The Atma of Politics
OBAMA NATION: Life after the Elections

Once again the United States has shown the world that it can be the great democracy it is known to be. On November 4, 2008, 52% of the voting population elected the first African- American to become president of the United States. The magnanimity of the results came at a time, I think, when many in America, and the world were looking for HOPE & CHANGE.

After almost two years of hearing the respective campaigns, I think many of us, including myself, were relieved that it had all finally come to an end. Moreover, for many people the results of November 4th represented the culmination of what they worked so hard for. Senator Barack Obama represented the manifestation of so many different attributes. He is the son of an immigrant father and a Midwestern American mother; he is half black and half white; he was raised largely by a single mother; he lived all over the United States, including Hawaii, Kansas, New York and Chicago; he attended both Columbia as well as Harvard (where he became the first African-American Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Law Review); he is a lawyer, a professor, a community activist and a politician; he is a husband and a father. But most of all, Barack Obama is a pioneering, well educated, ambitious and dignified man who offers the country and respectful “shake-up” of Washington.

The question that remains now though, is, after it has been all said and done, what will our new president-elect do for us as a country and will he remain true to his character and form presented during the campaign? Given the status of our country; domestically, economically, and diplomatically, the future for our country seems, at best, a steep hill upwards. And the person we have chosen to lead us into the next chapter of our nation’s future has quite a responsibility to take on after the last eight years of failed policies and bad decisions by the outgoing president George W. Bush and his administration. So, what will Barack Obama do for us as a nation, as our president and leader of the free world?

The above question can really only be answered by the “wait and see” principle. Only time will tell what the effects of Barack Obama’s decisions will be. However, the fact that we will not know for sure until after something is done does not mean that we should avoid asking the touch questions throughout his term and voicing our opinions when we are interested in a topic. Quite the contrary, we should always hold our leaders accountable for the actions that they take and we should always pay attention to the direction that our nation is heading in.

Firstly, we can start to assess the leader behind the words by watching and listening to his initial decisions, particularly in naming his cabinet members and other top level positions. This has been a question eliciting much excitement after Obama’s election victory. With Representative Rahm Emanuel being Barack Obama’s first pick as his White House Chief of Staff, there have been mixed reviews on both sides of the political spectrum as to whether this is consistent with Obama’s message of change or, just more of the same. Mr. Emanuel is also from Illinois, like Barack Obama, and is known to be a tough, often partisan Democrat as well as being a person who knows how to get things done in Washington. Thus the question has been asked of whether contrary to his message of stirring up Washington; Obama has flip-flopped by picking a man like Rahm Emanuel? However, Emanuel is also credited with being very organized, methodical, and for being a fighter, which might be someone that the new administration will sorely need.

Mr. Emanuel may squarely fit into an overall Obama administration agenda and the campaign message. The majority of the cabinet and administration will be announced over the coming weeks leading up to Barack Obama’s inauguration as president on January 20, 2009.

So over the next few weeks and certainly, over the next few years, there is one thing that I ask all of you to do with respect to judging the actions of our next president…. stay involved and keep aware of the decisions being made. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, an Independent, or none of the above; whether you are a liberal, a conservative, or a moderate be informed. It doesn’t matter if you were for Barack Obama or against him, he will be our president and it is our responsibility as the good people of the United States and the world to praise him when he is doing right and hold him accountable for what he is doing wrong. As the saying goes “No Man is Above the Law”, that goes double for our president. This is especially true when Barack Obama has promised us a new kind of politics, a shakeup of Washington and a restoration of faith in our federal government. Let us hold Mr. Obama to his words and promises.

I am hopeful that this new administration brings with it the same discipline, strategic planning, and enthusiasm that carried the campaign succinctly through victory. Barack Obama has certainly showed his prowess as a successful leader just in the execution of his campaign. However, being a good leader, able to win an election, is very different than being a good president; seeking to build consensus and pushing forward a successful agenda. Although the immediate future does seem grim and without room for success, Barack Obama has shown us that change can and has come. President-elect Obama has already brought about change; let us now see whether he will be able to bring about the type of change that coincides with our collective hope.

Dev B. Viswanath is a practicing attorney who is currently hosting a weekly political show called Desis & Politics which airs on Saturdays at 8:30 am and repeated on Sundays at 3:30 pm on ITV/ITVGOLD in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut on Time Warner Cable (Channel 77 or 563) and Cablevision (Channel 544). You can also watch previously aired programs at www.itvonweb.com . Please feel free to email Dev with your comments or suggestions at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

- BY DEV B. VISWANATH