Not my candidate; now my President

First I have to say, "Thank God it's over!" This has been a long, contentious campaign. From the primaries through the Presidential race this election cycle has been at times bitter, even juvenile. It's been difficult to sort out fact from fiction on all sides and I must say that even in the closing days of the campaign both parties seemed hesitant to offer direct, detailed plans to the American people. Let's hope that as we move forward our leaders will trust that we can handle the details.

I say once again, and I hope for the last time: "In the spirit of full disclosure…" I did not support Senator Obama; I slowly came to support Senator McCain. I was disappointed in both candidates' response to the banking crises; why was no voice raised to find and hold accountable the thieves that robbed us blind? I have always been registered as an Independent but as the petty and bitter race continued I grew tired of the rhetoric from both parties, if not from the candidates themselves consistently from their surrogates. I found myself looking seriously at registering as a Libertarian.

I ended up voting for John McCain. I do not think that Barack Obama is a bad man; I simply could not hear the voice I was looking for in his eloquent speeches. I do not favor single-payer health insurance. I do believe friends returning from Iraq who understand the real and imminent dangers they're fighting against. I do not favor an advancement of more socialist policies including re-distributing wealth or taxing successful people at higher rates.

As I heard both men speak, Senator McCain in concession and President-elect Obama in acceptance I could not help but be impressed with the grace, eloquence and directness in both men's addresses. Both speeches were among the best political addresses in American history. My prayer is that the words are authentic. It is time to put aside differences and work together; some of us have been demanding that course of action for a long time. It is time for partisan politics to be subjugated and the will of the people to take full precedence in shaping the future of our nation.

Will this happen? To paraphrase our new President-elect: "Yes, it can!" I do hope so.

Most important it's time for all of us as Americans to move beyond the petty political bickering. Because your opinion is different than your neighbor's does not make him a fascist, a racist, an idiot, a redneck, a communist, or any other of the litany of juvenile name-calling you care to note. We're Americans. Our differences do not make us strong; our ability to work together despite our differences is what makes us strong. We've got to return to a culture of civility; that's what allows us to work together.

You may have supported President-elect Obama, or like me you may have voted against him. He is soon to be our President. He deserves the chance to see if his ideas and policies will deliver. He deserves our respect and our support as President. If you differ with his policies, you should oppose them. Maybe we can start with a clean slate and separate our political differences from personal hatred.

One great step toward healing the divide we've felt is to recognize the sincere efforts of our current President George Bush. You may not agree with his policies; that does not make him an evil person. He does not deserve to be the object of personal hatred and vilification. He served as our President during incredibly difficult times. I cannot imagine a more difficult position than that of President of the United States. How many of us would accept this responsibility? How many of us would be willing to make decisions that cannot help but cost lives or live with information that would freeze most of us in our tracks? Could you start each day full of hope knowing that you must make decisions that will inevitably make you the target of hatred so intense that your life is in constant danger?

No matter what your political allegiance you should be incredibly moved by the historic importance of the election President Barack Obama. It is a completion of a long struggle to elect a black man to the presidency. It is significant that he comes from mixed heritage, as do most of us. It is remarkable that he came from such a humble origin to become President of the United States. He is representative of the contemporary American. His assent to the highest office in our nation should be a symbol of what our founders may not have been able, in context, to fully envision as government of and by the people. This moment should forever complete our definition of "American People."

A moment should also be taken to recognize that had Senator McCain been elected, we would also have elected Governor Sarah Palin as the potential first woman President as well. This campaign was destined for historic significance no matter what the outcome. Within only a couple of percentage points in popular vote we've expressed that race and gender are not in themselves determining factors when it comes to American leadership.

Now a healthy dose of perspective: We elected a President, not a savior. I am not making a joke; I'm making a statement. No President can save the country; that's our job. President Kennedy said that most poetically; I won't make an attempt. You are entitled to support the decisions that fit your values and oppose those decisions that are antithetical to your values. Our new President deserves the opportunity to fulfill the promises he's made. We've entitled him to this opportunity through our incredible electoral process; not perfect but always open to the possibility of continual perfection. This process of perfecting our American process and perfecting ourselves as Americans is our own responsibility.

We have a unique system of elected representative leadership; this leadership is reflective of our will. It's up to us to lead. Our leadership is a daily responsibility. Our leadership is expressed in the way we treat one another, the way we disagree and the way we resolve our disagreements. The time to lead is now and always.

Enjoy this remarkable, historical moment.

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator: Speaker, coach and author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER…and part-time self-appointed political pundit! Visit JimBouchard.org.

Generosity: The Perspective of a Bailout Skeptic…

Admittedly I’m not currently a top-bracket tax contributor; but I work very hard for the money I contribute annually to the general fund. I’m a small business owner who has paid taxes on paper profits several times over the years and has gone without health insurance to keep staff on the payroll and make ends meet. Like many of you I have a hard time spelling the word vacation in lean years and I sometimes laugh at words “week-end.” I don’t think the failure of any of my businesses would cause a ripple on even the local economic pond; so I doubt I will be eligible for any government bailouts any time soon.

I’m a little tired of people talking about “government” money spent on these bailouts. That’s my money, and it’s your money. We the people contribute to the general funds that support national, state and local government. We the people are getting hosed.

Have you ever had a friend in need who begged you for a loan, only to find out that friend used your hard-earned on some frivolity like a weekend bender or a new car stereo for a his junker? That’s what’s happening to us right now, but the tab is in the billions:

Days after receiving their bailout, execs from AIG Insurance splurged on a $440,000 corporate retreat including golf, spa treatments and banquets. Nice; did anyone invite you along?

Here are some more presents you just gave your friends and neighbors, allegedly to stave off the next Great Depression:

I hope some of you are NASCAR fans; you just gave $100,000,000 in tax breaks to race track owners. Maybe they’ll send you a thank you card with tickets to the next race.

Drink rum? You just paid for $192 million to rum distillers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Lord yes, we had to keep that precious stream of rum flowing; you’re going to need it as you read on!

Don’t worry about the high cost of heating fuel this winter, you also just paid about $150 million to wool producers; now you can buy cheaper sweaters to keep you warm!

Remember the Exxon Valdez disaster? Exxon will soon be sending you a thank you note. It’s the least they can do; you just picked up $49 million dollars of the tab for that one. This money is going to fishermen and other plaintiffs who were suing over lost fishing grounds and revenue. Maybe Exxon will give you a discount next time you fill up as a small token of gratitude!

Do you feel good yet? You should, after all helping your neighbor is what it’s all about. If you pay state income tax to help fund your school systems, you just helped your neighbors in states without income tax by subsidizing their educational costs with a federal tax deduction. That one zapped you for about $3.3 billion. I’m going to think about this one every time I pay my “use tax” in Maine for stuff I bought in states with no sales tax.

And folks, this is just the Quickbooks version of your generosity! You’re also funding a study of arctic squirrel hibernation, tax breaks for bicycle riders and a subsidy for manufacturers of wooden arrows for children. I suppose they may be preparing for the next generation’s version of the Boston Tea Party.

By now you be feeling as if you’ve done your part to prevent a repeat of the bread lines and Hooverville shanty towns that still remind of us of the perils of economic disaster.

I may have overlooked all of the above, but there was one pill too bitter for me to swallow. I suppose it’s obvious to everyone but me that America would be reduced to a third-world wasteland without the enormous contributions of our great Hollywood film and entertainment industries. This is not just a matter of keeping P Diddy in Cristal, Sheryl Crow in toilet paper and Matt Damon in private jets; no, this is a matter of national security. Where will our next generation of America’s defenders find inspiration without the next great recruiting film from the Rock? How will we know the truth without Michael Moore? How will we keep our population strong without the stimulus provided by Salma Hayek?

I suppose I’ll just have to concede this one. After all, along with you I just contributed $478 million to Hollywood in hopes that they’ll keep me from losing my home and living in a tin shack. Oh well, maybe just to say thanks they’ll send us all one of those $5.00 movie coupons or give us a dollar off our next $12 bucket of popcorn.

Movies, arrows, bikes, squirrels, rum and race cars; all important to someone I’m sure. I just don’t see how this stuff got tagged onto the “most important piece of legislation in our generation.” I don’t see how any of this pork does anything pull us back from the “brink of economic disaster.”

If you’ve got it figured out; please let me know. In the meantime, I’m going to barbecue a squirrel I’ll shoot with a wooden arrow, drink some rum, watch a movie and wonder what the hell just happened to my money.