I'm sick of being a pessimist.

[Danger Mouse]

I've always been a pessimist. Eight years of Bush will do that.

I don't agree with all of Obama's picks.
I don't agree with all of Obama's policy positions.
I am sure I will be angry with many of Obama's actions as president.
I am sure I will have many things to complain about with Obama as president.

But for once, I am optimistic. The man inspires confidence in me. I get the feeling he knows what he's doing, and he will be strong and decisive. And that's what we need...we need a strong leader, but one who puts his leadership to work on the right issues. I don't envy the job he has ahead of him, but I think he will do his best.

At the end of the day, we might not agree with a lot of what he's done, but I think that the vast majority of us will be better off.
I am optimistic about Obama's coming administration, and hopeful about the future. I think that Obama and Biden can guide us through these dark times. I believe in him...like I've never believed in a politician before. Why? Because I need to believe...because if he fails, we all fail hard.

Therefore, I must believe that he can succeed, that he can help make life better for all of us...because if I'm a pessimist, if I give up before he's already begun, what's the damn point?
It'll be dark for awhile, but I can see the light in the distance already. I believe.

[BklynChick]

1. I completely agree! Here's to hope and optimism...

[Danger Mouse]

6. Thank you. Here's to the change we need...

even if it's not necessarily the change we agree with.

[Clio the Leo]

2. "You're the most optimistic pessimist I've ever met."

Said pie to cupcake.

[Danger Mouse]

4. You dwell in darkness long enough, you start to hunger for the light.

I never quite became a misanthrope, so I still can muster some hope. :hi:

[Jennicut]

3. Well your Eva and Wally pic make me optimistic

I really do want to believe in Obama. I think we need to evaluate him in 4 months. Until then, I am just taking it all in.

[Danger Mouse]

5. I loved Wall-e too because it really showed that even when humanity hits rock bottom...

hope can prevail even from the most unlikely of sources.

[Jennicut]

7. Oops, you are right. Its Wall-e. My 3 and 4 year old daughters love that movie.

Not a lot of talking but its beautiful. It makes me cry, especially when he comes back "to life" at the end, when Eve keeps saying his name.

[DevonRex]

8. I'm optimistic until I come here. But posts like yours really do help.

To me it's like this:

I never expected Obama to walk on water. I never expected to agree on all things. I can't get outraged until he's actually president. And if I do get outraged then, I'll make phone calls, send emails - just like before.

One thing I know is that I'll be outraged a whole lot less with Obama than I was with Bush. Another thing is that I know my phone calls and emails will matter more with Obama. I never expected anything to change with Bush, no matter how many calls I made. Now I have some hope that SOME things will change for the better and maybe even a lot of things will change for the better.

I have even more optimism since we now have 2 democratic Senators in Colorado, and I'm so thankful that Salazar isn't one of them. Calling him sometimes was like calling a republican. He's out and a really good guy took his place.

[Danger Mouse]

9. If you take the constant bellyaching on DU seriously enough, of course it'll make you pessimistic.

:hug:
Spend some time in the Lounge, it helps. :P

[DevonRex]

10. You mean people aren't shooting each other over there?

I might just give it a try then. :hug:

[Danger Mouse]

16. They are on occasion, but it's about really stupid stuff...

which makes it more amusing and less depressing.

[truedelphi]

24. DU lounge is the savior of humanity

WHo says fun, games and a touch of lunacy are not worthwhile??

[HughMoran]

21. These are historic times

How can a solid Democrat watch Obama speaking among his peers (former Presidents) without getting choked up at this historic time in our history?

I really think that there were people here that thought Obama was the Next Coming!

[renate]

58. after eight years, I'm pathetically grateful to have an administration that will be on OUR side

I say "pathetically" grateful because it really shouldn't be a novel thing for the government to act with the people's best interests at heart. But after these past eight long years, it really is exciting to me... so in addition to being pathetically grateful, I'm also wildly enthusiastic and deeply happy.

What you said about phone calls and e-mails mattering to this administration is, I think, true, and I'm so happy about that, too. I didn't care nearly as much about politics when Clinton was president--it didn't seem as necessary to care--so the Obama administration is going to be the first one that I'm acutely aware of that is also going to be acutely aware of the wishes of the people. It's going to be like living in a democracy!

:bounce:

[brentspeak]

11. OP reads like a Stuart Smalley self-affirmation

[HughMoran]

26. Reply reads like typical DU "snark"

:rofl:

[Danger Mouse]

29. Better than half of the snarky bullshit people post on DU to boost their ego.

[Teaser]

12. word

.

[bdamomma]

13. I agree with you too.

Obama has to clean up a very criminal mess, and I support him.

[Danger Mouse]

14. He's got the biggest mess to clean up since FDR.

[Solomon]

15. Thank-you for this post Elrond.

Kicked and recommended. I quit practicing law because of what the Supreme Court did in 2000. Went through depression during the Bush years. I thought we had lost our chance to recover America.

I think we're on the right track now, and I'm still surprised that we still have a chance to try and become "America" again.

Thank-you.

[OwnedByFerrets]

17. What "I" am tired of is having my optimism shit upon.

[Danger Mouse]

28. Misery loves company. A miserable DUer will try to make other DUer's miserable.

The power of positive thinking is that it marginalizes the misery.

[dionysus]

18. nominated for rational post of the day

:thumbsup:

[HughMoran]

19. I am optimistic too

I just got choked up watching Obama speak at the gathering of former Presidents.

He so belongs there.

First black man ever to be President - never any more obvious that at this presser.

He is so articulate which was brought to the fore while watching him amongst his peers.

Don't let the grouches get you down - I can already see the comments calling you some sort of fairy-land person.

We are allowed to feel good during these historic times.

:)

[Danger Mouse]

32. I can't wait to hear his inaugural address.

It could be one of the best ever.

[jillan]

20. Excellent post. What I love about Obama is that he is open.

He explains his decisions, so even if we don't agree with him, he is giving us the opportunity to understand his thinking....and I'll gladly take that over what we have had in the past, even when I don't agree.

[Danger Mouse]

27. Isn't it a refreshing change over 'I'm the decider. Deal with it.'?

I can certainly better cope with disagreements if at least I can hear an explanation.

[countingbluecars]

22. K&R

Thanks! This sure beats the first post I read when I logged on this morning. It was something about having "very little hope".

[Danger Mouse]

37. Negativity is contagious.

[Life Long Dem]

23. I lean more toward a trust in Obama's judgment.

I think everyone will begin to feel Obama's judgment is on the money and realize how on the ball Obama really is. I did.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. My dear Elrond Hubbard...

How beautifully you express yourself!

This is wonderful, a prose poem...

Thank you for your optimism...I too share in it!

K&R

:hug:

[Danger Mouse]

30. Thank you.

:hug:
Hope you're doing well.

[FrenchieCat]

31. Of course I'm with you on this, Elrond Hubbard

Some days I get so peeved, I'm seriously thinking of just starting up my own website.

8 years in the life of middle aged folks is quite a bit.
I'll be damned if I live 8 more years bitching just because I can,
and end up realizing that I'm not only old,
but also very willingly unhappy with the country that I love.

Bush never ever did the right thing, and it was obvious when he stole the election in 2000
that he has been nothing more than an imposter, a thief and a liar.

Obama is none of those things, so he'll be getting way more leeway with me on his decisions.

Bush was not my President. I never voted for him and never believed he won anything.
Obama is my President. I voted for him, and worked for him, and I believe that he is honest,
caring, and resolved in actually making our lives better. There is a real difference in the two,
and I will behave as such. To do otherwise would only mean that I can't discern between good and evil, even when it is manifested right before my very eye.

I understand and emphasize the pessimists and the skeptics,
but I'm not going to follow their lead.
I don't have that kind of time to waste....not after all of this time.

[Danger Mouse]

33. The best way to rebuild this country is to trust Obama but encourage him to do the right thing.

That doesn't mean having a negativity circle jerk every time he does something we don't like.
It means being proactive rather than reactive.
I, too, don't have the time or the energy to be a pessimist.

[Cha]

34. I'm tried of this board being so pessimistic

I actually think you're one of the more optimistic. Thanks again for one of your encouraging posts.

If one looks at the big picture we are very fortunate to be where we are today. We could be raging about mccain and palin inserting their choices into our goverment.

[Danger Mouse]

35. I agree. I shudder to think what we'd be facing with McCain and Palin in charge.

[Jane Austin]

36. Wonderful post!

Thank you for saying what you did.

[Danger Mouse]

38. Aww...well, thanks.

I'm glad people like it.

[Taverner]

39. Wish I could join you

But alas, I watched WALL-E this weekend

[Danger Mouse]

42. What, did that make you more pessimisitc?

[lumberjack_jeff]

40. Me too. But eventually I realized I'm never going to get better. Sigh. n/t

[Danger Mouse]

43. I'm sorry to hear that.

I hope Obama gives you reason to feel optimistic again.

[lumberjack_jeff]

45. Sigh. People will never get my humor. Life sucks.

:sarcasm:

[Forkboy]

41. Let me know how that works out for you.

;)

[HughMoran]

44. So far only 2 snarky posts

Not bad - wouldn't you say?

[Forkboy]

57. No, it's good. It's a good message.

It's just not something that'll ever happen to me.

See, pessimism already. :)

[Danger Mouse]

62. Be positive. Godzilla would want you to.

[firedupdem]

46. K & R

At the end of the day, if he doesn't do well we're even more screwed than we are now. I can't afford not to hope and believe that President Obama and Vice President Biden will do well and look out for the regular people of this country first.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

47. No, no, we must complain about everything at all times.

[Danger Mouse]

51. Oh. Really? Damn, it looks like I had it wrong.

Thanks for clearing it up for me.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

59. It's DU's fuel -- perpetual outrage.

[grantcart]

48. Its not a "belief" to trust Obama

Its a logical conclusion when you look at the fact that he was tempted in the past for big titls and big pay checks but went to work for the poor.

This guy is the real deal.

He may even have the ability of picking folks to work for him who will be able to work to a new purpose in his administration.

If only he could pick pastors better he would be perfect. lol

[Tatiana]

49. K&R. We can be both hopeful and realistic.

For the first time in a long time, we will have someone in office who truly listens to all sides of an issue before making a decision. No more going with the "gut" or "emotions" or mystical feelings from up above. This is someone who truly can usher in the "age of reason" Al Gore talked about.

People can at least give Obama a chance to actually govern before crucifying him.

[eridani]

50. The slogan is Yes WE can, not Yes HE can

It's up to us.

[EraOfResponsibility]

56. Right on! n/t

[Solon]

52. What is with this need to believe in a poltician? Sounds like a bunch of naive bullshit.

Damn near all politicians who reach for and succeed in national politics on the Federal level, especially the Presidency are backstabbing, dishonest jackasses. Hell, what I'm hoping for is that Obama IS that dishonest, and just said a bunch of bullshit about his health care plan, "clean" coal, and numerous other issues to get elected because his policy positions on all those suck. How is that for hope?

[Danger Mouse]

53. I figured it was only a matter of time before somebody decided to shit on this thread.

Well done.

[Solon]

55. My pleasure, the first step is to stop this BS about pretending that politicians are...

anything more than politicians. Then you can actually get to work, we have a guy who, frankly, isn't all he's cracked up to be, and NEVER was, if we want policies to be implemented that are actual solutions, and NOT trust the empty rhetoric so far, then we need to see Obama as an adversary. We cannot rest, we cannot be passive, you are basically saying that we should sit back and trust in the guy. That's just a bunch of bullshit, get that out of your head, for all it leads to is even more disappointment.

This man issued a challenge to each of us, in his acceptance speech on election night, for once I say let's do what he says and question his every fucking move.

[Danger Mouse]

61. I never said that. I never said be passive.

Trusting doesn't mean being passive.

[Solon]

63. Trust him to do what, may I ask?

In addition, what has he done to earn your trust?

[Danger Mouse]

64. I felt that he ran a good, honest campaign. I agree with many of his postions (not all)...

and most of his cabinet picks (not all). He has consistently impressed me in interviews, speeches, and debates.
Also, considering the enormous task that he faces, I realize that for him to fail will have disastrous consequences for all of us. I'm putting my trust in him also because I need to believe that he can do well. That doesn't mean I'm going to be quiet about his shortcomings either, but I'm not going to be a fatalist before he gets started.
Therefore, I trust him to do a good job of fixing the economy and restoring America's standing in the world.
Of course, I could be wrong, and my trust could be misplaced. But for now, I will believe in him.

[DevonRex]

69. That's how I look at it. I'm not sure what the hurry is to trash the guy.

What will happen will happen, whether we piss and moan about it or not. In the meantime, I'll choose to be happy. And I'll make my phone calls and write my emails about stuff that does matter.

If Obama is really as awful as people here seem to think he is, there will be plenty of time to piss and moan then.

[Solon]

76. Well, I don't see the conduct of his campaign the same way, nor do I agree...

with many, or even most of his positions on issues. Same for cabinet picks, even if I only was really outspoken against Warren at the Invocation, think the Gupta pick is a joke, and the whole issue with Kaine just turns my stomach.

[DevonRex]

67. You apparently trust NO politician. And I'd bet you don't trust people as a whole.

Sad. Very sad.

[Solon]

74. Of course not, that's a ridiculous notion, why should I trust people I don't know?

Trust has to be EARNED, not freely given. I wouldn't trust a complete stranger with my 4 year old nephew, and I'm sure you wouldn't trust a total stranger to watch after your children either. Same concept with Obama, even if its a different level of trust, the way the campaign has been conducted leaves me with a big question mark over his trustworthiness.

[DevonRex]

70. Apparently people think the only way to be active is to be critical.

I've given some constructive feedback on his website and I'm sure that you either have already or you will when you see the need. That's the way to approach things.

[Solon]

75. Well, there's also protests, petitions, and even bypassing Obama entirely...

by pressuring Congressmen to help pass laws that you would like passed, regardless of how the Obama feels about it. This is, of course, after he's sworn in, but an example I can include would be pressuring Democratic Congressmen who haven't signed up to HR 676 to sign up for it, and push for it to pass, end then dare Obama to try to veto it. Maybe a pipe dream, but hey, its a remote possibility.

[DevonRex]

66. According to you, no politician is what they're cracked up to be since you think

they're all dishonest backstabbers. And since you already said that, your opinion of Obama really doesn't mean much. You'd have the same opinion of Conyers or Bill Clinton or even Hillary Clinton. How about Joe Biden? Is he a lying backstabber, too? Oh yeah. They're ALL lying backstabbers. :sarcasm: So I know the answer.

[DevonRex]

65. Wow. With an attitude like that, how do you ever find anybody to vote for?

And, tell me, do you think every democratic candidate for pres this year was a lying, backstabbing jackass?

And since they all lie, in your opinion, how do you decide what they're lying about? How do you pick and choose?

I'm glad I'm not you, that's all I can say.

[Danger Mouse]

71. Blind pessimism is every bit as bad as blind optimism.

[DevonRex]

72. That's the truth. And I don't think you're blindly optimistic, either.

You're choosing to trust until you see something that makes you not trust. You're willing to give Obama a chance to actually be president for a little while before you let loose with both barrels. And even when you're disappointed, as we all will be at some point, I bet you'll find a constructive way to voice your opinion.

I have a dream that we'll all treat each other as we would like to be treated and that we can accomplish many things with civility. :shrug:

[EraOfResponsibility]

54. It's so much easier to have low expectations

that way when it doesn't work out, you're not surprised, and the dissapointment doesn't hurt as much. That's the lie we tell ourselves, anyway. It hurts either way. We'd might as well be optimistic. Pessimism shortens your lifespan.

[EraOfResponsibility]

60. Shit, there was an Obama quote that fits this perfect but I can't find it

it went along the lines of worry being a sick kind of wisdom or something.

[mrs_p]

68. i'm with you. nt

[Danger Mouse]

73. We're in this together.

We can either work together towards a common goal or squabble over the same old shit.
I'd rather work together.

[Number23]

77. I've never been a pessimist. Too pragmatic. Probably one of the reasons I'm an independent.

:)

Few once down, stay down. And few once up, stay up.

I applaud your decision to be optimistic about Obama and what he's trying to do. I am optimistic as well. At the end of the day, what other choice do we really have anyway??

[ScreamingMeemie]

78. You sound a lot like me.

:toast:

[Danger Mouse]

80. Not a bad position to be in, as far as I'm concerned.

:pals:

[quiet.american]

79. Thank you for saying something positive about Obama! nt

[carnie_sf]

81. My opinion

is that we elected the smart guy, and that has to count for something.