Was the outcome of Tuesday’s election that big of a surprise? Frankly, Barack Obama being elected our next president was no surprise to me.

Although I never lost hope; I really wanted John McCain to be elected our next president. But obviously, not enough people shared my opinions.

I stood in the corner of the student union watching not only the election results unfold, but also the reactions of everyone packed in the main lobby. Some had solely come to receive free pizza. This was evident by the dwindled numbers as food ran out. But most students that crammed in the PCSU came because they truly care about our country’s future.

That in itself is a victory, regardless of whether or not one’s favorite candidate won the presidency.

I think if McCain supporters would be honest, we knew the odds had been against us for some time. 

The Obama fixation could not be tamed despite our best efforts. Obama’s charisma has managed to capture the hearts of many people. His success has given many Americans something to believe in.

But as I observed the extreme reactions to Obama’s success, I began to feel disgusted that so many people could rely on one man to fulfill their needs.

People have asked me how I think an Obama administration would play out. Now, I am not one who is scared of Obama. I am not one to claim that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ, nor do I believe he is a terrorist or a Muslim. I am scared, however, of the results his policies will bring.

I am scared of now having a Democrat-controlled Congress. Most of all, I do not like the possibility of the liberal Obama being able to appoint Supreme Court justices with the support of that Democrat-controlled Congress.

This change in parties brings a new opportunity to Republicans. We now get to play the role of critics of all the foolish things Barack Obama and the Democrat-led Congress will do. Having two branches of government led by a majority of Democrats will keep people from blaming Republicans in any way.

With that said, I do not intend to oppose every action Obama takes as President, but I do intend to point out everything that does not line up with my beliefs.

I want to be optimistic throughout his first term, but I will not give in to emotion provoking speeches and well-articulated presentations of liberal policies.

Hopefully Barack can do some great things as president. I would love to be proven wrong. With the state of our economy today, I would be in favor of anything capable of producing a healthier American workforce. If Democratic policies end up working for our country, I will be first to admit I may have been wrong.

My articles for the next few months, possibly years, will be quite interesting. I will use each one to address the problems as they come. Each decision made by President Obama will be explored for its true content.

I do promise, however, to never exceed the amount of criticism President Bush has received during his tenure. It would be quite difficult to meet that quota. Though, for the sake of the American people, I hope I will have to eat my words once or twice, although I predict it highly unlikely.