Tuesday Morning Election Quarterback

[thoughtone]

Obama has won by large electoral numbers, record voter turn out and the first plurality for a democrat since LBJ and the largest for a democrat since FDR. He won across all political demographics, even winning the most white males for a democrat since Jimmy Carter. He has redrawn the electoral map for the Democrats in all regions, except the "deep south." Yes he won Florida, which anyone knows who has lived their, has not been a true southern state, at least politically since the early 1990's. Yes, he won Virgina, which is changing due to, in part it's geographical location to the nation's capital. And yes, he has made North Carolina competitive if not won out right as of this writing. But a swath of southern states from South Carolina to Texas, from Kentucky to Georgia have not changed politically. They are as "red" as ever! With the large influx of new African Americans in to Georgia over the last twenty years and where many have proclaimed it, "the capital of the new south", Obama could only muster 36% of the vote. South Carolina, who's economy has been hit among the hardest in the nation in this economic downturn, Obama received just 45% and Louisiana, who's devastation from Katrina, has still not fully recovered, Obama only garnered 40% of the vote. This tells me that the most backward thinking region of America is still in the deep south.

Faux Snooze had a segment on Wednesday morning from an Alabama based morning radio talk show in which the first thing the DJs uttered when presented on screen was "...let understand something, the most liberal voting Senator is all of a sudden going to govern more conservatively than he did in the past? I don't get it, this is what some of the christian evangelicals are telling me!" This doesn't sound forward thinking to me. Even after George W. Bush won the bitterly contested race in 2000, many of his opponents granted him the benefit of the doubt for the first three months of his presidency, before he began to fuck up and show his partisan stripes.

I think we are in for a bumpy ride, even thought Obama has clearly received a mandate from the most diverse cross section of Americans ever. Those that don't want change and unity still have a powerful voice and we that want a new day must not fall prey to the elation of an obvious historical moment. No longer can we say this is not our country. We are obligated to become involved in all levels our society. I don't know can no longer be used as an excuse!

 

[AristotlesOwn]

We all understand that he will be the most scrutinized president of all time especially by conservatives. I don't see Obama as a liberal, he will be seen as a left leaning moderate after all is said and done.

 

[QueEx]

We all understand that he will be the most scrutinized president of all time especially by conservatives. I don't see Obama as a liberal, he will be seen as a left leaning moderate after all is said and done.

Of course this is truly early -- but I tend to agree with you but I would go further by saying that he will govern a lot closer to the political center on many, if not most, issues. Additionally, I think on many issues Obama may be more conservative than many think.

QueEx

 

[thoughtone]

Of course this is truly early -- but I tend to agree with you but I would go further by saying that he will govern a lot closer to the political center on many, if not most, issues. Additionally, I think on many issues Obama may be more conservative than many think.

QueEx

I must remind you that the neo cons have pushed the political spectrum so far to the right, anyone post GW will seem leftist. Obama has always been a moderate. 40 years ago, he might have been considered a liberal republican in the character of Nelson Rockefeller or former Connecticut governor Lowell Weicker.

My hope is that he establishes a check on big business. His court nominees will tell where he goes with this. Foreign policy wise, I would hope he places more emphasis on supporting emerging democracies rather than the corporate interests those countries use to oppress their citizens.

 

[QueEx]

[1] His court nominees will tell where he goes with this.

[2] Foreign policy wise, I would hope he places more emphasis on supporting emerging democracies rather than the corporate interests those countries use to oppress their citizens.

[1] With respect to court nominees: I intended to do a thread a while ago on judicial appointments. I think judicial nominees will be THE MOST IMPORTANT area of Obama's impact. My fear of McCain was that he may have appointed more right-wing extremists to the Supreme Court and lower courts that would have tipped the ideological balance too far to the right for generations still unborn. Perhaps, had McCain been elected, he would have surprised us all with his judicial nominations, however, he stated during one of the debates, that he would appoint more justices like John Roberts and Alito -- -- Scared the shit out of me. Of course, he may have been playing to the conservative base, but that was the single thing (well, that and the way his campaign went negative against Barack) that made be distrustful of McCain.

But, my point again: Our country is more likely to be shaped deep into the future by the coming appointments to the Supreme Court, appellate courts and federal trial courts -- than most anything else Barack Obama is likely to do.


[2] On supporting emerging democracies: I'm not so sure that is the right course at all. I think is better to look at the dynamics and see what is in OUR best interest. I think you should look at a lot of things but supporting democracy for its namesake is dangerous (See, Hamas and Hezbollah). I'm not so sure that democracy, even the imperfect-variant-form practiced in the United States, is the answer, everywhere (See, perhaps, Iraq).

QueEx