So 'Barry O', 'The One', BHO, etc, was elected President of the United States in what will probably end up being a landslide election. Firstly, congratulations to him. He ran a campaign that hit most of the right notes and the U.S. people got him up. We can all have a drink to his success and well-being and good-governance. Of course, we at Auspundits will spend the next four years ensuring that he is being successful and governing well.
However, a few observations I would make. It has been quite obvious to anyone with an eye to see, that lefties have generally been quite nervous about this election. Almost compulsively so. Despite him blistering McCain in the polls and on Intrade. Today, saw all of that being blown away as their man won the keys to the White House.
Eight years ago, and then four years after that, George W. Bush won against Gore and then Kerry. In both circumstances, we had the left go apes**t. "We are moving to Canada or France," they said. Or, "Bush is not MY president". Or "BushMacHitler stole the election". Here's how the right reacted today:
- Bill White at Eject! Eject! Eject!: "It is with the utmost sincerity and genuine goodwill that I wish to congratulate Barack Obama and the millions who supported him on your historic win this evening...When he is inaugurated, President Obama will be my president. He cannot be otherwise. I will disagree with him at just about every turn, likely, and that is my right and duty as an American. However, in an emergency he will have my unqualified support, and I will always wish him wisdom and hope that he may do what is best for this great country of ours."
- Scott Johnson at Powerline Blog: "Tonight let us salute and congratulate Senator Obama as the author of a brilliant campaign and pray that he achieves greatness in office. To adapt the imprecation of Stephen Decatur: May he always be in the right; but our president, right or wrong."
- Jim Geraghty at National Review Online: "I have many, many disagreements with Barack Obama. But tonight I congratulate him on his victory. I have seen a few critics say, "he won't be my president," but that is nonsense. He will be my president, and I will wish him well, particularly as he takes on the duty of protecting the American people in a dangerous world."
- Jim Manzi at National Review Online: "There are about 1,460 days until the next Presidential election, and I assume that I will spend approximately the next 1,459 of them opposing Barack Obama. But I’m spending today proud abut what my country has overcome."
- Jonah Goldberg at National Review Online: "...Obama ran a brilliant race and he should be congratulated for it. Moreover, during the debate over the financial crisis, Obama said that a president should be able to do more than one thing at a time. Well, I think we members of the loyal opposition should be able to make distinctions simultaneously. It is a wonderful thing to have the first African-American president. It is a wonderful thing that in a country where feelings are so intense that power can be transferred so peacefully...Let us hope that Obama succeeds and becomes a great president, for all the right reasons."
- Hugh Hewitt at Townhall: "It is an extraordinary thing, an achievement that will be recognized a hundred years hence, that Barack Obama has won the White House. Even those of us who opposed him, and who will no doubt be opposed to many of his policy objectives over the next four years, must pause and say congratulations on an improbable, amazing rise. Every American ought to pray for wisdom and judgment for President-elect Obama, for his safety and the safety of his country, and for the continued prosperity and greatness of America."
- Peter Robinson quotes Andrew Klavian at the National Review Online: "Listen, guys, we just peacefully elected the first black president - that's a beautiful thing, truly. And God be with him - he'll need it. I know it's unsophisticated to say it and so on, but every now and again, we have to remember... we could've been born Saudis or Kenyans or Chinese... but we got unbelievably lucky, unbelievably blessed. When you're born American, every day should be Thanksgiving. So on we go."
- Michael Novak at the National Review: "Yet now is not the time to rehearse the grave doubts about Obama that were part of the partisan battle of the last two years. Barack Obama is now the president-elect of all of us. Now is the time to praise the brilliant, audacious, and wonderfully surprising campaign that President-elect Obama conducted. He overcame many obstacles. He held up better under fire than many of us expected him to do. He deserves much praise."
- Roger Kimball at Pajamas Media: "I would wish to separate myself, from those who would “rather tear down my country than see a president I opposed succeed"...Nor does it mean that I wouldn’t begin on November 5th looking around for someone who might be a compelling opponent in 2012. It only means that there is a lot to be said for what the British call the “loyal opposition”–vigorously opposed on the issues, but stalwartly loyal when it comes to the the prosperity and commonweal of this great country."
- Charles Johnson at LittleGreenFootballs: "Barack Hussein Obama is the next President of the United States, and we extend our sincere congratulations. Country first."
The right is about class in defeat. Granted the right will spend the next four years hammering Obama on policy grounds. But not tonight.
Update: Now that I have a bit more time, I would like to point to recent research that conservatives have a higher sense of happiness than lefties. Also, McCain's classy concession speech.
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