Five thoughts on the 2008 elections

First of all, congratulations, Barack Obama! Words can't describe what an incredible experience Tuesday evening was for me. After devoting so much emotional energy (not to mention $$$) since the Iowa caucuses to Obama's campaign, seeing it culminate in victory on November 4th was marvelous. Every swing state went his way, as his message and extraordinary organization won over the American people. Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Florida, and the entire Mountain West (Colorado, Nevada, & New Mexico) switched from red states to Barack blue. A beautiful night all-around. Hell, Obama only lost Montana by 3 points!

So, now the "fun" begins. President Bush has created quite a shitstorm, and it's not going to be easy to clean it up. I'll post some specific policy suggestions later, but for now, I want to lay out some thoughts that would help Obama's promise to govern in a bi-partisan manner ring true. So far, I think he's done an excellent job with his hiring decisions; Joe Biden as Vice-President and Rahm Emmanuel as Chief-of-Staff. The rest of his cabinet will be critical.

1. Hire some Republicans for cabinet positions. It's very important that the country doesn't think that a President Obama will drag the country further leftwards than we're ready for. A good way for Obama to show that he's serious about being a Centrist leader is to appoint a bi-partisan cabinet. Some possibilities are Chuck Hagel for Secretary of State or Defense, or Colin Powell for Education Secretary. There's no need to appoint right-wingers; moderate Republicans will do just fine.

2. The hot-button issue of abortion divides the country like few others. This election, Obama was one the first Democrat to put reducing abortions into the Democratic platform at the convention, and talked openly about his desire to do so while maintaining a pro-choice administration. His victory all-but-guarantees that Roe v. Wade should be safe for at least 30-40 years, by which time it's likely that the pro-choice crowd will drastically outnumber the pro-lifers, given the number of youths that identify as Democrats. Additionally, the younger Evangelical generation considers other humanitarian issues as equally important to their faith, such as poverty and climate change. Indeed, Obama doubled Kerry's margin among Evangelicals 18-29 (32%, up from Kerry's 16%), and has a chance to make further inroads among this group by showing he cares about their needs. Obama should reach out to Conservative leaders; for instance, the mindlessly beligerrent James Dobson is out of reach, but Tony Perkins has praised Obama for his attempts to discuss his faith (something that most Democrats are woefully uncomfortable doing). He should tell them that they'll have to agree to disagree on the issue of choice, but that he's serious about attempting to really cut down the number of abortions in this country, and he would love their help. It's impossible to know how they'd respond, but most of the country would look favorably upon a President being so inclusive.

3. Retain Robert Gates as Defense Secretary for at least a year. Gates has pushed a moderate foreign policy during Bush's second term, which has helped make it vastly superior to the first when it comes to strategies abroad. While Obama would doubtlessly like to hire his own man, he's going to have his hands full dealing with the economic crisis and a large transition in that department. Keeping Gates as a stopgap (at least) allows for some continuity in that area, albeit with a new Commander-in-Chief calling the shots and dictating strategies, and should appease Republicans who worry that Obama will be soft on National Security (alert: he won't).

4. Keep the grassroots involved. Because many of his policy decisions will be more moderate than some of his fiercest supporters and fundraisers on the left would like, it's imperative that he makes sure they know how important they are to him. Obama should send out regular emails to his supporters, stressing that they can help the Democratic party grow in stature & power by donating and contributing to local and state races. He can emphasize his hope that the American people give back to their country in the ways that you or John McCain did; join the military, peace corps, or local community service. Welcome suggestions from admirers. Part of the magic of the Obama campaign was how many people, like myself, felt part of it. Keep it up, and the country will be a better place.

5. Get a poodle for Sasha and Malia. We'd be so happy in Park Slope, and they're the best dogs ever!