From another Financial Advisor and close friend of mine “Casey R.”:<\/p>\n
A few very important things occurred to me as I was watching predictable election results unfold last night.\u00a0 An obvious fact remains based on the votes received by each candidate \u2013 we are still very much divided in this country, very evenly divided.<\/p>\n
Obama won the majority vote and a delivered a corresponding \u201cpounding\u201d in what both parties recognize as a \u201cquirky\u201d electoral college.\u00a0 Even though I was more comfortable with the experience of McCain, I understand and appreciate the rationale that lead so many to look to a motivational and charismatic man as an impetus for change.<\/p>\n
I became very worried throughout the campaign as I learned more about Obama\u2019s liberal voting history and limited efforts to vote outside his party. Democrats held McCain to the same standard and found that, although he did tackle non-partisan issues in Washington, he sided too often with a misguided President during his first term for their comfort.<\/p>\n
Obama earned respect from me with his moment of candid humility last night.\u00a0 It came with the admittance that for the nearly 50% of the country that didn\u2019t vote for him, he needed to do his best to earn<\/em> their support and confidence and he knew he couldn\u2019t simply assume it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I worried about this election because there are social and moral standards I just felt in my heart this country wasn\u2019t really willing to leave behind simply for the sake of a change from an unpopular administration.\u00a0 Worried\u00a0 because even Obama acknowledged his tax policies are not mainstream America and may be risky in a depressed economy (a stark contrast to Reagan\u2019s progressive taxation which never considered re-distribution of income to non-income tax paying citizens – 40% of America today).<\/p>\n
Worried because I felt marriage ought to mean something special in this country to a man and a woman.<\/p>\n
Worried because I did not want to see abortion politicized further into tax dollar funded programs for such a morally charged but personal issue.<\/p>\n
Worried because I believe the troops deserve a proper end to the war for their sacrifice and not a premature end to simply satisfy those seeking retribution against an unpopular President.<\/p>\n
Worried because Nancy Pelosi, disliked so fervently by both parties because of her recklessness, has a \u201cmandate\u201d she feels everyone needs to accept to justify her political existence.<\/p>\n
I watched all of the debates for both sides, from the primaries to the end. I read copies of voting records and bills proposed by both men. The two men are politicians, they made many promises they cannot keep, they changed views and positions to accommodate the polls and pundits which should surprise no one familiar with politics.\u00a0 But Obama won the election because it was his time and America was hungry for a clean slate.\u00a0 His cult of personality appeal and message obviously resonated with a greater number of Americans, especially young Americans.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, many of the fears I held leading up to the election began to recede over the course of the coverage last night.\u00a0 Because of the class shown by McCain in his words?\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 The inspiration shared with the country by Obama\u2019s words?\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 But it was actually in the underlying voting results that my comfort in this country and my faith in the citizens of the country were strengthened and somewhat restored.<\/p>\n
Obama is a smart man and his comments last evening inferred his understanding of some very meaningful exit poll results, some of which are in direct contrast to his platform, others which he fondly supports.\u00a0 Facts: an overwhelming majority of voters \u2013 80% – do not feel comfortable having their wealth distributed, a majority want very careful steps taken with healthcare reform versus sweeping change, a majority support a ban on gay marriage (in California of all places!), a majority want reproductive rights out of government hands, and a majority want to see the war ended responsibly and expect Obama to lean on current commanders in Iraq versus congress for guidance.<\/p>\n
The message is a mix of centrist and conservative views, forming what many of us recognize as a Center-Right populate of mainstream America \u2013 fiscally conservative and social moderate.\u00a0 So I woke this morning with a sense of relief on two fronts.<\/p>\n
First, although the candidate I voted for lost, he lost to a man who may have the passion to do great things.\u00a0 Second, though a Democrat will govern from the oval office, the social consciousness of mainstream America is exactly what my heart told me it was.\u00a0 Obama will need to respect and embrace this sentiment in order to deliver the change he hopes to see.<\/p>\n
Obama has a tough road ahead because so much of the \u2018hope and change\u2019 message is intangible and interpreted differently depending on the social-economic standing of those listening to it.\u00a0 To the supporter who shared a common sentiment \u201cI won\u2019t have to worry any more about paying my mortgage\u2026 putting gas in my car\u2026 if I help him, he\u2019ll help me,\u201d he needs to quickly shape her expectations and motivate her to work hard rather than relying on a government hand-out.\u00a0 Allowing such unrealistic expectations will quickly alienate a large base of his electorate if mishandled.\u00a0 He needs to meet the racially motivated comments by Sharpton and Jackson with a clear understanding that race became a non-issue as of 11:30 PM, November 4, 2008, and the complaining associated with it needs to go by the wayside.\u00a0 Lastly, I understand the exuberance he must have felt last evening during his speech, but he needs to focus on meaningful and obtainable objectives this<\/em> term before audaciously referring to his next term already.<\/p>\n
The political system in America is truly amazing.\u00a0 Anything can happen and, even if opinions differ, we should always find comfort in the reality that we enjoy a peaceful transfer of power during elections in this country.\u00a0 Barack Obama won an election that was his to secure.\u00a0 I promised myself, regardless of the results, I would support the new President out of respect for the election process and the office itself.\u00a0 The motivation behind my intentions is a combination of patriotism and an effort to take a road much higher than many on the left\/media did with the current administration.<\/p>\n
They repeatedly showed they lacked class in their actions and judgment and a lack of respect for the office of President.\u00a0 I hope future generations will not be subjected to tasteless and derogatory films released while a President is still in office<\/em>.<\/p>\n
How can anyone honest with themselves be surprised by the lack of stature America has today in the world when we cut and run from our President with Hollywood attacks and mindless commentary? Don\u2019t get me wrong, Bush earned his criticism but he was also the President of the United States.\u00a0 Those expecting the same respect for Obama may have been well served to demonstrate a higher level of respect for past Presidents, even during moments of strained popularity and disagreement.<\/p>\n
I hope for some unifying and positive strides for the country.\u00a0 America voted for Obama, with a message to respect not construct the social consciousness, to learn from our history but not feel pressure to repeat it, to recognize party affiliations but not succumb to them, and to manage rational hopes and changes lest they become reckless, broken promises.\u00a0 As Obama has said time and time again, \u201cthis is a defining moment,\u201d and my hope is that America capitalizes on it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
HT Casey R<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From another Financial Advisor and close friend of mine “Casey R.”: A few very important things occurred to me as I was watching predictable election results unfold last night.\u00a0 An obvious fact remains based on the votes received by each candidate \u2013 we are still very much divided in this country, very evenly divided. Obama […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":228,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campaign-08","category-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/228"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3606\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}