Last night’s election results are without doubt one of the most important events to occur in my lifetime. It ranks up there with the fall of the Berlin wall, the release of Nelson Mandela and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. But most importantly for me, it was an event that I was part of. It is on days like today that I am so proud of my American citizenship and my ability and right to vote in the Presidential elections. To be able to be part of this historic event is a great personal honor.
The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States of America is a monumental moment in history for the most obvious of reasons. Despite the progress that has been made in the last 50 years, the election of a black man (or even a man of mixed race as Obama is) to the highest office in the US and possibly the world is still a huge deal. We as a society believe we have come so far, but Racism, prejudice and intolerance are still prevalent. These problems will not be solved in a year, a decade or possibly even a century, but November 4th 2008 will always be remembered as a historic milestone in the fight for real equality.
Although this election was important because of the color of the victors skin, it must also be remember that this election was also fundamentally about change. Change from the 8 years of Republican rule and 8 years of George Bush. I moved to the US in February of 2004, the last year of Bush’s first term. The first US election I voted in was Bush vs. Kerry. I remember the furore to evict Bush. It was also about change, but it wasn’t to be and Kerry was after all a boring and uninspiring candidate. Barack Obama on the other hand fundamentally represents change. He is also the antithesis to George Bush and although many Americans may not agree with every policy of his, they recognize that he in no way going to represent another 4 years of the same policies. This is why he won in states that are fundamentally Republican and voted for Bush in the last two elections. Bush’s presidency is quite likely to go down as one of the worst in US history, but almost certainly the most controversial and unpopular, this country needs a real change and Barack Obama in my mind represents that.
As you can clearly tell by this point, I am fervent supporter of Barack Obama, but I also recognize that he is not the answer to every problem. There are some issues such as the economy, the war in Iraq and the war on terror that cannot be solved by one term of office or for that matter by one president. Although Obama has spoken eloquently about these topics, I think it remains to be seen what he can really do to fix them. To quote him from his victory speech “This victory alone is not the change we seek–it is only the chance for us to make that change”. Obama’s presidency will be a tough one and certainly not perfect as he himself has noted. For me, how you can solve a $10 trillion national debt (some say it is actually closer to $50 trillion) without raising taxes I don’t know. Regardless of these difficult problems that lie ahead however, after 8 years and two general elections that ignored the will of the people, the people spoke and voted for change. It may sound cheesy, but to live in the United States and witness this first hand was to witness not so much a political campaign, but a political movement. Never before have so many people, myself included felt so personally invested in a political candidate or been so jubilant about a election result. I actually work up this morning and had a moment of wondering if it had all been a dream!
It’s been a very long presidential campaign, almost two year, and I think it’s fair to say there is a sense of fatigue in this country. We now have 70 days until president elect Obama is inaugurated and replaces George Bush. But for now, I can truly appreciate the impact of this moment in history and how fortunate I was to be part of it. I may not call myself an American, but yesterday I was one.
Tags: History, Politics, USofA
Entries (RSS)