Some political observers, mostly conservatives, are beginning to fret about the possibility of a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress joining forces in January and forcing every American to listen to NPR and buy organic. I can sympathize with that concern, at least to an extent. The Republican hegemony of 2005-2007 was a disaster and I’m old enough to remember the backlash against Clinton and the Democrats in 1993-94. It’s entirely possible that an Obama administration, with the assist of a friendly Congress, could become giddy with power and implement some truly ill-conceived policies.
But I’m willing to accept that risk. The next administration will need to take swift action on a variety of fronts, but particularly in regards to the economy and health care. Republicans show little interest in providing serious cooperation on either of these issues. The ship of state turns slowly enough as it is and I don’t feel particularly accommodating towards the other side at the moment. But assuming Obama is elected, we Democrats shouldn’t hesitate to give his administration a reality check when appropriate. If Republicans had done more of that, they might have avoided implosion.
If Obama is elected, I’ll be full of joy. Especially because I expect him to continue to give these very eloquent, almost lyrical or poetic speeches. Being the first coloured president will make him all the more apprehensive about not moving away from his ideals, or from what he has promised.