| Tuesday, Americans chose their next President with | | | | many venues that we had never elected a black |
| a convincing declaration that they were unhappy with | | | | person to our highest office, nor a woman. A |
| the status quo and wanted dramatic change! They | | | | considerable number of voters were convinced that |
| rejected experienced John McCain selecting an | | | | their vote should go to Barack to correct past |
| untested Barack Obama. There were seven reasons | | | | injustices, right or wrong - the aptly named 'guilt |
| for this: | | | | voter' pulling the lever for history rather than |
| Foremost was the 'Bush Factor'. However much he | | | | qualifications. |
| disavowed it, McCain was tagged as a Bush loyalist | | | | Sixth, McCain should have known that age would be |
| by the Democrats and could never quite disassociate | | | | a major consideration in the election. He should have |
| himself. Obama's argument that McCain's election | | | | known that this was not his time. His time had |
| would be a third George Bush term was one to | | | | passed in 2000; it was not now when he was running |
| which the voters could - and did - relate. | | | | in a completely different era, under completely |
| Second was McCain's irascible personality. He | | | | different circumstances, against a completely |
| appeared 'the grouchy old man' to many Americans | | | | different opponent. |
| tired of partisan bickering in our nation's capital. "That | | | | Seventh was the press bias so apparent in this |
| one!" offered a calming alternative while at times | | | | election cycle. The mainstream media overwhelmingly |
| suggesting - quite effectively - that McCain was | | | | lacked objectivity in assessing the two candidates |
| unstable; voters went for it. | | | | and - at times so gleefully and so unprofessionally |
| Third was McCain's disorganized approach to | | | | that it was distracting - developed a love-fest |
| campaigning. David Brooks, New York Times | | | | relationship with Obama. |
| columnist, referred to this as McCain failing to | | | | Americans should be very troubled when the fourth |
| establish a central argument and framework for his | | | | estate, inherently responsible for conveying political |
| being the better choice for President. | | | | news fairly and with at the very least a modicum of |
| Fourth was his pick of Sarah Palin. If his intent was to | | | | objectivity, takes obvious sides so blatantly in an |
| capture disaffected Hillary Clinton women supporters, | | | | election. That should never happen, but it did. |
| there were many other Republican women infinitely | | | | We will officially swear in our new President in |
| more competent and better known whose selection | | | | January. He will have a challenging term in office as |
| would have made far more sense. It was a foolhardy | | | | these are dangerous and uncertain times. We now |
| gesture at best. Voters could not accept her as | | | | must all unite behind him, support him where we can, |
| being a heartbeat away from the Oval Office. | | | | and differ where we must. |
| Fifth was the 'let's make history' aspect of this | | | | We have spoken and the results have been tallied. |
| election where it was noted so many times in so | | | | We must now live with our vote. |