We have a new president-elect. Barack Obama. And this is our victory, a victory that “grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy.” What is it that this victory stands for? There is an excitement in the air that after tonight, things are different. The world is changed for the better. But things haven’t changed yet. Tonight symbolizes something, and tonight is looked upon as proof that our hopes are well-founded: Freedom from war, freedom from injustice, freedom from economic instability, freedom from inequality. All of those things are what we expect.
“The challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.” And “there is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.” Not to mention health care, government budget, science and environmental issues. There’s a lot to tackle.
Imagine you are president-elect. On January 20th you’ll be sworn into office, and you’ll have four years to make a difference. Only four years. And not only are there important issues to deal with, but there are a lot of important issues. What would you do to make sure that you would make the most of your time? How would you plan your four years, stay focused on the most important issues but not let the somewhat-important issues fall through the cracks?
If I were president, I’d get a magnet board and post the important issues on the wall across from my bed. Every day I’d get up and look at the board. I’d rearrange it if I needed to, and I’d pick two issues to focus on for the day. If I didn’t have enough room in my schedule, I’d call someone on my staff to focus on each of the issues for me. Every day I’d want to have some tangible result toward solving each of the selected issues.
At night, I’d talk with my wife about my progress, about anything in the day that made me hesitate, and about how effective my planning process has been. I’d take her good suggestions and implement them the next day. At least once a week I’d have dinner with someone either from my staff or from an academic or political circle and discuss the overall direction of the country.
Would doing those things help me move fast enough to make an important impact? I’m not sure, but that’s what I would start with. If I came up with some better ideas, I’d try those.
So let’s get back to reality. I’m not president-elect. But except for having a staff and a wife, I could still follow that same process I outlined above. In fact, I think I have even more of a responsibility. I voted in a new president, now I must back that up with actions; a vote alone will not change a thing.
So we’ve voted in change for the next four years, and with that comes four years of responsibility. And I for one am committing to solving our problems this term. I intend to work toward that goal in measurable steps every day. And I hope I will have your support.
Thank you, and God Bless America.
(Quotes from Obama’s victory speech.)
