Reflections on the 2008 election
Obama has approximately 52% of the national popular vote, to McCain's 46%. That's a 7.5 million vote lead for Obama. Even in 2004, with Bush's victory, he won by just about 3 million, and only a few percentage points - and had Ohio voted for Kerry, he would have lost (imagine how that might have played out, considering the even closer election in 2000).
I'm one of the people who voted, and urged, against Bush back before the 2000 election. I did so again, even more fervently, in 2004. Particularly after his performance in his first four years, I wondered how people could possibly be voting for him. In the years since, I've wondered how those voters could be owning up to their pick in 2004, in light of the problems that have only intensified since then, under his watch.
Despite that, this is a large country, 300 million strong, of diverse backgrounds and views. While it does not always adequately protect the rights of all 300 million, and while many Americans simply refuse to participate in elections, the complement to liberty is democracy - which among other things, means accepting the results of the actions of others (and the consequences).
My chief complaint, perhaps, with Bush is simply this: that, in the face of the obstacles thrown at our country, he did not in fact unite us, but seemed to strive to divide us ever more. At a time when we should have been focused as a country, he and his administration acted in such a way to raise the ire of significant fractions - even majorities - of his people. A leader is only a leader if he leads all of the people, and not just the ones that voted him in.
He was still my president, even if I opposed him bitterly - and enjoyed exercising my rights and prerogatives as a citizenship in doing so. His administration simply acted as though it didn't return the favor.
McCain was a disappointment. Senator McCain I respect, even if I still disagree with him on most issues. More than anything, it was his willingness to compromise, to work for the good of the country, and not the good of his "base" or his party, that earned him the respect of many. Nominee McCain was the antithesis of Senator McCain. He fell victim to a country polarized by fundamental ideological disputes, to a party centered around single issues (abortion, gays, terrorists) while eschewing most general issues (the economy, civil rights, etc) - and to a campaign that not only acted as though a majority of the country were the enemy, but all but said so on multiple occasions.
The McCain who conceded the presidency is the McCain that should have shown up. I would still have opposed him, but he could have been a president to be proud of.
The good thing, however, is that even if Senator McCain was absent this past year, Senator Obama was not. Despite claims of "the most liberal" this, "socialist" that - or "palling around with terrorists" - he's not only from the tradition of moderate Democrats, but has spoken and acted in a way to promise the sort of compromise, non-partisanship, and unity that only received lip service in the last eight years.
Senator Obama and Nominee McCain offered up two visions of America. McCain's campaign promised, in every way, more of the same. His campaign served reruns and leftovers of the Bush years - mud slung every which way. The last time this country saw such a spate of accusations of "un-Americanism" and the like was during the McCarthy witch hunt years. Like the Bush years, his campaign ran on a platform of fear - fear of foreigners (immigrants or terrorists - or both), fear of friends and alliances, fear of change, and indeed, and worst of all, fear of our own fellow citizens. "Hope" may be an empty term - not unlike most political centerpieces - but it speaks to, as Lincoln spoke of, "the better angels of our nature".
What this country has a chance of is healing. President McCain, if following Senator McCain, may have been capable of healing this country, but if elected by a campaign founded upon fear, his attempts would have been poisoned from the beginning. President Obama, running on hope and unity, may actually pull it off.
The problem is this. While Democrats will control the White House, have expanded their control of the Congress, and have made gains throughout the country, whatever this new administration accomplishes will be founded upon the willing action of the people of this country. Despite sweeping the Congress - albeit barely - in 2006, Democrats were unable to accomplish much, at least on matters such as the Iraq War, etc, due to Republican obstruction, especially in the Senate.
If fractions (or factions) of this country continue to operate as much of it has over the past eight years, we'll be shooting ourselves in the foot. Even with a firm majority, Democrats can't accomplish anything without significant Republican support. Even if Democrats pass significant legislation, it won't enjoy respect without accounting for dissent and the diversity of ideas that this country exhibits.
But that may only be a secondary concern. The primary concern will be accepting that, not only do we have a new President, but we have a new President who enjoys support that hasn't been seen since Clinton's re-election campaign in 1996, or further back, George H. W. Bush's 1988 victory.
That Obama received a firm majority in popular and electoral votes is no excuse for him, or our Congress, to run hog wild - indeed, it's all the more reason to ensure that the government of this country once again begins to act in the interest of all Americans, regardless of ideology. But if this country can not properly accept that most of us are trying to move on, past partisan rancor, past endless bickering, past creating divisions between neighbors and citizens, it may be slow going.
Polls and anecdotes indicate that much of McCain's support over Obama was founded in fear. Whether it was the false rumors that Obama was a Muslim, etc, or the fact that millions still insist that, somehow, Democrats want to be attacked (what mystifies me is that my city, my state, received the full force of the attacks - and yet somehow, NY Democrats want to wave a flag of surrender?), or that Democrats want to take all your money, much of it was founded upon fear, of someone, of something.
(Oh, and about "redistribution of wealth" - "red" states receive more money from the federal government than they pay in taxes. Where does that extra money come from? The taxes that "blue" states pay. We're redistributing our wealth to aid and assist our fellow citizens - and we're damn proud of it.)
If this fear trumps attempts to unite and strengthen our country - and it ought to be clear to almost anyone that what our country needs is unity in the face of a wave of problems - this should not be a failure of President Obama to win over his detractors, but should be a failure of Americans to... accept reality, and move on. Palin often insisted that the Obama-Biden campaign was living in the past - maybe. Biden responded forcefully that the past is preface - we can't work to the future without understanding where we're coming from. But while we need to fix problems that have been long neglected, the only way that we can do so is to focus on the future, and put the misguided ways of the past behind us.