LOOKING AHEAD

It's started to settle in for most people - our next president will be Black. But two months is a long time... especially in the realm of politics. Before the Obamas actually move into the White House, Barack and his growing team of officials will be getting ready to do their jobs. This transition period has already been one of the most attentively covered in recent memory. Maybe it's normal for people in the press to know what time the president-elect starts his work out and for how long he stays in the gym, but the material making it through newsroom filters is sometimes just as inconsequential.

Of course, the transition itself is worthy of the media attention it's receiving - every personnel decision will continue to be rightfully scrutinized. But looking ahead, what is it that people will be watching for? What do they expect? What do they want to see? And what will they do to help or hinder progress?

First and foremost, those who voted for him want Obama to put the country on the right track. He and his team will need to 'fix' the economy, by enacting policies that allow for reduced unemployment, better job security, and increased consumerism. Poor legislation not withstanding, confidence needs to be restored to US markets. But people should temper expectations - several other issues also need to be fixed... and everything will cost money: adequately addressing healthcare and social security could drain government coffers (at least in the short term); the American educational system is in need of serious attention and a lot of money - the same is true for prisons; in most big cities, public services need to be improved and infrastructural repairs are required nationwide; any efforts towards affecting climate change will also prove expensive; alternative energy won't come cheap either (we will continue to 'rely' on foreign oil for quite some time). These are only some of the issues that need time and money. It shouldn't be difficult to understand why fixing the economy won't be so easy.

In addition to the many domestic issues on Obama's plate, there are a considerable number of people who want to see the next president improve the United States of America's standing in the international community. Indeed, his election alone goes to considerable ends in achieving that end, but his actions as president (or lack thereof) could reverse the tide. How will he cope with booming Asian economies like those of China and India? Will he do anything positive for the Middle East once he takes office? How will he deal with the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan? Russia, Cuba, Congo, Somalia, Pakistan, Iran, Israel... the list goes on and on.

Nevertheless, if Barack Obama is to fix this country's woes, he cannot do so on his own. It's not as simple as waving a a magic wand of "change" around. He needs help, and not just from his staff. In his victory speech he reminded Americans of their duty:

"This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you."

That means a lot of different things. But most importantly, it means that Americans need to hold him and other elected officials accountable when they fail to do the things they should. In other words, if all we get from Barack Obama is cosmetic change and more of the same, we should not re-elect him in 2012. The same is true for any other elected official. Unfortunately, in a two-party system, substantive change is hard to come by. Maybe Obama will surprise us. Who knows?

For now, we need to give him a chance. Afterall, he's not even the president yet. Still, what happens between now and January 20th is crucial to what happens over the next four years. No wonder it's getting so much play in the media.