Why do we still call Mr.Obama President Elect
67Why is not the President Yet.
The reason we still refer to President Elect Obama as the President Elect and not the President is that he cannot officially be the President until he is inaugurated.
On Januuary 20th, 2009 Mr. Obama will take the Oath of Office, and when he says the last "I do," of the oath and is officially sworn into the highest office of the United States of America he goes from being the President Elect to being the President of the United States of America.
The Oath of Office is the last step in the process that is legally binding, and elevates the politician chosen by the people (the Electoral College, really) to the position of the Chief Executive.
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What do you think about the huge time gap between election and taking office? I understand the historical reasons for this - it used to take a long time for the wagon train to cross a continent - but these days it hardly seems necessary. The net result seems to be a period of having no President at all - the outgoing one can take no long-term decisions and the incoming one is still powerless. I wonder if the timing of the Gaza conflict has something to do with the power vacuum in Washington?
I think the British system has a lot going in its favour - a general election takes four weeks from the old Parliament standing down and the new one taking office, and the removal vans are outside 10 Downing Street the morning after a sitting Prime Minister has lost!
I think the delay is in part tradition, and in part it gives the new incoming president the time to build the coalitions within Congress he will need to be effective.
I agree, though, it makes a lot more sense now to make the transition faster.
hubber-2009 says:
10 months ago
Thanks smarticus for your clarifiaction. I sincerely hope President Obama does well and I wish him the very best..