The Democratic hopes of having a filibuster proof super majority (60 seats/votes) in the United States Senate was dashed when Saxby Chambliss won re-election in his runoff election with Jim Martin.  This is good news for conservatives–thank you Georgia voters.  Before President Obama can sign legislation into law it must pass both the House and Senate.  This means that some ultra-liberal legislation can be blocked my a minority of conservative Republicans in the Senate.  I hope they use this power wisely–with Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid they will need it.

Myth #1:  Huge voter turnout
The fact is we did have a large voter turnout in the 2008 presidential election just like we did for the 2004 election.  However, the turnout numbers were nearly identical to the 2004 election.  The estimate is that around 60.7 percent to 61.7 percent of the eligible voters cast ballots this year.  In 2004, that number was 60.6 percent.

Myth #2:  The media was not biased in favor of Obama
The Center for Media and Public Affairs conducted a survey to find out how the media covered both campaigns.  The results?  65% of news stories showed Obama in a positive light while only 31% of news stories showed McCain in a positive manner.

Myth #3:  Obama is a champion of change
Jim Geraghty has a rundown of some of the recent people that Obama has tapped to be advisers or Secretaries in his new administration.  Some of the people Obama has tapped either served in Bill Clinton’s administration or have been in politics forever:  Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Rahm Emanuel, Tom Daschle, Greg Craig, Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, Peter Orszag, and more.

These individuals are prime examples of Washington and political insiders that seem to diverge from Obama’s pre-election rhetoric of: “The real gamble in this election is playing the same Washington game with the same Washington players and expecting a different result” - Barack Obama, December 27, 2007.  So much for “change.”  I guess we’re just left with “hope.”

I was listening to the radio on my way to work the other day and they played a clip from a woman who was losing her house due to foreclosure.  The woman had chained herself to her house and stated on record that she did not want the bank to be able to take her home and hoped the politicians would “do their job” and help her to keep it.  Now, I feel bad that she and her husband are losing their house.  I understand that people are going through bad economic times.  However, since when is it the government’s “job” to protect us from our own decisions?  The problem is, this reliance on government for bailouts and handouts is not unique to individuals.

Recently the government passed a $700 billion bailout package.  $700 billion–our national annual budget is currently about $3 trillion.  Nearly a third of our national budget for a massive bailout of stupid financial decisions?  Also, the big news today is about the big three auto makers here in the United States lobbying Congress and the President to take action and come to their rescue.  They are requesting up to $25 billion in government aid to avoid a failing domestic auto industry.  I thought the United States won this ideological battle with the Soviet Union and other communist regimes–central planning and government ownership does not work. I guess someone forgot to tell our own citizens that we “won” this ideological battle.

However, with the election of Barack Obama we’re seeing a resurgence in demands for government help.  Not the Constitutional help we’re used to like national defense, but help from our own dumb choices.  When will people return to what made this country what it is today?  Taking responsibility and building their own future without an inefficient and soulless government there to redistribute assets and catch us when we fall. After all, there is always a price for government intervention. Always.

Ok, so as I’m sitting there watching the election returns pour in I admit that the political junky in me was loving it.  However, the well informed voter in me was aghast.  Had Americans just elected a slogan machine as President?  “Change,” “Hope,” etc.  What does this mean?  The promises made by the Obama campaign during the lead-up to election day would have us all believe that just by virtue of winning the election that Obama and his new administration would usher in a new era immediately.

However, before all the votes had been counted, Obama set the expectations a little lower.  During his victory speech he cautioned the voters that this would be a tough hill to climb and that it might not be completed in a year… or one term.  Excuse me?  Not even in one term?  He’s been on the campaign trail offering “tax cuts for working families, affordable and expanded health care and a speedy withdrawal from Iraq intended to save billions of dollars each month” (http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/05/president-obama-promises/).  Tax cuts for the middle class?  He began his election saying that anyone making under $250,000 would not see their taxes raised.  Well, according to his running mate and several political associates, that number keeps moving lower and lower.  His running mate, Joe Biden, said late during the campaign that they would not raise taxes on those making less than $150,000.  Well, just what is the middle class?  How much is the upper end before they get classified as rich?  Apparently that’s a moving target.  Obama had talked of a speedy withdrawal of troops from Iraq.  Now this will take more than a term?    And last, health care for all?  Really?  His campaign promise was that by the end of his first term he would have signed a universal health care bill into law.  With a budget deficit that could approach $800 billion to $1 trillion?  We shall see.

A lot of his campaigning was spent tearing down the Bush administration.  Some of it deserved–fiscal irresponsibility, for example.  However, now the buck is going to stop with Obama and he is already attempting to insulate himself from the wrath of the voters after over-promising during the campaign.  Beginning January 20th, 2009, Obama and the Democratic controlled House and Senate will be expected to uphold their lofty rhetoric.  I’m not holding my breath.