Posted by
Mahkie Mahk on Wednesday, November 05, 2008 11:00:00 PM
Four one-way flights from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC (business class): $3,000.00
Fee for four bags on Delta Airlines: $60.00
Ride from airport to White House: $0.00
Becoming the 44th President of the United States of America: $1,100,000,000.00
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Forty-four years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, we have our 44th U.S. President. Barack Hussein Obama.
Nobody can deny the historic magnitude of this election. Finally, black children everywhere can truly believe that one day they can grow up to be the leader of the free world. In a vacuum, this is a great moment in our nation's history. No rational thinking person can disagree with that. But for those of us who chose to vote against the "chosen one," we may not be in such a sentimental mood.
Change has arrived in America! As this Republican cherishes the last 74 days of an Obama-free White House, I can't help but wonder exactly what we Americans did on election day. Obama ran a great campaign. He gave great speeches. He captivated audiences world-wide. He spoke, motivated, energized, empowered and even danced his way to putting supporters from all corners of this great nation into a trance-like frenzy. And who can downplay the effect he had on the mainstream media? He even made Jesse Jackson cry, but not before Jackson threatened to cut off Barack's Obamas. But as I sit here just more than 24 hours after the election was decided, I still don't know who the winner really is. Who is Barack Obama? Thanks to the media, I know more about Joe the Plumber than I do about the next president of the United States.
But let's focus on what we do know. We know that Barack Obama can win elections. In fact, after every election he has won, he has begun campaigning for the next highest office. I'm not sure what he will start running for on January 21st, perhaps Pope. We know that Barack Obama plans to unite the country, and unite both Democrats and Republicans in the hope of bi-partisan cooperation. Today he announced his Chief of Staff as Illinois congressman Rahm Emanuel, the former Clinton senior advisor. This tough, aggressive, partisan member of the Democratic House leadership made news when he said "Republicans can go ____ themselves" in late 2006. Emanuel comes from the same Chicago political machine that spawned Obama, but it's nice to see Barack hanging around with people who didn't bomb the Pentagon and the NYC Police Headquarters.
Since we're in the spirit of reaching across the aisle, why not appoint Ted Kennedy as the "Secretary of Withdrawing from Iraq"? Or Hillary Clinton as our new "Free Healthcare for Illegals Czar"? The point is, the most liberal presidential candidate in history will have no reason to move to the center with toothless opposition from the few Republicans left in congress. We will have to wait and see how many of his vague, menacing campaign promises he is able to implement before we have a chance to regain some seats in the House and Senate.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the result. After all, Californians passed Prop 2, requiring that farm animals be confined in ways that allow them to lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs and turn around freely... but banned gays from being able to marry. Perhaps in 2010 they will pass a proposition that would allow farm animals to marry, and gays to be able to lie down, stand up and turn around freely. We are so busy worrying about the small stuff, while the big stuff is lost among stunning charisma and a year-long media coronation.
What can be said of John McCain? He did what he could. He was never my choice, but you work with what you have. It was an uphill climb through an economic tsunami, a blizzard of untraceable Obama campaign contributions and a media that spent more time talking about Joe the Plumber's tax records and Sarah Palin's wardrobe than they did any of the criticisms against their golden boy.
As Ann Coulter wrote, "For now, we have a new president-elect. In the spirit of reaching
across the aisle, we owe it to the Democrats to show their president
the exact same kind of respect and loyalty that they have shown our
recent Republican president."
Change. It's here. Now what?