Nov 05 2008
President Barack Obama
After a relatively short election results night, Barack Obama has been declared forty forth President of the United States. From about 2.30am GMT onwards, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Once it was clear than Obama had taken Ohio, the first Democrat to win the state since 1964, it was almost a dead cert. Then, at last, at 4am, Barack Obama was declared the winner with 273 electoral votes, taking California and Washington. The first African American President – a huge and important moment in time.
John McCain’s camp will undoubtedly be taking stock today, wondering where they went wrong and I’m sure there’s plenty of people who can point to the choice of Sarah Palin, the poor use of campaign funds, the connection to Bush and the strength of Obama’s campaign as being major factors. But there’s very little point in doing a post mortem.
The Democrats have taken back the US Presidency for the first time in eight years and we can only hope this will spark a change. And not just a change for the US citizens, but a change for the world, a change in the world’s current economic standing and a change in how the US interacts with the world – surely a major change in US Foreign Policy is due. This is hopefully the start of a great time for the US and for the world as a whole.
There is clearly an uphill struggle ahead. The recession will need to be battled, there is an education crisis, the war still rages and can’t be easily concluded and more than all of this, the impression the rest of the world has of America needs to be turned around. Is President Obama the man to do this? Time will tell.
On a sidenote, this is my 300th blog post. I’ve enjoyed every bit of the last 300 and look forward to the next.
So many have pointed to Obama’s lack of political experience as the most worrying factor in his election.
As far as I can see he is doing excatly waht he needs to do; he is surrounding himself with people who have the experience he doesn’t have. Surely no man is an island, and US presidents are no exception here.
For me he has the ability to unite, inspire and uplift, and I think the US and the world beyond will need that in spade-loads over the coming months and years.
I heard a girl being interviewed on the radio in New York who said she had helped a 101 year old African-American woman in to vote for Obama. After all the change that woman has seen, how can anyone fail to be moved by that?
He has been described as “Kennedy-esque”; I hope that is where the comparison ends for the sake of the free world.
“For me he has the ability to unite, inspire and uplift”, that’s pretty much all he can do.
Great to happen still.
Congrats on 500, I thought you started round the same time as me?
@Debsylee My sentiments exactly. I couldn’t have put it better. Thank you for the comment btw.
@B’Dum If that’s all he can do, that’s an incredible achievement. 300! I think I started the same month as you. How many are you at? You’ve been more regular than me, I think.