Moving On

We are now almost a month beyond the election. I know I promised not to keep harping on it ─ and I’m not doing that here. Actually, despite the not-so-secret secret that I did not vote for Obama, I’ve spent most of the past month trying to convince my friends and relatives that everything is going to be OK. My dad is sure that we will be more socialist than any in Europe within four years. I think not.

And now the evidence is piling up.

First, the obvious fact that no president gets to do everything he wants. Even with a filibuster-proof Senate, no president has managed to do truly radical things. It is always slow and measured. Congress moves at, well, the speed of Congress. I could say slow as molasses in January, but that’s probably still too fast. Add to that the fact that neither party is a lock-step, homogenous group. Democrats range from somewhat conservative to very liberal. Republicans from very conservative to marginally liberal (at least socially). If either side tries to do something at the extremes, they can’t always count on their own party to stay in line.

But look at those cabinet picks. Even the Republicans are referring to them as “centrist.” I know it is hard for many of us to say “centrist” in the same sentence with “Hillary Clinton,” but it is true. He is even keeping Bush’s Secretary of Defense for what will probably be the duration of the significant Iraqi conflict. I may think (and still do) that Obama is not really ready to be the kind of leader required for the presidency, but he is no fool. He is a very intelligent man. Given that much of the presidency is managing the actions of others based on the competing recommendations of still more others, he may prove to be rather adept at making good decisions, even in crisis.

We can argue that even JFK had more time in government. But has Obama actually had less than many other presidents? Even the current one was merely governor in Texas for 6 years. It is not an unimportant position, but it does not compare. Same goes for Reagan and Carter. Eisenhower only led the military (and some think he did a poor job as president).

I do not pretend to deny anyone’s right to cheer or jeer. But can we at least wait until there is actually something to cheer or jeer about?