BY JOSHUA M. SMITH
Lions’ Pride Online Editor

Photograph by Joshua M. Smith

Josh’s immediate reaction to one-party rule in Washington.

Now that we’ve all had time to let our emotions settle down from the election, I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Barack Obama, his family, and the Democrats for their triumph on November 4. Obama truly ran an impressive campaign, and he could not have done it without the help of his loyal followers.

I mean, just imagine what the results might have been if his followers in the press hadn’t provided so much positive coverage of him and negative coverage of his opponent. It could have been a disaster for the Democrats had the press actually done its job and “pressed” for answers from Obama regarding his vague promises, his troubling personal associations (Rev. Wright, Tony Rezko, Bill Ayres), his lack of executive experience, his support for abortion and infanticide, his ultra-liberal voting record, his admitted use of cocaine, or his “lost” college years, of which we still know precious little.

Fortunately, none of that happened. The result is this historic election of the country’s first African American president. Finally, America has emerged from its racist past and elected a black man to the most powerful position in the world. Let us all hope that this election signals the end of the racial enmity that has plagued our nation since its founding.

I hate to cast a cloud over the bright new day in America, but I have to wonder if this is the kind of election Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was talking about when he spoke of his dream that people in this country would one day be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Considering that exit polls show 99% of African Americans voted for Obama, I have to ask myself if character was the primary concern or whether the color of his skin played any role in this, again, “historic” election.

For my part, I didn’t feel I could vote for Obama because I still do not know enough about his character. I suppose you could say I feel like many in the press felt after the election when they began churning out commentary asking, “How will he govern?” and “So, just who is Barack Obama?” and “Can he deliver on his promises?” Now, I’ve only been in the newspaper business for two years, but it seems to me that those would have been excellent questions to ask before the election rather than after.

Still, President-Elect Obama will get a fair shake from me. Despite the fact that I know practically nothing about his character or policies—“hope for change” isn’t exactly a precise policy prescription—and despite the fact that he’ll have a Democrat majority in the Senate led by Harry Reid and a Democrat majority in the House of Representatives led by Nancy Pelosi, I’m sure Obama will find a way to provide the moderate, centrist leadership he promised during the general campaign and not the ultra-leftists blather he showered on liberals during the primaries.

Yes, it’s a new dawn in America, one where just about anything seems possible. Unfortunately, that sort of uncertainty isn’t exactly what the financial markets react favorably to, so we’ve probably got a long, hard slog ahead of us—at least for those of us who already have 401k accounts. Then again, as one Obama supporter put it, now that he’s been elected, I shouldn’t have to worry about putting gas in my car or paying my mortgage, because Obama’s “gonna help me out.”

So, now that I’ve worked out my worries, I too can embrace the “hope for change we can believe in.” After all, Obama wants to be my president too. He’s been making it easy for me so far: by appointing many former Clinton Administration officials for his new White House staff, it’s looking more and more like the 1990s rather than some radical new direction for our country. Heck, Hillary herself (as of this writing) is being offered the position of Secretary of State. Four-to-eight more years of the Clintons; now that’s change I can believe in!

The Clinton years were a time when the Republicans got their act together. They were the minority in Congress in 1992 when Bill Clinton was elected. By 1994, they were the majority. The Republican Party I grew up with was a successful opposition party. Now that we have some serious opposing ahead of us, I suspect the party will rise from the ashes of 2008 and offer a substantial positive alternative to socialism in 2010 and 2012.

So, congratulations to President-Elect Obama and all Democrats! We Republicans look forward to spirited and respectful disagreement with you for the next two-to-four years. Here’s hoping your guy in the White House and your lopsided Congress over-reach with the leftist agenda they intend to push on our country. With any luck, the Obama Administration, the Reid Senate, and the Pelosi Congress will set the stage for a grand Republican resurgence in the years to come.

But it’s not going to be easy; we’re all going to have to chip in and help make it happen. After all, “we are the change we have been waiting for.” Let’s go out there and show the nation just how dangerous one-party rule can be!