Change for America?

It is being reported that Hillary Clinton has now accepted President Elect Obama's offer for the position of Secretary of State. The acceptance of the position has the new Obama administration looking oddly like the Clinton administration that was in place for much of the 90s. The economy was good then, unemployment was down, 9/11 hadn't happened and America was generally coasting along. That sounds very promising given the current state of affairs that we face as a country. In a economic downnturn that can only be rivaled by the Great Depression, any help we can get would be a breath of fresh air.

Fast foward to 2008. The Bush administration was faced with September 11th and entered into two wars as a result of it. The resiliant American economy stood strong for most of this period. In fact, until early to mid 2008 everything seemed to be moving smoothly along at least in relation to the economy. The downfall of the economy would be fatal to the Bush administration as well as the Republican party.

All these things should have been enough to get a Democratic landslide in the November election. Democrats not only wanted to drive the knife in, they also wanted to twist it while it was in so they rallied behind Mr. Obama promises and cries for change in Washington. People all over the county attended rallies, argued positions, and voiced opinions in what is probably the most taked about election in our nation's history. Mr. Obama promised time and time again to bring change to Washington and end the political ways that have gripped our nation's government for decades. He was elected on this promise, among others.

Now on to today. Mr. Obama has so far appointed Washington insiders to some of the most important positions in our government. The names that we are hearing are some of the same that we heard during the Clinton administration and even some from the Bush administration. There seems to be very little change going on in the new administration other than a new name for the president. As you're reading this the Obama transition team is trying to dampen the expectations for him in his first term as President. All of those promises that sent Mr. Obama to the Oval Office aren't being broadcast and are even being downplayed. I can't help but think that this is due to Mr. Obama's promises that even he can't keep. If this is the change the I am supposed to believe in, then I must say that that I am left pessimistic.