History

A Government Of The People, By The People, For the People…

By Brad Groux ⋅ November 5, 2008 ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ Post a comment

Yesterday my fellow Americans and I elected Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. Since the results came in I’ve been reading my fair share of reactions from both sides of the isle and am appalled at reactions from conservatives and liberals alike. This time should be the most amazing time to be an American yet even when we should be at our best we can’t muster a single, solitary moment of national pride. Think about it. We haven’t been able to witness a night like last night since 1992 when Bill Clinton was the last clear winner of a new Presidency.

Electing a new President is the epitome of what our great democracy stands for and should be cherished by all who live here. I’ll try to sum it up like John McCain did so eloquently last night in his concession speech; Regardless of what party you are affiliated with or who you voted for we are all first and foremost, Americans. People need to realize that regardless of who has been elected to office, it is the duty of all Americans to help move this great nation forward, otherwise we will just continue to decline further into a pit of self loathing.

I didn’t vote for President-Elect Barack Obama, but I am an American who is proud of his country and even more proud of the fact that 114 million of my fellow Americans exercised their right to vote yesterday… a right that has been earned with the blood of brave men and women for over 232 years, including approximately 1,314,225 war-time related deaths by US military men and women in defense of this democracy. For that very reason I openly respect the opinions and views of the 63 million of my fellow Americans who did vote for Barack Obama and I’ll put my full support behind him as our next Commander and Chief.

If all Americans and their politicians would stop blaming everyone but themselves for the problems that face our country we’d get a lot further. Obama can promise all of the "change" in the world but until the American people as a whole take a proactive approach to fixing this nation nothing will be done, nothing will change. Some may think the President has total control of America but even the "chosen one" can’t change things on his own.

The only way for this country to change is for Democrats to stop being Democrats and Republicans to stop be Republicans and for Americans to start being Americans. Our finest hours were during and shortly after World War II and that was because all Americans took proactive steps to make a difference; we won’t get any better now unless we follow that generation’s lead. It is our job to guide America, not the government’s. The people running this country are there to put your wishes into motion, not to make your decisions for you.

So I ask my fellow Americans to support Obama (unlike they have Bush) because the bottom line is he’s our President (elect) and you respect the office and the burden and power it entails. If Obama isn’t all he’s cracked up to be don’t bash him the same way you bashed Bush, stand up for what you believe and and make a difference the next election cycle. Email your congressmen and hold them accountable for once, stop saying what the problems are and offer solutions. You have a voice so stop bickering like you are oppressed and use it in a proactive way for once.

Remember that this great democracy of ours is a government of the people, by the people, for the people… if you take anything from this, remember that.

Tags: America, Bush, Obama, President, United States