As most conservatives, I too was stunned by the popular vote and electoral victory of Senator Barack Obama over "Maverick" Senator John McCain last Tuesday night. Obama obviously ran the better campaign over the Arizona Senator who by September had enjoyed a lead in the polls before his bungled handling of the bailout crisis that emerged during the campaign.I was also impressed by the peaceful acknowledgement by the administration and the public (Obama supporters and non-supporters) of the country's transferrance of leadership to a relative newcomer to the national political scene. We truly live in a great country where the party in office does not react to the victory of the opposition on election night by sending in the tanks.
If President-Elect Obama begins to govern the country from the center after he is sworn into office and runs a truly ethical administration he could turn out to be a good president. We can only hope that as he becomes accustomed to the trappings of leading the world's most powerful Republic that he recognizes the need our nation has for a strong leader who will stand up to foreign challenges from Russia, Iran and China and finally cuts all of his old ties to the likes of ACORN, minister of hate Jeremiah Wright and the unrepentant terrorist William Ayers.
I pray that this new administration will discover the need to cherish the lives of the unborn and guard the sanctity of life and that of the traditional family. I wish president-elect Obama and the new administration well. For the sake of all Americans we must work together for the well-being of all our fellow citizens.
We will no doubt find our point of view to be in conflict with the new president but in our opposition we must always act as loyal, level-headed, responsible American citizens. Paul Mirengoff of PowerLine has good advice for Coping with an Obama presidency.
* Be loyal in your opposition. As my blog partner Scott Johnson puts it, paraphrasing Steven Decatur: "May he always be in the right; but our president, right or wrong."
* Be patient in your opposition. Don't mimic the left (this is always good advice) and conclude that because the country isn't getting mad about policies that bother you, Obama is therefore a "Teflon president."
Mirengoff comments that you should stop reading the first 10 pundits that begin to refer to the new president as that and I agree. Obama is after all simply a person like any one of us, only he aspired to be President of the United States and we must as loyal Americans accord him that honor and respect and not imitate the crazy, frothing ravings of the infantile leftists we have seen played out in the media for the past eight years. I agree with Mirengoff's observation that Americans are a fair-minded people and will give Obama the time to succeed in office as they rightly should.
* Be persistent in your opposition. The first 100 things that you criticize Obama for may not resonate at all. The 101st may turn public opinion against him. More likely, it may supply the mass that begins to turn the tide.
• Be fair in your opposition. None of the 101 things that you criticize Obama for should be illegitimate or trivial. Remember that the president isn't responsible for every adverse development that occurs on his watch. Even sound decisions often produce adverse consequences. Don't judge Obama's decisions in a vacuum; compare them to the alternatives.
• Be skeptical in your opposition. Obama's campaign was fueled by a broken promise that he would finance it through public funding.
* "Secede" from the mainstream media. After Republican victories, some leftists like to talk about moving to Canada or somehow "seceding" from the U.S. Such talk, and that's all it is, is unpatriotic and should be avoided. However, "seceding" from the mainstream media (MSM) is another matter.
* Support fledgling conservative institutions. The left has "marched through our institutions" - including the MSM, Hollywood, the public schools, academia, and even large swaths of corporate America. Conservatives need to respond by developing alternative sources of information, entertainment, and education. These alternatives won't succeed unless we support them.
Finally and most important:
* Don't hate. I don't assume that the Obama administration will turn out to be hateful. But even if it does, hating isn't good for you. And for conservatives, it's counter-productive.
* Don't obsess. Spend as much time as you see fit following, discussing, and participating in public affairs. But don't think about them the rest of the time. Life is full of beauty and wonder. Don't let politics blind you to it. Life is full of opportunities for personal and professional fulfillment. Don't let politics distract you from them.