Well, I am going to step into it and post a few thoughts for discussion.
First, I am kind of surprised...I mean, don't Democrats find a way to screw things like this up?
Now to the serious part. McCain's concession speech was one of the best I have seen him give. If he campaigned like that, he might have had a different outcome (and if he hadn't pandered to the far right with his VP pick). After a campaign that got nasty at times, it was good to see the decent man I saw running in 2000 (and still think we would have been a lot better off if he won the Republican nomination then...he probably would have won by a much wider margin over Gore IMHO). Although I like that Obama won, I do have empathy for McCain. He worked hard for a long time for this and it has to be tough to come so close.
So Obama won and boy is there a lot of work to do. Yeah, I voted for him in the end (after seriously considering third party candidates to show that I really wasn't totally enthralled with either of them). Here are a few things I hope he does...
First, he says he wants to work across party lines and one of the best first steps is to make sure there is a Republican or two in his Cabinet. Probably a moderate Republican (although I am sure some conservatives would complain that he just appointed a RINO). A Colin Powell could be a good choice for a couple of posts. Lincolen Chaffee is another possibility. I am sure there are other good choices as well and hopefully he can find one or two he can work with.
Second, he need to get control of Pelosi! She has some good qualities but seems to have spent most of the last two years more intent on punishing Repulbicans for what they did when they were in charge than in running a productive Congress. Under a Repubican administration, she seemed to see herself as the big dog of the Democratic party. Obama needs to get her in line (Harry Reid is guilty as well, although to a lesser extent).
Thrid, he needs to run a more open administration. The Clinton health care initiative and the famous Bush Energy task force were both hindered rather than helped by the secrecy that surrounded them. It's the people's business and we should be in on it. I know the argument is that people won't give candid advice if it's public, but unless its a true national security issue, they should have the cojones to go on the record if their advice is so hot.
The last one I am going to state (for now...believe me I could go on, but it's getting late) is don't let the majority go to their heads. Take a little time to be sure the bills really are well written and in the best interest of the country. That might even include an occasional Republican idea in there. Try it...they might not filabuster everything in the Senate (assuming the Democrats do not reach 60...some races are still to be decided as I write this).
So those are just my first thougths. There are a lot of important issues to be dealt with both at home and abroad. The celebration can't last too long. I look forward to his first appointments to see which direction he is going.
