... and Yes, he did

I would like to use this thread solely for the purpose of a "guest book" of sorts for President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden, as well as Senator McCain and Governor Palin. I would urge everyone to please just post one message here to both tickets (and third-party if you wish) to sum up your reactions from the election over the last two years through Nov 4th. If possible, please don't respond to each other in this thread, just leave it as your personal "testament from time" about how you all felt about the nation's decision, good or bad.

Consider this your personal catharsis.

Mr. Obama,
You captured my attention a year ago, shortly before the Iowa Caucuses. I was a registered Republican planning on voting (expecting to lose) for Ron Paul when Super Tuesday arrived, but your messages captivated me greatly. I have since followed your steps through the primaries and the general election and found myself inspired to not only take your messages to heart, but to try and pay it forward to my friends and family. I haven't met a person who didn't agree that you were a revolutionary figure, although some do doubt your ability to rise above simple rhetoric.

Your sound judgment on issues such as Iraq, the economy, and your reaction to the attacks lobbed in your direction led and still leads me to believe that you will be an incredible President and I wish you luck in your extremely aggressive agenda to fix the economy, change American thinking in terms of energy, expanding health care to those who can't afford it, and restoring our nation to a position of respect and admiration among our allies. I truly believe that with your leadership, Yes, We Can accomplish your goals.

I know that I will not agree with every decision you will make as President, and may be downright hostile toward some of your choices, but you have won my vote and my respect and I will firmly support you and give you the benefit of the doubt until you betray my trust, which I hope will never happen.

I wish you great success and an incredibly active Secret Service.

Mr. Biden,
I have nothing but respect for your tenure in the Senate. We both hope you will not have to suddenly take the Oath of Office over the next four years but I am confident you will be an incredible public servant if required. People may call you "gaffe-prone," but I say you speak your mind freely and I respect that. Good luck, Sir.

Mr. McCain,
Your concession speech yesterday reminded me of why I wanted you to win in 2000. No awkward body language brought on by trying to pretend to be some kind of misleading, pandering politician. You were sincere and appreciative and I respect your service to this country.

You did not win my vote because I believe you let your campaign run you and Americans were just tired of seeing Steve Schmidt/Karl Rove tactics. Your original image could have won this election, but your shift to the right and failure to follow through with a clean campaign and then subsequent adamant defense of your ridiculous positions (Obama teaching sex-ed to kindergartners sticks out) bewildered both your supporters present and past.

I wish you luck in the Senate in working with the expanded Democratic majority and hope some of the old McCain shines through in the next two years.

Ms. Palin,
You are clearly a likable person, but your positions this election season showed that you really didn't know what you were doing. You clearly took the opportunity for a shot at the Veep seat but I wouldn't doubt you also planned for a very public national entrance.

I am certain we'll be seeing you in the Senate or even on a national ticket again in the next decade. I will never vote for you considering how poorly I feel about your positions on moral and religious issues, but I give you my best wishes for your family.

I also recommend looking into programs that don't simply teach abstinence. Also, tell Todd to get a vasectomy.

Dear Mr. McCain,

Now that you can look back in the mirror, don't you agree that Tim Pawlenty (current governor of Minnesota and, although I admit I don't like him, an excellent campaigner) would have been a better VP choice and resulted in a much closer vote than Mrs. Palin?


Dear Mr. Obama,

/cheer

Lets hope you can stand up to the expectations and challenges ahead of you. I certainly have faith that you can.

A prayer:

May the newly formed Democratic gov't tread lightly yet decisively. This is the shot to repeat the work of FDR/Reagan and form a whole generation of followers. Move to the center. Do not become overly exuberant with new power. Be pragmatic in solutions. Reject ideological policy. Get over your bursts of populism -- they are simply political crack cocaine. And above all understand that gov't can only fix so much. May they prove their worth.

Obama, you are renowned for being a good listener to those who disagree with you. However, do not forget to catch notice of the leftist wing of the Democrats. They are already foaming at the mouth. It is you who must temper their well meant but ultimately destructive policies, particularly with the economy as it is.

May the minimum wage not rise. May commerce flow freely around the globe. See the massive benefit of weakened unions in breaking wage-price spiral inflation. And above all, at minimum do not allow extensions of agricultural subsidies, if you do not scrap them all together.

Oh, and McCain is right. Sugar based ethanol (ala Brazil) is where it is at.

(And implement a strong carbon tax! Yea, you're right it's better not to politically shoot yourself in the face. Fucking populist American voters.)

Dear President Obama and VP Biden,

Please find the courage to admit that you will represent and will be proud to represent people like me: those who do not share your belief in gods. We are among the most reviled groups in America today, yet our principles are the very same that this country is founded upon. Indeed, without the wall of separation, the United States could not exist as it does today.

Reinforce our collective belief that this is one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all; and that while god is not a part of our nation, freedom to worship as you wish or not at all must be restored as a cornerstone of our existence. I voted for you. I hope I never hear a speech come out of your mouth that betrays my trust.

I will be watching...

Senator McCain,

Please inform your party that I wish to see someone like you on the ticket again, sans the childish belligerence, finger pointing, history of cancer, and poor decision-making that defined your entire strategy. You are a likable guy. You have the experience. But General Clark was right: being a POW may make you admired, but it does not make you presidential. Crashing your plane during wartime may make us happy that you returned safe from peril, but it does not make you a leader. Learn this and stop playing conservatives as the raging idiots you seem to think they are, and you might even find me voting red again.

Ms. Palin,

I almost feel sorry for you. When I remember how the media lambasted you, I get the start of a tear forming at the corner of my eye. Then it quickly dries up as I remember what a fucking idiot and hypocrite you are. The character you have shown and the "values" you have professed during this election have truly shown the depths to which your party is willing to sink in desperation to cram the voting booth with every bubba, bigot, and vapid soccer mom in the nation. Your profession of Christian values to the exclusion of any sense of neutrality that your office REQUIRES YOU TO HOLD sickens me. The hypocrisy of your dysfunctional family, the blind stupidity of your politics (if they can ever be called that), and the gall you have to piss off even your own campaign demonstrate that you are hardly qualified to be a weekday shift pole dancer, much less second in line to the nuke phone. I spit on you, your politics, your "values", and your hope for reelection to any office that might remotely affect me. If you are the future of conservatism in this country, I'm leaving.

Dear Sarah Palin,

Please, please come back in 2012 to sabotage the Republican ticket again. It was so much fun the first time. Well, it was scary at first until I realized you would have no chance of winning. I'm sure I'm being overly cynical, but after George W., it would be nice to never see a Republican in the White House ever again, so please come back!

Dear McCain,

Maybe you've always been a warmonger, so maybe I never would have really liked you, but back in your campaign finance reform days, I could at least get behind some of what you said, but then in your presidential campaign, you quickly became just like every other silly mudslinging Republican out there and thus lost all credibility. Good job!

Dear Obama/Biden,

I voted for you guys because I see you as the lesser of two evils. I normally vote Green, but I thought for once my vote might actually mater, being in Indiana. McCain actually seemed to put more emphasis on his alternate energy goals than you guys did, but everything else he said pushed me away, so congrats on my vote. You had better do something significant about the looming energy crisis (i.e. subsidies for something other than shitty, shitty ethanol), or I wouldn't expect my support in 4 years.

I'll make mine short n sweet.

Obama : I hope you're as good as we think you appear to be.

Biden : Been a fan since before the 04 election, glad you're getting to see some return on being right on so many things.

McCain : Your concession speech summed up both why I like you and at the same time why I dislike you. For one it proved you weren't the moronic parrot that you appeared to be for the past year or so. Then again it also proves that beneath the moronic parrot was someone who actually has some brains and understanding so its sort of sad to see you fail so hard when trying to be something you're not. Oh, and "shoulda been ron paul" because..well it should have.

Palin : *PHEW* Really dodged a bullet with you didn't we. Dodged a prematurely fired, lipstick wearing bullet with a hockey stick. You are no Hillary, you are no Pelosi, you are not even a Condi, so don't pretend you're the top female in American politics. I sort of feel sorry that you had to be dissed so much and that now you are the scapegoat for McCain's failure but if thats what it takes to keep you from the white house, so be it. Have fun in Alaska and please stay there.

Palin's daughter's baby daddy : GRATS FOO YOU DON'T HAVE TO MARRY HER NOW, CELEBRATE. WEEEEEE