US Election 3:10pm Update: Obama Victory Canberra Times Photos

US Election: And The Earth Still Rotates, So The Show Must Go On

November 6th, 2008 at 05:18am

Well, actually I can’t really prove that from inside until the sun makes its scheduled appearance shortly, but based on the lack of news reports claiming that the sun has frozen in a specific spot in the sky, I think it’s safe to say that our little planet called Earth is still rotating.

The US Presidential Election is over (apart from a few little bits of counting that are only of any use in the history books…it’s effectively a two horse race, once one candidate is over the line, the rest is purely academic). Barack Obama has been elected by both popular vote and electoral college votes, which in my mind is a very good outcome for democracy. Sure, it’s not the outcome I wanted, and I hold many reservations about the merits of the policies of the President-Elect, much like I did with Kevin Rudd when he became the Prime Minister-Elect, however I respect that the majority of voters in the US have voted for Barack Obama and the things which he represents.

I’m not happy with the result, but I have now accepted it, and I hope that in the spirit of the great tradition of democracy, that everyone else accepts it as well. As disappointed as I may be with the result, the Earth will keep spinning, and we will just have to “accept the cards that we are dealt”. Who knows…if Obama’s policies are as misguided as I believe them to be, then maybe the US public will vote differently in the mid-term elections in two years, or at the next Presidential election in four years…or maybe I will just have a different view to that held by the majority of US voters once again.

Either way, right now it is time to get on with the job of government, and as long as the Earth doesn’t stop rotating (by government policy or otherwise), and we continue to have the right to scrutinise and comment, that job should be continued by the people who have been granted the privilege to do so through the wonderful tradition of democracy.

I congratulate Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats on their victory, and I wish them the best of luck for a prosperous and useful administration.

Samuel

Entry Filed under: General News,Samuel's Editorials

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2 Comments

  • 1. Kerces  |  November 8th, 2008 at 11:52 am

    Before you go any further Sam, I must point out that it’s B-A-R-A-C-K Obama. With only one R.

  • 2. Samuel  |  November 8th, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    Err, oops. I’ll fix that up now.

    Thanks for pointing it out.


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