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Reactions to Obama presidency mixed |
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Friday, 07 November 2008 |
By KRISTA HAYES
Staff Writer
WAPAKONETA — Two political party chairs and three Congressman have mixed reactions to president-elect Barack Obama's abilities to serve as the nation's leader.
Obama, a first-term U.S. senator from Illinois, won the presidential election Tuesday as the Democratic candidate over Republican candidate John McCain, the senator from Arizona.
While Auglaize County Republican Party Chair Wayne York wishes Obama luck in his newly elected position, he is apprehensive about his ability to deal with foreign and domestic problems.
"I can't help but worry about the future of our country, as we are on the brink of many foreign policy disasters," York said. "Russia is becoming increasingly bold, North Korea remains a wild card, there is an on-going tender box in the Middle East and Iran has nuclear ambitions.
"On the domestic front, I am the most concerned about Obama's plan to raise taxes," he said.
"Capitalism and freedoms are the principals on what gave rise to America being the greatest country on Earth, and if we move more toward socialism it won't work any better here than it did in the
USSR."
Despite York's lack of confidence in Obama and his abilities to serve as U.S. president, Auglaize County Democratic Party Chair Steve Walter said Obama brings what this country needs to the presidency.
"What he brings to the presidency is exactly what the country needs," said Walter, who has worked on Obama's campaign since February.
"His views on issues facing the country today and how he plans to go about changing them are realistic and attainable."
Once it was revealed that the Democratic Party had won the presidency and that Obama would be the 44th president of the United States, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Mansfield, shared his thoughts on the historic election that put the first black man to hold the president's office.
"Tonight is the dawn of a new progressive era," Brown said in a prepared statement for the media. "Ohioans have chosen a new course for our country. We elected a president who will put the middle class before special interests.
"We elected new Democrats who will work with Barack Obama to rebuild our economy and create new jobs," he said. "We will put partisan differences aside and work together to face the serious challenges ahead of us."
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, said he was hoping the presidency would be awarded to Obama's opponent, Republican John McCain, but he respects Obama for being able to become the U.S. president after serving four years in the U.S. Senate.
"It just goes to show that the adage 'anybody can be president' we heard so many times growing up does in fact hold some truth to it," Jordan
said.
"What is so great about the nation is that we fight for what we want not by bullets but by ballots. Election day is always a special day, and I admire Obama greatly for his personal achievements, as well as his successful career."
Jordan's admiration ends there as he disagrees with Obama on political policy, such as dealing with the taxes, health care and the war in Iraq.
"I strongly disagree with his views on the issues facing the country today, in that he is diminishing traditional American values by raising taxes while undermining America's work ethic, their right to life, the institution of marriage and the county's strong national defense," Jordan said.
"Now that the Democrats control the executive branch of the government, I am expecting big disagreements and battles to arise in Congress and Washington." |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 November 2008 )
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