Advice for President Elect Barack Obama

Advice for President Elect Barack Obama

abcnews.go.com

College students have many things to say, and they want President-elect Barack Obama to hear them.

In his speech Tuesday night, marking a watershed moment in United States' history as the first black man to be elected president, Obama said that the road will be long and rough but that Americans will reach our goals.

Accountability Wanted

University students across the country, whether they voted for Obama or John McCain, have advice for the next president on how to get us there.

Costs and Jobs
Economy First
Looking for Action
Seeking Balanced Budget
Upbeat About Future
Want to Be Heard

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
marketplace.publicradio.org
foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com
www.opednews.com
www.telegraph.co.uk

Google lists 438,000 links to articles offering advice to the next president.

I chose to open with this one from ABC news about some of the things college students have to say.

I also chose random additional links to augment this thread.

Hopefully we can put partisanship aside for this thread and speak as Americans first and foremost about what we would like to see this new president do... or not do for that matter.

For me my list is as follows:

Address the economy... not just for the well to do and middle class but for those of us at the lower end of the economic spectrum... the unemployed... marginally employed and those of us on disability. Times are hard for the haves but the have less are really suffering. In short help all of us not just some of us.

Engage the Republicans.... make them part of the solutions, not just a foil to work against.

Engage the rest of the world... Don't act like its our way or the highway... we've had 8 years of that attitude and it does not work... if we want to fight terrorism we need willing, not grudging allies.

Put the environment center stage... it really is key to our future... both as a matter of survival but also for the economy.

Hold you ground whenever possible but don't antagonize the opposition.

Be honest with us.

What is the advice you would like to offer... both Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives.

He will be after all our president.

abcnews.go.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by grover

Hopefully we can put partisanship aside for this thread

Good luck with that.

I would say that the list of what Obama will need to do is very long. Obviously the economy and the war loom large. Above all else, I want honesty from this administration. Tell us what you think the problems are and how you are going to address them. Don't try to scare us into ignoring the problems in favor of problems that better suit some special interests.

Honesty in Washington is pretty hard to imagine, so I won't hold my breath.

I know I know but I also still believe in Santa Claus.

Yes honesty is an absolute must... I don't have high hopes but wouldn't it be wonderful if we had a president who would be honest with us even if he knew it would cost him re-election?

Reshape the perception of the Democratic Party...and prove Dems can work with those across the political aisle.

reply to post by grover


I'm with you on the environment. Not just cleaning it up but keeping it clean. Can you imagine the number of jobs at all levels that would be created with renewable energies, cleaning rivers and streams, and from all of that the enginuity and new technology that can be exported all over the world?

reply to post by MOFreemason


It cuts both ways you know... Republicans were locking Democrats out of committee meetings in the years before the 06 elections.

We need to stop putting party and ideology first and put the nation first. But fat chance of that... but maybe, just maybe with all the problems facing us they can.

But Hey... what do I know? I'm a dog!!!

reply to post by grover


I agree 100%. I felt like I was no longer a proud member of the Republican Party, then the Democratic Party, and now I consider myself a Libertarian for that very reason you mentioned.

Political Party ideology can not dominate the politics any longer. Nor can fundamental religious views. (Had to throw that one out there too!)

reply to post by MOFreemason


The way I have taken to phrasing it of late is that I have no faith in the Democrats and less faith in the Republicans.

My advice to both parties would be to suck it up and act like grown-up's. We have had the worst group of goons in office ever since the 94 mid-terms and newt the gingriches contract on America. Bunch of bleeding fanatics. The taliban of the right.

Originally posted by grover

He will be after all our president.

Good discussion about this on FOX New this morning. They were directing it at the Hollywood elite types, Oprah, etc.

How is it that for 8 years hardcore lefties said that Bush is not my President, but when Obama gets elected he is "our president"?

Anyway...I don't want to be accused of derailing so I will comment on the real topic....


My advice for Obama.....

Do everything you said you were going to do. Push for every give away plan you talked about. Nationalize Health Care, Raise taxes on the "rich", punish successful businesses, give the unemployed more time to sit around and collect a check, increase capital gains taxes, stop the tax breaks on 401K contributions, install the fairness doctrine, etc. Push for everything you talked about. Americans voted for your agenda, you have the mandate, Go for it! Liberals gave you this chance, this is no time to pander to moderates and conservatives. Then sit back and let Americans judge you.

reply to post by RRconservative


RR... two things... we also had 8 years of Republicans railing about how Clinton wasn't their president either... both are wrong.

Second... I was asking for actual advice... not another tirade.

If that is all you have to offer go back to listening to mush loosebowels.

reply to post by RRconservative


I never understood why the Hollywood elites and others would even dare utter, "he's not my President." I agreed with about 1% of what President Bush stood for during his terms, but yet, he was always my President. I consider myself a patriot.

Now, it's time to see if Republicans that supported McCain and candidates further "to the right" than McCain are true patriots. Country First!

The whole point of Obama's message of "Hope" was to move beyond the divise politics in Washington. Unfortunately, now that he is President-Elect, I'm not sure the Republicans can actually allow that premise to govern them. Thus, the messages of impeachment already. They are scared silly after growing overly-comfortable for nearly a decade of strong conservative policies dominating the nation.

Obama needs to include bi-partisan policies and members in his Cabinet and leading departments. That was his message of "Change' and "Hope."

The very first thing that the new president needs to do even before attempting to work on anything else is,

Kicking all the darn dirty lobbyist out of Washington one of the reasons our politicians do not work for the people anymore even when we pay their salaries is because is always a better offer waiting for them from the hands of private interest.

Kick the fat rats out of Washington and then we may see some progress coming our way.

reply to post by marg6043


That has been one of his promises and lobbyists for either left or right have no business drafting legislation... that's what we hire the other set of fools to do.

My advice to Obama...

1. Burn the patriot act and maybe even introduce a new version of the patriot act that is actually patriotic rather than fascist, that limits the powers of government, and upholds the constitution.

2. Demand a new investigation into 9-11, and have the fairlytale called "The 911 Commission Report" burned and all the people responsible for it tried for treason.
Knowledge of treason unreported is in itself an act of treason!
3. Sit back and listen to the thundering applause and prepare for your second term in office.

Reply to Grover....

My advice to Obama is the same advice I would have given to a Republican winner.

Do exactly what you said you where going to.

Govern the way you campaigned. Let the people get what they paid for.

reply to post by ashamedamerican


Your proposal about totally REVAMPING AND SCRAPPING the Patriot Act in its present state would win Americans over from both parties!

Yes you are right Grover but why do the job themselves when they can spend their time and free money on prostitution parties and trips around the world.

Now afrer kicking the fat rats of Washington and making it illegal for any congress member to meet even in secret with private interest we need to force them to actually read what they will be voting for.

I don't care if they have to work 24 hours a day, actually that is what they are elected for.

reply to post by RRconservative


I actually agree with you on that but don't tell anybody, people might start talking.

But really what I mean and what I am looking for is actual advice about how to govern for all of us. In short beyond the politics of the campaign.

reply to post by MOFreemason

More importantly it would preserve what few rights we have left.
It would make americans proud to be american again.
It would save our children and grandchildren from living a fascist "1984" state.

It would be good for EVERY american, and the entire world, and it would almost definitely cement his second term in place.

It's a win, win, win situation for EVERYONE, besides greedy power-hungry intelligence sector employees who want an "omnipotent" power to be able to see everything happening at every moment, and detain innocent civilians on trumped up charges.

[edit on 9-11-2008 by ashamedamerican]