I have been pondering the importance of elections, and the change that one smart, determined, disciplined person can bring about - whether it is "change you can believe in" or not. This line of thinking was provoked by the incessant pundit chatter about the extent of the inevitable losses the Democrats will sustain in the fall elections. More importantly, it was inspired by finishing Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Team of Rivals.
I hadn't known much about President Lincoln's plans for Reconstruction prior to reading Goodwin's book. According to her account, Lincoln's plan for the South was based sincerely on his famous words,
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
More than anyone else, Lincoln understood the need to bring the Confederacy back into the Union in a manner that would not humiliate the South. He alone grasped the grave dangers that loomed in the future if Reconstruction was carried out as if by a conquering power. His assassination, from that point of view, was a tragedy for the South, as well as the North.
How different might the subsequent history of our nation have been had he lived?
President Obama is not Abraham Lincoln. Still, I was interested in exploring the things he has accomplished so far that would likely <span style="font-style:italic;">not</span> have been accomplished had the 2008 election gone the other way.
There are a number of lists circulating on the Internet. The main one is attributed to Robert P. Watson, Ph.D. Coordinator of American Studies at Lynn University.
It strikes me that the list is padded a bit, but who can blame him? Even a cursory glance should persuade those disappointed with Obama's term in office that things would be vastly different under a McCain/Palin "regime" - as Rush Limbaugh likes to call Obama's presidency.
There is no point in reproducing the list here. (Even Wikipedia has a fairly thorough section on Obama's accomplishments.) It is worth reading and I would strongly recommend sharing it with others. The intense focus on health care reform, financial reform, the stimulus bill and other "big" legislation has overshadowed other small, but significant accomplishments.
Anyone who is disenchanted with President Obama and/or the Congress, or is disinclined to vote in the mid-term elections because they feel disappointed or disillusioned needs to reconsider their position. Elections do have consequences. Sometimes very profound ones. Anyone who opts out of making their mark - literally - on the direction of the nation is being irresponsible.
Democrats should set a goal of an 80% turnout rate in November - minimum. It <span style="font-style:italic;">will</span> make a difference.
The one thing we can always count on is the future arriving at our front door every day, whether we like it or not. It is our job as citizens, as voters, as neighbors, as friends and family members, and as human beings, to shape that future as best we can.
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