Obama Watch, Saturday After the Election
Every news story is about how he has a massive challenge waiting for him on January 20th. I'm glad this is being reported everywhere, because it's true and Obama is going to need some wiggle room. Things will get worse before they get better, and it's important people know this.
The BBC interviewed some people in a NC hair salon and everyone seemed to understand the difficulties that Obama will face. One person even pointed out that it's going to take two terms to really work things out. Interesting point.
Obama had a press conference that was remarkable only by its lack of drama. He's cool, he's businesslike, he can crack a joke or two from the podium. I like the style. I find it extremely presidential.
Iraq has already made noises that they're feeling more confident about their political process now that we have a president picked out. There seems to have been an immediate uptick in global respect, which is what many expected.
The human side of Obama is starting to come out a little more. Everyone seems very interested in the new puppy that the Obama family is about to adopt. It's not significant news in any serious way, but I think people are craving details about what our next president is like when he's not giving a speech. The dog conversation is going to fit in nicely.
The right is imploding. I'm not just saying that as a liberal cheerleader, I think it's clear fact. There's a lot of soul searching about whether the party should move further right or try to reclaim the center. There's a right answer and a wrong answer here (and I'm speaking purely strategically considering demographic trends, not from my own opinion) so we'll see what they do. All signs currently point to making the wrong decision.
The stock market was pummeled this week. Bad news continues, including signs that the auto industry may need to be bailed out.
Obama's team has already posted http://www.change.gov . That was fast. Impressive job.
