It’s a historic win. Congratulations President Barack Obama
WASHINGTON : Barack Obama swept to victory as the nation’s first black president Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself. “Change has come,” he told a jubilant hometown Chicago crowd.The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states : Ohio, Florida, Iowa and more. He captured Virginia and Indiana, too, the first candidate of his party in 44 years to win either.
Obama’s election capped a meteoric rise : from mere state senator to president-elect in four years.
Spontaneous celebrations erupted from Atlanta to New York and Philadelphia as word of Obama’s victory spread. Supporters filled Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.
In his first speech as victor, to well over 100,000 people in Grant Park in Chicago, Obama catalogued the challenges ahead. “The greatest of a lifetime,” he said, “two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.”
He added, “There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.”
McCain called his former rival to concede defeat” and the end of his own 10-year quest for the White House. “The American people have spoken, and spoken clearly,” McCain told disappointed supporters in Arizona.
President Bush added his congratulations from the White House, where his tenure runs out on Jan. 20. “May God bless whoever wins tonight,” he had told dinner guests earlier.
Obama, in his speech, invoked the words of Lincoln, recalled Martin Luther King Jr., and seemed to echo John F. Kennedy.
“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder,” he said.
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One of the many thoughts I had when I read that Mr. Barack Obama won was that “I wished his grandmother is still here to see this”. But then again, like what my friend said, she knew … she already knew in her heart that her grandson would win the election. President Barack Obama, the first black president of the United States of America.
Interestingly, this event prompted me to pull out from the shelf a DVD that I had bought several months back but never got around to watching it. I bought it because I didn’t get a chance to watch it in the movie theater either (busy working mom, you know…) . What is the DVD? Amazing Grace. I watched it tonight and was inspired by it. I just hope and pray that Pres. Obama will have the same encounter with God like that of William Wilberforce. Nothing is impossible with God.
William Wilberforce’s passion reminds me of the passion president Barack Obama has. I know he is not perfect, and there are many issues that I am concern about on where he stands. But for the most part, I think he will be a good president, and my prayers are with him.
