“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.“
Article II, Section 1, The United States Constitution.

Senator Barack Obama, the 44th President-elect of the United States of America, will proudly, albeit humbly and in the good grace of those gone before him, state the Oath of Office on January 20, 2009!

As the New York Times reported, Mr. Obama inarguably fashioned an impressive victory for any Democrat, much less the first black nominee in American history. His 52 percent share of the popular vote exceeded that of any Democratic candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 — and topped Ronald Reagan’s 1980 majority against Jimmy Carter. Now, the real work begins!

At this moment, he is found immersed in the transitory activities of the nation’s highest office. History reports that the transition from one presidential administration to the next has never been easy. And, with the nation’s economy in disarray and our nation’s treasury draining, our President-elect has stated his first priority would be an economic recovery program to get the nation’s business system back on track and people back to work!

The debate between a strategy of pressing aggressively on multiple fronts versus a more pragmatic, step-by-step approach, has flavored his advisors discussion.  At a news conference this past Friday and again in a radio address on Saturday, Mr. Obama signaled that he intended to move quickly to address the nation’s financial problems, despite any obstacles. “I want to ensure that we hit the ground running on Jan. 20,” he said on Saturday, “because we don’t have a moment to lose.” The argument for an aggressive approach in the mold of Franklin D. Roosevelt or Lyndon B. Johnson is that health care, energy and education are all part of systemic economic problems and should be addressed comprehensively.

History also shows us that the first months of a new presidency are a unique time in American politics. It has always been a period of great presidential activism, with policy initiatives announced on almost a daily basis. Mr. Obama recognized that in an interview on CNN days before the election when he explicitly ranked his priorities, starting with an economic recovery package that would include middle-class tax relief. His second priority, he said, would be energy; third, health care; fourth, tax restructuring; and fifth, education.

Telling in President-elect Obama’s acceptance speech was his invitation to each of us…Republican, Democrat and Independent voters alike, when he said...“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep…There will be setbacks and false starts…There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy and we know that government can’t solve every problem. I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.” 

Dubuque’s history proves that hard work, collaboration, and public/private partnerships produce change.  As President-elect Obama reminded the world that night, “The true genius of America, is knowing that America can change…” and we, in Dubuque, nodded … Yes, we can!