We voted for change, and we are definitely getting change. I’m sure Barrack Obama understands fully that the people who formed his base are not at all like the Republicans that followed George Bush’s every whim like a bunch of sheep. I for one do not consider myself a Democrat. Even though I have a “Vote Democratic” sticker on the back of my car, I put the sticker there because I was fed up with the Republicans. I mean, GW Bush was kind of like the icing on the cake for me. Eight years of his administration was almost more than I could take. I’ve been fairly “connected,” at least in the sense of being a citizen who’s paying attention, since the early 1960’s. I was in high school when JFK was assasinated, I watched with interest as the Civil Rights movement gained momentum, I watched in horror at the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr. and RFK, and I have never been more glued to a TV set than during the Watergate hearings which exposed the original version of a president spying illegally on his citizens.

In the interim, I pulled for Jimmy Carter as he tried to get the original round of deficit spending (Nixon’s) under control and lost his job because he cared more about the lives of the Iran hostages than getting re-elected (I still admire him for this – he’s the only honest politician I can remember) and he took very difficult and courageous steps to remake the financial system and begin the process of extracating our country from the grip of the middle eastern oil barrens (of course Reagan repealed Carter’s CAFE standards soon after entering the White House – and we’re still paying the price for that one). Ronald Reagan, to me, was the disaster that keeps on “giving” so to speak. When I listen to any group of Republicans, it makes me sick to my stomach the number of times they refer to him. I mean, Reagan quadrupled the national debt before anyone realized that the only thing George HW Bush ever got right was naming supply side economics as “voodoo economics.” Reagan showed American corporations how to “trample” on their workers, he ushered in the “me” generation, and he was a great predecessor to GW Bush as a role model on how to ignore Congress and the American legal system. Reagan and those around him were bailed out (legally) by one term of GHW Bush and the reluctance of a somewhat weak President Clinton who understood that he gained office by the “skin of his teeth” and chose not to pursue accountability for Iran/Contra – where the seeds to all the corruption of GW Bush’s Presidency were sprouted.

I’ve watched in disbelief as a bunch of thugs, disguised as “conservatives” attempted to prove they could circumvent the founding fathers of this great nation and gain total control of our government, with the goal of a PERMANENT Republican “majority.” They first went after the air waves with the assault on reality from the likes of Limbaugh and those who have emulated him – and with the help of Bill Clinton signing into law the Telecommunications act of 1995 (I believe that was the year, it could have been 96). The result has been a constricting “news” media that has been effectively labled “liberal” but clearly controlled by a small circle of republican leaning corporations. They gained control of Congress in 1994 and would probably still have control but those Republicans, like Gingrich, Delay, Armey, and many others didn’t understand how strong the temptation would be to get sucked into the lucrative world of pork barrel politics. Additionally, many of the original Republicans in this self-proclaimed “revolution” had skeletons in their closets that far exceeded the weaknesses of their opponents which they went after like a bunch of sharks in a pool full of blood. One by one they have been dropping from sight as the truth about their own lives has uncovered a party based on power, greed, and ruthlessness.

GW Bush came along in 2000 being declared President of the world’s only remaining “super power” by a 5 to 4 decision of a Supreme Court which had been already packed with Republicans. With the addition of a couple more lifetime judges the Republicans were one term away from having a “right” leaning court for the next generation, and possibly longer. Everything was going right for their plan. Any reasonable person analyzing this plan almost has to give them credit, whoever conceived it, because they were on the verge of accomplishing what the founders tried to make virtually impossible. The biggest fear of the great men who set the foundation for this nation was tyranny by the majority – thus the complex set of checks and balances to prevent one ideology from dominating all others. And Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush weren’t what you’d call the scholarly type. Reagan was a “B” actor and Bush was the perverbial man born with a “silver spoon.” Neither really had the credentials to be President – which, I’m sure led whoever is really in charge of the Republican party to think that GW Bush would be just fine, despite his record of failure in almost every venture he had ever been part of. Their plan would work no matter who was President. The saving grace for the rest of us was that GW failed again. Now, I’m not one to root against anyone in the White House, and I have to say that after 9/11, despite my EXTREME misgivings about Bush right from the start, I was really pulling for him. Had he pursued bin Laden and avoided Iraq, I believe today’s discussion would be about another Republican, and they would have accomplished their goal. We would be stuck with Republicans for the forseeable future. Combined with the media stranglehold and the irregularities at the voting booths, those who are of my political persuasion would still be longing for “The change we need.”

Well, Obama REALLY IS DIFFERENT! I know I will be writing about many things I disagree with him on, and I’m very concerned about whether or not he is going to “look back” as he looks forward, but the first week has been a stark difference to say the least. He is actually fulfilling some of his campaign promises! The order to close Gitmo only took two days. Accountability rules for those in his administration were swiftly initiated and they were strict. He said he was going to “listen” to all sides and he’s doing that – including a trip to Capital Hill to lobby for his “stimulus package” meeting face to face with the dreaded (by me) Republicans. And today, his first interview since taking office was with a Middle Eastern news company broadcasting to the Muslim world. A bold and, I think, welcome “change” from the previous eight years. He’s making some comments and taking some actions that leads me to believe he’s actually going to go after bin Laden – as he said he would in the campaign – about six years after the fact – but in my mind, better late than never. I’m still trying to grasp my thoughts about Afganistan and Pakistan, but I can say with certainty that I have more confidence in Obama’s judgement than I ever could with Bush, McCain, or any other Republican (with the possible exception of the former senator from Nebraska Chuck Hagel – who I would personally be OK with as Secretary of Defense once Robert Gates is out at the end of this year).

Republican rule is over and if Obama turns out to be the “Change we need” I think the Republicans will be out for many years to come. I believe the citizens of this country understand the gravity of today’s circumstances and I think they fully “get” who is responsible for the situation. The question remains: Can the Democrats fix the problem? Obama will have to overcome his own party to get the job done. He has the clearest “mandate” I have seen in my lifetime and I expect him to use it in a calculated fashion. He understands the old saying “It’s the economy, stupid” and he knows that if he wants a second term, things have to be on the upswing within about three years. Based on previous recessions that wouldn’t seem so daunting, but this is the BIG ONE. We have a long way to go, and I’m in no way pledging my vote for Obama in 2012 just because he’s not Bush, I have high expectations for him, but he will have to earn my vote again. He promised us change, and he’s giving us change. It is going to happen gradually and in little pieces, most of the time – although the interview today may some day be looked upon as being huge and a turning point in our relations with the Muslim world – that remains to be seen. I’m still anxious to see Karl Rove before Congress, investigations of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and others (not initiated by other countries – but by us taking care of our own mess), the repeal of the FISA intrusions into our lives and our constitution, and a stimulus package that invests in the future of this great nation by rebuilding its foundation. Once the stimulus package is in effect I am looking for Obama to have the courage to address the mindset of Americans that has led us to be the largest debtor nation in the history of the world – with the goal of reducing our national debt instead of increasing it. That all being said, after one week in office, I would still vote for Obama!