Barack Obama: A New Face with New Questions

With one of the worst approval ratings of a president in history, George Bush paved the way for a polarized change for the American presidency. Clearly Americans wanted someone vastly different than Bush and, despite John McCain's many differences between he and Bush, was still too close for comfort for most of the nation. Certainly this had a profound affect on the outcome of the election. Were McCain's shortcomings as a presidential nominee the only reason for Obama's victory? Certainly not.

Barack Obama charged onto the political scene with lightning speed, winning over hearts and minds with his strong-minded speeches about the changes he feel are necessary in this country. Most Americans agreed. His political idealogies mixed with vibrant youth, practical ideas, and philosophical meanders created a rockstar-like status as opposed to typically stiff and monotonous political rambling. John McCain's campaign for presidency felt choppy, entangled, and overly negative. Barack Obama's campaign for presidency exuded a calm, confident air along with a business-like efficiency. His fund-raising campaign is eclipsed by no other in history. Obama's "new form of politics" has easily won him the presidency, but also creates new questions in the minds of most Americans.

By being 50% of African descent, Obama automatically becomes a transformative figure in our nation's history, providing hope for the African-American population of this country. Certainly it is refreshing for African-Americans to see some 80 million white Americans voting for one of their own. This very act alone is likely to mend fences. Countries across the world have already praised America for voting in Obama, a member of an American minority. Few industrialized nations have achieved this plateau. Perhaps it is not Obama's "blackness" that makes him who he is but his mixed ethnicity, allowing him to mentally position himself as a mediator.

Obama's promise for on-its-face change implies he will be a transformative figure in this country much more than his ethnicity. Will he back what he says?

Barack Obama's political experience is very little, which raises the question "How will he back his promises to this country with such little experience?". Joe Biden is a career politician and will aid in filling in some gaps with Obama's lack of experience, but will it be enough? Is a lack of political experience actually a GOOD thing? Think Arnold Schwarzenegger. Is Obama's promise to not raise taxes to anyone making less than $250,000 a year even possible? Our country has dug a hole to China (literally) with debt and we are clearly in a deep recession. How is Obama's promise possible? With Democrats typically known for raising taxes and lowering the national debt, will Obama's plan be crushed by partisanship? Is Obama's foreign policy beliefs too forgiving for countries such as Iran, North Korea, and the tribal regions on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan? How will he handle the missile defense argument between Russia? Will remnants of the past put Obama in harm's way because of his ethnicity? Obama is rumored to vote strongly Democratic in his decision-making. Will he abandon his pledge for non-partisan politics and lean too far to the right?

Fifty-one percent of the country is clearly happy that Obama has been voted as the next American president, but these questions reside in the front or back of the minds of most Americans.

One thing is for sure...a big change is coming to the White House. Will this transformation affect the American people in a negative or positive way?