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Voters Turn Uneasy Nation Toward Fresh Optimism

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 5, 2008

A wave of change swept the nation Tuesday, empowering president-elect Barack Obama to point America in a different direction at home and abroad.

Concerns about an economic crisis and an out-of-touch White House ignited an enthusiasm for Obama that steadily grew until it won over even Florida.

A fresh face in the Oval Office won't inspire consumers to buy, workers to feel secure or investors to commit. But it can't hurt, and it is no surprise that on Election Day, with the results still unclear, the market went up.

The power to change leaders is itself a confidence builder, and economic growth is very much a matter of faith in the future.

Overwhelmingly the public had seen the nation heading in the wrong direction.

Either candidate, Sen. John McCain or Sen. Obama, would help rebuild confidence, reject the secrecy of the Bush Administration, hold more press conferences and communicate more openly, without the crutch of partisan platitudes.

In a classic match-up of youth vs. experience, of change vs. tradition, the victory went to youth and change. The longest and most expensive campaign ever climaxed in the election of the nation's first nonwhite president.

It was a season marked by unexpected twists. How Obama politely wrestled the Democratic machine away from Hillary Clinton. How McCain rose from the political ashes to win the GOP nomination, then selected a woman running mate from the obscurity of Alaska. How the Obama campaign rejected public financing, raised record sums at the grassroots level, and managed the Internet more effectively and entertainingly than ever before.

This newspaper supported McCain, mainly because of the potential of a Democratic president to sell a Democratic Congress many more social programs than taxpayers can possibly afford.

That concern remains. The new president inherits all the old debts and obligations. Obama must set his priorities with care and listen to the concerns of business owners and taxpayer groups. It may be too much to hope, but Obama would be well served by inviting a few Republicans to join his inner circle.

Had Bush invited more internal dissent he might have avoided some of his biggest mistakes. Instead, he governed with an arrogant style that soured the public mood. McCain and other Republican politicians struggled just to hold the conservative base when they should have been targeting undecided voters who Tuesday decided the election.

Obama's best chance at success is to bring the best and brightest to Washington, not the most loyal or most ideologically identical.

Both campaigns emphasized competing values that at times made us appear to be two rival nations. The new president must emphasize the many values we share. An early challenge for Obama, even before inauguration, will be to bridge the nation's many divides, including young vs. old, cities vs. rural areas, poor vs. wealthy.

At times during the heat of the campaign, we could have been mistaken for a nation of crybabies, eggheads, zealots and bums.

Now the challenge for all voters is to show their better sides: public spirit, patriotism, optimism and good will.

Obama's challenge is to help us get there.

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