Election Funday: Barack Obama

I was asked by my comments to discuss my thoughts on the brand spanking new president. While I like to avoid discussing politics, especially after my popularity with my previous blogs is at an all time low. However, I would like to tell you what I think.

In all honestly, I am holding my breath, reserved in my thought that Obama is our saviour. Everyone across this great country suddenly thinks that Obama is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The reality is that we have been yearning for true leadership, in a dessert, seeing an oasis and because of our desire to quench our thirst we will drink the sand.

I really wanted Obama to convince me that he is the great leader that we all need. He sounds smart, looks presidential, and feels like a leader we need. However, I watched all of the debates and waited for him to say something. I waited, I waited, and I am still waiting. The people that built his campaign were smart, they knew they had a huge lead due to Bush, so they put on the prevent defense and let McCain play catch up. During the campaign Obama was tactically great, he spoke so well that people didn't realize that he said absolutely nothing. The entire time he spoke he talked about change, but never gave us a step by step plan on what he would do for change. Nothing was given, but merely the ability of him and his staff to tie McCain to the Bush administration.

I as a business professional am nervous of his tax changes and re-distribution of wealth philosophy. This is capitalism, Darwinian philosophy, the cream should always rise to the top. If we begin to punish those for their successes by taxing them, re-distributing their earnings, at what point to the market leaders decide the US is no longer a viable place to do business. The US has one of the highest business tax rates around the World. Businesses will soon find their margins shrinking due to the global recession and what profits they do have will be taxed at higher rates. Incentive is the greatest driver in human psychology. If we want to be a mediocre society similar to those in the European Union, lets move towards socialism and enjoy mediocrity. Personally I prefer to be leaders, and that is why Capitalism creates such great incentives (AKA Money) that drives human capital and innovation. In the end I am worried that he will restrict incentives and lose our "thought leaders" all because of a few greedy SOBs on Wall Street, and trust me I have more a reason to hate those greedy CEOs because they cost me my job. However, still I will defend the free markets until I draw my last breath.

Now let me be clear, I am in Obama's corner, between the two I leaned more towards Obama rather than McCain, not because I thought he was a savior, but because his tempered and deliberate demeanor was needed in a situation of absolute chaos. I personally did not want to contribute to the republicans war mongering, which would have continued under the McCain regime. The republicans are true American cowboys, six shooters at their side, ready to charge in without regard to human life.

However, I am very wary of fanatic Obama supporters. Many of my friends helped with the campaign, people were cheering on facebook when it happened. Lets not give Obama divinity until he produces. Talk is always talk until he creates something out of this mess. If you are a fan of Obama it does not mean you must accept and defend every single word spoken by the man. To be a true fan, you not only will defend your leader, but attack him as well. A great leader needs to be vetted out and natural conflict of ideas is always needed to produce ground breaking ideas.

Obama might be the great president we are waiting for, but I will wait to anoint him the next JFK until he shows me something. I am taking a leap of faith, I hope that he is the leader that transcends this century, I hope he will lead the market out of its current doldrums, I hope he will help job creation that gets me off the unemployment line, I hope!