Jan. 15 (UPI) — The balloons have dropped from the rafters; the tinsel has been swept from the ballroom floors. Americans have made their voices heard at the polls, and today, during one of our nation’s most tumultuous times, we prepare for an inauguration that signals the fruition of a historic presidential election.

President-elect Barack Obama surprised many people across the nation, as well as many in his own party, by rising from relative obscurity to claim America’s highest office. He now stands poised to lead a new generation. His optimistic promise to enact “Change We Can Believe In” has captivated the American public’s imagination during an era where laissez-faire economics and poor policy decisions have precipitated the most severe economic decline since the Great Depression.

Obama’s enabling mantra, “Yes We Can,” chanted religiously during campaign rallies throughout the country, has planted a seed of possibility and empowered those who are fed up with the stagnation of Washington bureaucracy. His road to the White House has been bolstered by the historic significance of his racial heritage, but the ride has not been without its potholes.

Matt Felling, a news anchor at CBS affiliate KTVA in Anchorage, Alaska, recently decried the way candidates from both parties weaponized common expressions and played to racial and gender divides during the election. Felling referred specifically to the rhetoric surrounding Sen. John McCain’s selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.

“The (McCain) campaign (took) the sexism issue and used it like Jujutsu — turned it against their opponents,” he said.

Felling also suggested that the media shares responsibility for increased negativity seen during the election. He argued that current cable news shows have become platforms for tabloid-style entertainment and political rhetoric rather than sources of public information.

Stephen J. Farnsworth, assistant professor of communication at George Mason University and author of “Spinner in Chief: How Presidents Sell Their Policies and Themselves,” elaborated on this point during a recent discussion with GMU journalism students.

Farnsworth attributed much of the blame for campaigns’ movements toward negativity and away from substance to an “always on, always hungry” media that demands to be constantly fed information. He said this feeding frenzy means that presidents are now forced to win the news cycle 24 hours a day. This presidential rhetoric, Farnsworth believes, has supplanted leadership by distracting the public from more important issues.

“The marketing of the presidency has become an obsession. This causes problems because it gets in the way of governing,” said Farnsworth. “The only way to be successful is to over-promise. Once you’re in the office you under-deliver. The reason this technique is so successful is because people don’t really pay attention to the issues.”

Unfortunately, many people are now shockingly aware of the dire economic issues facing our nation. As jobs and homes hang in precarious balance, Americans are looking for a leader who will work across political lines to address increasingly urgent economic and national security issues.

Through his Cabinet selections and other political appointments, Obama is demonstrating his willingness to implement his agenda in a bipartisan manner. His retention of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and selections of Gens. James Jones and Eric Shinseki as national security adviser and secretary of veterans affairs seem to have assuaged the fears of many in the military community who felt that national security issues might receive less attention under the new administration.

Obama’s selection of former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., as secretary of state is further evidence of his adoption of leadership principles similar to those exemplified by President Abraham Lincoln. Many interesting parallels can be drawn between Obama’s bid for the presidency and that of Lincoln. Lincoln proposed change in a time of social and economic upheaval, and he enacted his policies while the nation was at war. As we see today, another former senator from Illinois will face similar challenges. It’s these similarities that make Doris Kearns-Goodwin’s best-selling book, “Team of Rivals,” especially relevant today.

Kearns-Goodwin details how Lincoln succeeded in restoring a fragile, fractured nation by incorporating talented, and sometimes dissenting, rivals into his administration. One of her book’s central themes is the idea that teamwork and compromise are not simply elements that help government, but are instead the foundation blocks upon which an effective government is built. Lincoln’s forward thinking led to one of the most effective presidencies in American history during one of the country’s most perilous times. Obama seems to be carefully following Lincoln’s blueprint for success as he faces the prospect of a similarly daunting term in office.

In another recent book, “A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America,” Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., prophetically suggested that the American public’s growing skepticism of current political leadership could lead to unprecedented changes in governance. Webb described the Senate not as “100 fiercely protected fiefdoms” but instead as “100 scorpions in a jar.” He warned that one must be careful in deciding how and when to shake that jar. It seems the American public has decided to do just that.

The social changes Webb calls for seem to have been heard, at least in part, by the American majority who voted out nearly two dozen congressional incumbents and for the first time voted in an African-American president of the United States. More importantly, Webb might argue, is the fact that our nation has chosen to pursue a new course. The people have united in voice and reason to challenge convention and face the growing recession and national security issues head-on.

Another Capitol Hill leader, Rep. Christopher H. Shays, R-Conn., voiced praise for the public’s decision, even as his own constituents ousted him from office late last year.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time. I think this was a monumental election,” said Shays. “I hope Republicans and Democrats work together to help the president accomplish his agenda.”

Obama faces a gauntlet of challenges as he strives to live up to the expectations he has built up for his administration. Shays said Obama must incorporate lessons learned from past administration failures in order to move the nation forward.

“One of the key things people will be watching is whether he does what he said he was going to do. Is he really going to try to come to the middle?”

These and many other questions remain to be answered. However, if Obama’s recent actions are any portent of his future as commander in chief, Americans may finally be able to start looking forward to a brighter future. In these dark times, Barack Obama’s “Hope” has emerged as a valuable commodity. It seems this promised stock may finally be rising.