You're all voting, are you???

[godofthunder]

 Certainly a election for the record books ! Didn't go my way but that's ok We can always make a  change (yes I used that word on purpose) in four years or even sooner if he really screws up. Where else can ya do that ? What a great country ! I was very conflicted about each canidate but McCain's bravery, character and service to his country won me over. I have no party loyalty. To quote Ian Hunter " don't wanna vote for the left wing, don't wanna vote for the right, I gotta have both to make me fly"  GBA !

[gweimer]

Barklessdog, I think you sum things up for me (and probably a lot of people) in a nutshell.  The only thing I didn't care for in McCain was the health care thing.

Another little tidbit that CNN threw out there last night - McCain would have been the first non-American born president.  He was born in the Panama Canal Zone.

[drbassman]

Hey, we're the United States.  We always do the right thing, after we try everything else!  (Winston Churchill)  And we never stop trying.

[Nocturnal]

Certainly a election for the record books ! Didn't go my way but that's ok We can always make a  change (yes I used that word on purpose) in four years or even sooner if he really screws up. Where else can ya do that ? What a great country ! I was very conflicted about each canidate but McCain's bravery, character and service to his country won me over. I have no party loyalty. To quote Ian Hunter " don't wanna vote for the left wing, don't wanna vote for the right, I gotta have both to make me fly"  GBA !

You pretty much sum up my feelings. I don't like either party at all, but I always vote.

[Barklessdog]

The worst kind are people who are so opinionated but never vote. They don't have a say and should not talk.

[drbassman]

I agree.  Not voting is just plain stupid.  Although, I sometimes think we should have a "voter test" just to see if people actually know anything about the issues or candidates.  Uninformed voters are scary to me.

I also believe we are a very resilient country and we'll do fine whether or not Obama does.  We've survived some pretty mediocre and awful Presidents in over 200 years.  I firmly believe we deserve the government we elect, no matter what party they come from.  Every election is a crap shoot and a learning experience.

[the mojo hobo]

Although, I sometimes think we should have a "voter test" just to see if people actually know anything about the issues or candidates.  Uninformed voters are scary to me.

Yea, and there are a lot of them.

[Dave W]

There will always be uninformed voters, just a fact of life.

Some people don't vote out of laziness, others out of principle. I can respect someone who makes a conscious choice not to vote if he doesn't like any of the candidates, since we're not allowed an official choice to vote for "none of the above."

[Darrol]

I just want to point out that I did not register because I did not want to vote. That's my choice right now and I know it prevents me from having a say in the matter so I just point out things others look over. I for one just don't trust politicians and I know how much politics can fuel arguments among some people.

Maybe I will vote next election.

Sent from my iPhone.

[Barklessdog]

That's your right as well.

My wife works with a bunch of Republican women who were all bitching & moaning about Obama & the election. Guess what?

None of them even voted.

[drbassman]

There's no need to argue and I don't blame someone for not voting to make a statement as well.  It's a form of meta-communication:  to not communicate is to communicate.  I do it all the time!

[Pilgrim]

You've done it again. What you so excel at. Reinventing yourself and your country. Only a bit more than 40 years after segregation fell you've elected the son of a black man whose father wasn't even an American. Change indeed. I honestly believe that this could not have happened anywhere else. The American Dream at work.

Obama might be one of your great Presidents or he might turn out a disappointment, but the fact that he got there at all is compelling evidence for American virtues and qualities. Wow, you can be a great place after all! Congrats and happy next four years.
Uwe

Uwe, thanks for your gracious comments.  I think that we in the U.S. don't realize how much the rest of the world has been following this election.  The responses to the outcome have been positive in a world-wide sense...and it appears to have generated an unprecedented and enthusiastic response.  Kenya declared today a holiday in honor of Obama and his Father!  I'm hoping that this at least gives us a start on improving our international relationships.

[OldManC]

My wife works with a bunch of Republican women who were all bitching & moaning about Obama & the election.

No one but those women know if they voted or not. After all the things I've personally heard non-Obama voters being called by some of his more enthusiastic supporters in the media and general population, I don't blame anyone for keeping quiet about their vote.

I'm not one to voice strong political opinions on a bass board. I wouldn't do it even if we weren't asked not to by our hosts because I'd rather celebrate what we have in common than point out where we differ, so I try carefully to choose my words when I post in threads that are bound to go there. But, considering the amount of 'bitching & moaning' Republicans have heard over the last eight years I find it ironic that anyone would complain about that activity in the days after such a contentious election season.

Can we celebrate an historic election without bringing political philosophies into it?

[Dave W]

Hear, hear!

[Barklessdog]

Sorry, I did not mean it as a stab at anyone other than the people involved, although I can see it came off that way.

My apoligies.