Why Obama? Why Change?

In these uncertain times, I wonder how we got where we are and who is to blame. Every day I see finger pointing; from politicians to Wall Street executives to home buyers who overextended themselves. Who is to blame for the state of our nation and our economy? I hear fear of another Great Depression and many wonder how saddling taxpayers with more debt will solve the problem but at the moment that is the best solution the current administration can come up with and quite frankly, they had to come up with something; fast.
If we take a look back to the late 20’s and early 30’s in history, we will see that as a nation we have been in similar circumstances before. Herbert Hoover (R) was president at the time. He is said to have had a lack of charisma in relating to voters, and was not very skilled at working with his fellow politicians. That, coupled with the spiraling economic downturn now dubbed “The Great Depression” is said to have led to his defeat in 1932 to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
FDR was a Democrat who is credited with an aggressive use of government that created jobs here at home and introduced new taxes that affected all income groups, not just upper or middle class. “The New Deal “ was a program implemented by his administration aimed at affecting joblessness and it offered relief for the unemployed and the agricultural and industrial structures that were suffering not by bandaging the problem and saddling taxpayers with the tab, but by creating jobs and offering incentives for hard work. He also instituted price controls (think oil now) and rationing when the war began during his presidency as a way of managing uncertainty at home. During his Presidency, Conservatives vehemently opposed him at every turn only to be proven wrong over time.
Today we face skyrocketing oil prices, an economy and stock market that are plummeting and fear is becoming a prominent emotion in average American households. Not fear of Al-Qaeda or fear of nuclear war but a fear of starvation and homelessness as well as fear of the ability of their families to survive let alone thrive.
We currently have a Republican President who was supported for 6 out of the last 8 years by both a Republican House and a Republican Senate. He has struggled to be perceived as a strong and intellectual leader. He has often put his foot in his mouth and his legacy will be economic ruin and deceptive entry into a war that we cannot easily get out of, and that we never should have been involved in, in the first place.
History shows us that when disaster strikes we justifiably look to those at the top and demand change; a change in party, ideals, attitude, belief systems and priorities. Historically, these changes have proven to be beneficial for all.