Dear Mr. President(-elect),

Congratulations on your hard-fought, hard-won victory in Tuesday’s election.  I hope you have enjoyed these few celebratory days since Tuesday.  I really do.  However, party time is over.  Yes, it was nice to tip a few in your honor and the realization that soon we will be rid of the worst President this country has ever seen.  God knows I put a few (a few? who am I kidding?) down Tuesday night.  But, the real battle has just begun and you damn sure better be ready for it.  I have no doubt that you will be ready.

Beginning on day 1, January 20 2009, you need to hit the ground running and get a damn good headstart toward implementing some of those policies you so eloquently talked about during the campaign.  Because the Republicans (at least those who rabidlysupported John McCain and still support George W.) will be gunning for you figuratively if not literally.  But I urge you to be cautious.  Don’t think for one minute that because Congress is a lot bluer today than it was last week that everything is sunshine and roses.  The Democrats don’t have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.  As a result you can bet there is going to be push-back from Republicans who want to continue to divisiveness of the last 8 years if for no other reason than to gloat “See, we told you he’d be bad for America!”.  Those are the political snakes you must watch out for.

I supported you during your campaign but there were many Democrats who did not.  To those you must reassure and coddle, to a lesser extent, in order to enact the policies that will save this country from further disaster, economically, militarily, and ethically.  Be the bigger man but don’t be afraid to twist some arms and kick some ass where appropriate.  I still support you but am no doubt convinced that there will be some in Washington D.C. who attempt to trip you up at every turn.  Be ready for them.  Have a plan in place to deal with those knuckleheads on both the Right and Left.  And always remember that the World is Watching.

I’ll close with a line my Drill Instructors used to pound into our heads in Marine Corps Boot Camp: “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.”  That line is ever so important for you to remember now.  You sweated a lot during the campaign, but now the war starts.  The war of ideas between those who want to see you leave the White House disgraced and ashamed and those of us who want you to heal the wounds inflicted on this country over the past 8 years and enact the policies that made up your platform during the campaign.  Good luck and Godspeed, Mr. President.  You’re gonna need it.

Signed,

Bulldog

As you all know, last night’s election win by Barack Obama was truly a monumental event in our nation’s history.  However, the significance of his win goes well beyond just electing an African-American to the highest office in the land.  It showed that the bitter divisiveness, the us vs. them mentality of the past 8 years has come to an end. 

First, I want to congratulate John McCain.  He made these past couple of months a hard-fought battle that culminated with a Democratic win last night.  Through his selection of Sarah Palin for VP, he did much to energize the Republican base who may not have turned out for this election.  Unfortunately, he abandoned some of the good things he has worked on throughout his long career.  He had been known as a maverick who wasn’t afraid to buck his party when they proposed bad legislation.  John McCain showed us that he is no longer the maverick he once was when he kow-towed to the religious right and other hard-line conservatives. The American people showed him last night that they didn’t want 4 more years of failed Republican policies, but rather wanted the kind of change that Barack Obama has promised to provide.  

These past 8 years, specifically the 2006 mid-term elections, have made me skeptical of any politician offering up change as part of their platform.  Back then I thought that by electing a Democratic majority to Congress would finally get accomplished some of the most important things we wanted.  However, 2 years later and we’re still not out of Iraq, and jobs are being cut across the country.  The economy is in shambles and it’s going to take bi-partisan support to put it back together again.  Good people are losing their homes as a result of the housing crisis.  These are all things that need to be top priorities for President-elect Obama.

Personally, I want to see Obama be the uniter that George Bush, despite his promises, never was.  I also want to applaud him for taking the high road despite being called a Socialist, a terrorist, a Muslim, and many other things throughout this campaign, both in public and private.  And I ‘m proud of him for quickly and decisively addressing the negative things said about him personally or his policies. 

But make no mistake, Obama has a tough, uphill climb ahead of him regardless of the Congressional gains we saw last night.  His choices for Cabinet-level positions will truly be telling in whether he will be able to accomplish the change he promised.  On January 20, 2009, we will see how much he can get done.  But it is imperative that our elected representatives and we as citizens, both Republicans and Democrats, come together to realize the change this country so desperately needs.  Now the real work begins.