Obama should preserve American opportunity

In Print: Friday, November 7, 2008

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Presidential election

Preserve the American opportunity The election of Barack Obama is undoubtedly historic and monumental. Even though I did not vote for him, I await his first days in office, and look forward to the possibility of a better future. Events have occurred in the past 30 years that have helped to set the table for a catastrophic future. The majority of the country believes that Obama is the one to lead us through these tough times.

I hope that he will respect the Constitution and the brilliant framework that this great nation was built on. I hope that he will resist the agenda that so divides this nation, and that he will consider all Americans when he makes decisions.

The great thing about this nation is that we the people control our own futures. The American dream is attainable for all. Obama is a testament to this fact.

As Americans, we all have the opportunity to work hard, be responsible with our decisions and live a more than modest life. All I truly ask of Obama is to keep it this way and continue to give the American people this opportunity. Do not hinder us. I am optimistic that he can make the right decisions. I will not sacrifice my values, but I will give him my support.

The American people, Democrats and Republicans, all share common values. The one thing we truly believe in is opportunity, life and liberty. All we truly want is a fair chance.

David Yungaitis, Trinity

We need results

Barely two days after being elected into office, Barack Obama is already trying to reduce the hype he created during the campaign. A headline in Thursday's New York Times read, "With victory in hand, Obama aides say task now is to temper high expectations."

I have a friend who encouraged her son to wear an Obama T-shirt to school for "Hero Day" on Wednesday. A word to all the Obama supporters out there: Heroes don't "temper high expectations," they deliver.

Carolyn Fries, St. Petersburg

Goodwill of the world has been restored

The worldwide euphoric enthusiasm for Barack Obama's election reminds me of the equally worldwide sympathy and support for our country after 9/11. There's no question of the "mountain" of goodwill we felt from around the world after that tragic event. Unfortunately, the Bush administration soon frittered that goodwill away with its misguided foreign policy, especially in the Middle East.

That goodwill would seem to have been restored to us as of Tuesday. I hope and pray the Obama administration will realize the gift the world has given us, and use it to provide a strong and positive base for a much-needed change in how we "present" ourselves around the world, and offer a foreign policy arising from the obvious desire of the world's people to once again see us as a real "beacon of light" in the darkness that is too present in today's world.

John B. Kelley, Clearwater

Waiting to see

The major reason why Barack Obama won the presidency was that the stock market crashed in mid September, and John McCain failed in his attempt to get House Republicans to support the bailout. That is when the polls started turning against McCain. The Republican-leaning investing class, those who either personally invest in the market or pay close attention to their 401(k)s, turned against McCain. McCain became a bigger risk than Obama as poorly regulated capitalism produced this disaster.

In 1976 Jimmy Carter, a nuclear engineer who graduated from the Naval Academy, appeared to be just as intellectually gifted and socially uniting as Obama appears today. He also brought a corrupt Republican reign to an end. But his presidency delivered stagflation and the Iran hostage crisis. The Reagan revolution occurred four years later.

So is this 1932, and have we elected the next FDR, or is it 1976 and have we elected the next Jimmy Carter? At the moment we do not know.

Arthur Volbert, St. Petersburg

A victory beyond race

Some TV commentators have credited Barack Obama's success to the fact that he is black. The facts show plainly that he won in spite of it. Northern Democrats gave him a good head start in the primary process and the rest of us put him through the ringer with the help of Hillary Clinton, registering new voters along the way. He won simply because he was the most electable candidate.

We don't agree with him on every issue and we will be as tough on him as we always are with our elected officials because we know they rise to the occasion. His race is not the reason he won, it's just the reason we felt good about it.

It was young voters, many of whom are indifferent to race and other divisive superficial issues, who won it. So let's put it behind us. Really, get over it.

Madeline Orio, Tampa

Pigment politics

I think this election proves that this country is really about superficial things like skin color and star quality. Nobody in their right mind would have voted for Barack Obama had he been the exact same person but with white skin. I have seen black people just giddy with excitement that a man with black skin won the presidency. That is it, just skin color is all it takes today.

Thankfully, I doubt Obama will be able to implement any of his socialist campaign promises. Black people will slowly realize he is not the messiah they had dreamed of and he will be gone in four years.

Pat Pearlman, Largo

Flawed racial label

I find it highly offensive to hear the phrase "black candidate" applied to the newly elected president when he is also half white, was abandoned by his black father at 2 years of age and was raised by his white mother and grandmother.

Continued use of the black label implies his white heritage is of no importance, a point many whites find insulting. He is, in fact, multiethnic and to characterize him otherwise is to ignore his white ethnicity and upbringing.

We hopefully are past the days of the "one drop of black blood and you are completely black" mentality. Calling President-elect Obama black perpetuates the racial labeling that still divides this country.

John Brand, Hudson

Welcome reminder

The media call Barack Obama a black man, but this is only half true. He is biracial. His mother and her family are white; his father and his family are black.

Thanks go to Garry Trudeau for reminding everyone in his Doonesbury comic strip on Nov. 5: "He's half-white, you know!"

Sylvia Walbridge, St. Petersburg

Get past the hyphens

President-elect Barack Obama's victory was truly historic. But until we no longer find it necessary or acceptable to point out repeatedly that he is an African-American as opposed to merely an American, racism will continue to flourish.

Taking ownership in this great "melting pot" that we cherish, our forefathers pretty clearly indicated their desire to become Americans. To do otherwise implies a lack of serious commitment and respect for us plain old Americans who don't feel the need to hyphenate to stand out in a crowd.

Our Constitution clearly states that a presidential candidate must be a natural-born American. That's good enough for me. It should be good enough for the media!

Everett Melnick, St. Petersburg

Dream is alive

This country was founded to be an amalgamation of people from different cultures, races, religions. And now we have a president who's the son of a black man and a white woman.

This is a tremendous moment and for the first time in eight years, it will show the world that the American dream is still alive.

William Shumaker, Tampa

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Obama should preserve American opportunity

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