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Obama Won

Well, Barack Obama won the election. I wish I felt incredibly excited and enthusiastic. I feel ok... any Democrat is better than no Democrat when push comes to shove. But my lackluster attitude is due to:

1. I anticipate Obama will be just a run-of-the-mill, average Democratic president. This means things in general will improve for most of us, working-class folks. It also means that there will be less gouging of our pocketbooks by greedy fat-cats looking for a quick profit. Both nice things. But, I wanted so much more. I wanted this presidential race to elect a TRUE visionary.

2. I suspect that four years from now, not a whole helluva lot of significance will have changed. I suspect that fuel prices will be high, little substantial alternative energy development will have occurred, little to no substantial health care reform will occur, public school funding will not be significantly improved and science research funding will be pretty much the same limited level it has been.

Obama is a nice enough guy, but I do not think he is a VISIONARY. He is a basic politician who is smart, who has charisma, but who is also very much looking out simply for what is politically/economically good for Barack Obama. That is the sense I have of him, and is the sense that is exuded by the vast majority of politicians. It is really very understandable, given the nature of the career choice.

I so desperately wanted someone who was more focused on changing the country and world for the better in a SUBSTANTIAL way. I so desperately wanted a president who saw the potential we have and wanted to push us to get there. I wanted a president whose dream wasn't to BE ELECTED, but instead a president whose dream it was to make a positive impact if HE DID GET ELECTED.

Some may say... "Barack IS all that and a "bag of chips"" as the kids say now. But I truly do not feel that magic from him. I read people exceptionally well, and again... Barack is nice, genuine, and will be a better president than what we currently have, and I DID vote for the man. But, in my read of him and his goals and ambitions, he will simply be an average Democrat (which is a helluva lot better than 95% of other parties). But, and this is the big but.... I WANTED MORE.

PipeTobacco