Our long national nightmare is over

Jason Ferguson

Published: Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

Has it been two years already? Two of the most acrimonious years I can remember, and probably in political history, came to an end the night of Nov. 4, when Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. Obama won with relative ease over John McCain, and I can’t help but think Obama owes a big assist to George W. Bush for his victory. I believe this election was just as much of a referendum on this country’s disgust for Bush as it was a nod of approval for Obama. Obama is a slick talker and ran a brilliant campaign, comparing McCain to Bush at every opportunity. If there was one thing most of this country could agree on it was that the last four years under George Bush have been an absolute disaster. From two unpopular wars to a tanking economy, awful foreign relations to outrageous gas prices. Virtually everything that can go wrong in this country in the last four years has, and the vitriol for all of that has been aimed at George Bush—a man who will probably be remembered as one of, if not the, most unpopular president in the history of the United States. McCain did the best he can, but the deck was simply stacked too much against him. Simply put, people are sick of Republicans right now, and that is thanks to Bush. Battleground states that typically go for Republicans in elections, such as Florida, were overwhelmingly in favor of Obama this time around. Even counties in those states that are truly red areas were more in favor of Obama. Republicans lost even more seats in both the House and the Senate. Many of those who lost’s only crime was having an (R) next to their name on the ballot. After four years, people were fed up and wanted to go a new direction. That frustration and disgust came to a head Nov. 4. Obama being elected President was indeed an historical night. Not only is he the first African-American president elected in the United States, but his election appeared to almost instantaneously improve the country’s standing in the world, with many country’s leaders talking of their approval of the vote, and citizens of those countries literally dancing in the streets upon hearing of Obama’s victory. I dare say the same would not have happened had McCain won. “This is the fall of the Berlin Wall times 10,” Rama Yade, France's black junior minister for human rights, told French radio according to an Associated Press story. “America is rebecoming a New World. “On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes,” she said. In Britain, The Sun newspaper borrowed from Neil Armstrong's 1969 moon landing in describing Obama's election as “one giant leap for mankind.” One thing that remains to be seen in the fall-out from one of the most bitter campaigns ever. Before the election was even over, I read stories about families on both sides of the aisle saying they would move to another country if their candidate didn’t win. I can’t think of anything more damaging to the country than to make statements like that. Hasn’t there been enough hatred in the last four years to last us a lifetime? If your candidate lost, it’s fine to feel disappointment. But before you start going overboard with anti-Barack Obama propaganda, remember that before you were a Republican, or before you were a Democrat, you were an American. First and foremost, you are a citizen of the United States of America. That didn’t change when Obama was elected President. Regardless of who won, you should be proud to be an American and support your commander in chief. I will be the first to say I wasn’t a big fan of Obama, nor was I a huge fan of McCain. Both men had parts of their platform I couldn’t stand. The same is true of George Bush. The past four years with him as President have been like a daily trip to the dentist for me. That being said, I have continued to support him as our President and our elected commander in chief. I still try to search for positives in him. This country has not been attacked since Sept. 11, 2001, and you can bet Bush deserves a great deal of credit for that. I guess what I’m getting at is that saying Obama isn’t “your” President is tantamount to taking your ball and going home. And for those of you who don’t like Obama just because he’s black? I guess I just feel sorry for you. It must be painful to be that ignorant. It’s time for American to rally around each other, and President-elect Obama. The world is a dangerous place, and there are still many of those who want nothing more than to see American fall. Infighting over this election is just another step in that direction. Let this election galvanize us, not tear us apart further. We have had too much of that. Now comes the hard part for Obama. As one talking head said election night—and it bears repeating—Barack Obama will never, and I mean never, be as popular as he is right now. Many of his supporters think he can walk on water, make the blind see and cure the sick. When Jan. 20 hits, however, and it’s time for the rubber to hit the road, we will see just how much “change” he can really enact. Obama ran as much more of a centrist than his voting record reflects. He ran as a tax cutter, a man who supports the right to bear arms and a man who supports things like domestic surveillance. Now is the time we see whether that is the true Barack Obama, or a man who said what he had to say to win an election. He will have no excuses to not get our government out of the paralysis it has been stuck in. Both the Senate and the House are going to have large Democratic majorities. Even if Obama wasn’t your man, give him a chance. Maybe he will turn out to be the inexperienced, socialist salesman most Republicans believe he is. If he is, can we call him on it? “Yes, we can!” But what if he is not? What if he truly is a President who brings the world together, improves our country’s standing in the world and rescues an economy teetering on the brink of collapse. Would that be such a bad thing? I think not.  We are all Americans. We all love our country. Now that the election is over, let us remember to put our country first. Regardless of what side of the aisle we are on, I think we can all agree to that. Unpack your bags and stay a while. It may not be as bad as you think. Time will tell, and the world will be watching.