The View From Here . . .

By Bob Morgan, Jr.

The voters have spoken and Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.

Even those who had hoped for a different result on November 4 can agree that this is a historic moment for our country. The election of our first African American president again demonstrates that the United States remains a land of opportunity. It is not just a cliché that any boy or girl with sufficient talent and ability can grow up to be President. And Mr. Obama brings very considerable gifts to the White House. He is an intelligent, very articulate man who has a genuine gift for inspiration and leadership.

Mr. Obama, who ran a nearly flawless campaign, certainly faces a number of challenges as he assumes his new responsibilities on January 20. This may or may not be the "greatest economic crisis of our lifetime" (count me skeptical), but there are significant issues involving the stability of financial system, the crisis of the domestic automobile industry and a deepening recession. (The stock market did not greet the election results with enthusiasm, but perhaps this is caused by uncertainty.) On foreign policy, the world remains a difficult place. Vice President-elect Joseph Biden may have been impolitic on the campaign trail when he suggested that Mr. Obama would be tested early in his term of office, but he underscored a serious concern.

As the opposition party, Republicans face a difficult period. There are no obvious national leaders of the party and the future of the GOP may well rest in the hands of a new generation. Just to pick one example, Bobby Jindal, an Indian-American, is 37 years old and the very popular governor of Louisiana. While the jury may be out on Sarah Palin, age 44, she certainly energized significant segments of the Republican base in the past election.

Although those who opposed the election of President-elect Obama may be tempted into rigid partisanship as payback for the almost unrelenting hostility to President Bush by many segments of the Democratic party and the media, this would be a mistake. We only have one president at a time and the country is looking for a time of healing. Republicans should not oppose for the sake of opposing and there are no doubt a number of issues, domestic and foreign, where the party can find common ground with the new leader. For example, the GOP could certainly sign on to more vigorous efforts in Afghanistan against al-Qaeda terrorists and reasonable efforts to stimulate the economy during the recession.

On the other hand, Republicans should not fold their tents. There are numerous areas where vigorous and principled pushback to Mr. Obama's stated policies may be in order -- proposals for tax increases in a recession; the possibility that health care sector (one sixth of the United States economy) may largely be brought under government control; the attempts to impose union representation without a secret ballot (the so-called "card check" proposal); attempts to stifle dissent by reimposing the "Fairness Doctrine"; and precipitous withdrawal from Iraq. Pending final results, the Republicans may well have 43 senators in the new Congress, enough to block numerous proposals and force negotiations on others.

Barack Obama, in many ways a remarkable man, has earned the congratulations of Americans for his historic victory and the hopes of all for a successful administration. He has the right to be treated with honor and good faith, even as many of his proposals are appropriately subject to skepticism, scrutiny and outright opposition.