Final Thoughts About the Election

Even though the election has ended, the negativity surrounding Governor Sarah Palin and President-Elect Barack Obama continues to fill the air. I would consider myself on the very conservative side of the political spectrum, but I feel that others who also identify themselves as so have showed many cases of immaturity and ignorance. Even if the candidate that you supported did not win the election, he will still be the president of our country and I think people should be more respectful.

As for Sarah Palin, there are stories and rumors still surfacing about her lack of intelligence and/or inability to lead, but it seems irrelevant now that the electorate is sure that she will not be Vice President. She has been given a lot of harsh criticism, even by members of the McCain camp and I do not believe she is deserving of this treatment. It cannot be fully attributed to her that McCain did not win the election and after all, he is the one that chose her.

My main concern with an Obama presidency is that people's expectations might be too high. I understand that people are unhappy with the Bush presidency and are seeking any kind of change that will change the direction of our country. However, when talking to others they seem to present a VERY BROAD list of expectations for Obama that cover a plethora of very different topics and pertain to DRASTIC changes. On one hand, Obama can use any visible changes, even very small ones, to convince the electorate that change is being made so he might be able to appease the people. On the other hand, I feel that some people do not understand how long and arduous a journey it will be for all the changes that they desire. When asking people what they expect from Obama they rattle of a list of topics from education and the Iraq War to the economy and healthcare. He does have a unified government to work with, but that does not guarantee success, especially as quickly as people would like. I really hope that he does not discount the opinions/feelings of Republicans and move very far to the left when his presidency begins. He has promised to work both sides of the aisle and I hope this is how it turns out. This election was filled with more firsts than any in years past and has been truly historical.