barak Obama will be the next President of the United States.     Although I still have many of the same concerns about Obama that I have previously expressed on this blog, the election is over, and it’s time to turn the page and move on.    Like it or not, Obama is going to be the next President.    Let’s support him and give him a chance to be successful. 

I know and respect many people who supported Obama, including some close relatives.     They are intelligent people, and they—like I—want what is best for this country.    They obviously saw something in Obama and his policies that I did not see.   I hope and pray they were right and I was wrong.   It will not benefit my family or the country at large if subsequent events demonstrate that my concerns were justified.   I have no desire to be able to say, “I told you so.”   Instead, I hope and pray those who supported Obama will be able to say to me, “I told you so.”   At this point, there is nothing I would like better than to come to the conclusion that Obama was the right person at the right time to lead this country. 

I have been accused of being stupid and loony for my opposition to Obama.   Today, I hope I am stupid and loony.   I acknowledge I have been wrong before.   I have voted for victorious candidates who later disappointed me and failed to meet my expectations.   I have also voted against victorious candidates who turned out to be outstanding leaders.   Even though I did not support Obama, I am ready to give him a chance to prove I was wrong again, and I hope he does.   Unless history proves that my concerns about Obama were not justified, then our country will have taken a giant step toward socialism, and future generations will not have the same freedoms and opportunities that I have enjoyed.  

Politicians who are members of the minority party, or the party that does not control the White House, frequently seem to want bad things to happen to the country so they can blame the majority party, or the President, or both, as part of their strategy to regain power.   We have all observed politicians who seem to rejoice at bad news because it will help them politically.    Well, I am not a politician, and I will never hope for bad news.  I want only the best for the country.  

During the campaign, Obama pledged to change the environment in Washington, to end the bitter partisanship that has poisoned the political discourse in this country, and to unite the country.    Let’s give him a chance to do so.  The citizens of this country want and expect our elected officials to work together and to solve the problems facing the country in a bipartisan manner.   This can only happen if both sides are willing to meet each other half way.   This cannot happen if those who opposed Obama treat him with contempt, disrespect, and hatred.   In other words, this cannot happen if Republicans treat Obama the way Democrats have treated George Bush during the last eight years.   I hope the Republicans will not stoop to the same level and instead will make an effort to work with Obama rather than against him.    If Obama is unwilling to govern in a bipartisan manner as he pledged to do, let the blame rest on his shoulders.    Don’t give him the opportunity to say his opponents were unwilling to work with him.    

By expressing hope that conservatives will give Obama a chance and will attempt to work with him, I am not suggesting that they roll over and play dead and agree to whatever Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress want to do.   Debate and dissent are essential in a free country.    The debate and dissent, however, need to be respectful, and opposing positions need to be supported by facts and logic rather than by accusations and insults.   

When you don’t have any power, you have to get along with those who do have the power, you have to justify your positions through persuasive arguments, and you have to be willing to compromise.   It should be noted, however, that compromise is a two-way street.   You cannot compromise with someone who is not willing to compromise with you.   Let’s hope that Obama is willing to listen to thoughtful arguments and proposals from the minority party and to compromise with it, even though he may not need to do so as a result of the strong control the Democrats will have over both Houses of Congress.     

The campaign is over, but the hard work is just beginning.   The country faces serious problems that need to be addressed in a bipartisan manner and with all of our leaders working together to find the best solutions.   Today, I hope Obama is the right person to undertake this enormously difficult task.    We will get an early test of Obama’s commitment to bipartisanship and unity when he begins to name his Cabinet members and key advisers. 

In a way, I feel sorry for Obama.   He has been exalted to such a level that he will face unreasonable expectations from his own supporters.  Consider this question that NBC’s Matt Lauer asked to Obama on the Today show on October 20:   "People have called you 'The Savior,' 'The Messiah,' 'The Messenger of Change.'  ….  If you are … lucky enough to be elected the next President, are you going to have to consciously manage expectations during the first several months of your administration?"    The preface to the question, of course, was absurd, but it demonstrates the problem that Obama now faces because of how he was virtually worshipped by his some of his supporters and most of the news media.  

Obama will not be able to please everyone, even his own supporters.    If he tries, his Presidency will be a failure.    But I hope everyone, especially those who supported him, will lower their expectations and give him a chance to succeed.