U.S. Presidents don’t “rule” they govern. This may seem a bit nitpicky, but it is an essential constitutional principal. And, by the way, the President of the United States does not “run the country.” The POTUS runs the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. An important job, to be sure, but not equivalent of a king.
I’m probably making too much of this but, for me, this was the biggest surprise of election night.
Ted Stevens was one of the Republicans the Democrats were most certain they would be knocking off on their triumphant march to total domination of Congress. It seemed obvious to everyone that there was little chance he would retain his Senate seat having been convicted of a felony just a few days before the election. But, here he is, leading in the count with 99% of counties reporting.
Of course, it’s unlikely that the Senate will actually seat him on January 3rd. The chamber has the right to refuse membership to anyone it deems a discredit to the body. Still, I don’t think there is any actual law or rule prohibiting a convicted felon from serving out a duly elected term. That might prove a bit inconvenient if he is actually incarcerated.
…reluctantly, and only in support of the principal of divided government. More importantly, I believe we have a very good man on his way to the White House who will enjoy the advantages of both broad national support and a first class policy team.
I’m still terrified at the prospect of the (attempted) Europeanization of this country and the prospect of nearly unconstrained liberalism (I’m old enough to remember Jimmy Carter).
I expect to see a massive over-reaction to the derailment of the capital market systems of the U.S. and Europe.
I expect to see a partisan dismissal of the victory in Iraq and a foolish attachment to the debacle in Afghanistan (yet another country that never existed before British map makers got the itch to redraw the world in their own image) – the “good” war.
I expect to see our strong but imperfect healthcare system repackaged as “universal coverage” without any serious attempt to address the real issues of medical delivery in this country.
But I also expect to see a new era in race relations and a concurrent revolution in the perception African-Americans (and other minorities, for that matter) perceive their roles and opportunities in the U.S.
Further, I expect to see the end of Pax Americana and the shouldering of much more security responsibility by Europe and Asia in maintaining the peace. It will be a lot easier for the U.S. to avoid “quagmires” like Iraq in the future if we can have a modicum of confidence that our “allies” truly will stand shoulder-to-should with us when it counts.
Overall, we’re going to be OK. Things are going to go OK. Maybe not in the months immediately ahead but in the foreseeable, near future, we’ll see things through the lens of American optimism once again.
And, if you happen to find yourself in a conversation with a European (as frequently happens here in NYC) who begins a sentence with “You Americans…” don’t even bother to listen to the inevitable criticism to follow. Just interrupt and say: “Shut the fuck up. We elected a black man to the Oval Office. It’s time for you to do something about your marginalized African and Muslim minorites.” God, that will feel good.