Un Cachito de la vida

Un Cachito

Un Cachito de la vida - A little piece of Cameron's life






With Obama being deemed a Liberal and me a Republican, you might think I was fighting against the Obama campaign. If I was, it was a pretty weak attempt. You know that I wanted McCain to win, but as the campaign came into it's closing months, I became increasingly ambivalent about who really mattered. I felt McCain had the better policies, but that Obama had a lot to offer.

What worried me most about Obama were his standard "Liberal" positions of higher taxes and government spending, pro-abortion sentiment, and withdrawal of US troops from Iraq as soon as possible. Those issues are still concerns, although somewhat mitigated. Obama has tried to assure everyone that if you make under $250K/yr (which is certainly my case!), your taxes won't increase. On the other hand, he has promised dramatically increased government spending in order to pull the economy out of the slumps. It worries me the level of debt America is carrying right now, and at some point we really need to get back to fiscal responsibility. Abortion is an unknown, but I don't know that he'll try to push through any changes. Also, it looks like he'll be taking a more reasonable approach to Iraq, thanks to Secretary Gates, General Petraeus and the Surge. Those factors in Iraq have made an incredible beneficial impact in Iraq, making a pullout of troops practical. McCain actually deserves credit here as a proponent of the Surge. Obama, on the other hand, was loathe to admit the success of the Surge, but has since acknowledged it.

So there remains some concern as to what Obama's administration will do, but there are also many benefits. Very high on my list is Obama's image in the international community. America has long been a beacon of light in a sometimes-dark world - literally a land of opportunity. It has also been the lone superpower with a lot of bargaining power. Whether justly or not, that image has been dealt a damaging blow under Bush's presidency. Many in the Middle East think the US is anti-Islam and morally corrupt. The US has also lost bargaining power in Sudan, Somalia, Iran and other places due to overextension of it's armed forces and lack of respect by world leaders. That's not just disappointing, but also dangerous as rogue states become less likely to change their ways. Now, however, there will soon be a black man in the Oval Office who is truly half-African and who has a common Islamic name as his middle name. That diversity has broad appeal and I dare say the world has a crush on the guy :). That could change quickly of course, especially with US support for Israel in their war on Hamas (which I also support). But just Obama's being in the White House brings a lot of admiration and respect back to the US the democratic system that landed him there. I truly hope Obama is able to use that momentum to engage with the world and improve ties everywhere.

Another benefit, tied to the first, is that he has a calm demeanor and a coherent - even eloquent - manner of speech. This was especially evident in the last debate with McCain. Obama is a likeable guy who has a tranquilizing effect on public panic.

As an engineer, I also see a benefit in having a younger president who seems much more in tune with technology than past presidents have been. The US's digital infrastructure has stagnated, but hopefully, with his expansive infrastructure projects, the US can revamp itself and be on par with Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

Obama hasn't even taken office and the US - and indeed, the world - has a lot riding on him. I'm optimistic that he can make the US a better place than in the past, and here's wishing for the best.
Posted by charr at 4:32 PM



Reader Comments

Post a comment













Remember Info?