A Historic Victory: Obama Is Now the 44th US President

Well the results are out folks. Democratic Senator Barack Obama is the first black president of the US. The result came as a huge victory to many Americans, with celebrations ongoing hours after the results were announced. Obama spoke in his victory that "change has come to America." Indeed it has.

The Results

On 20 Jan 2009, Obama will take the Presidential Oath. Already the results of the election has swept the nation & the world, with unexpection passion & emotion. Several states reported very high turnout: the predicted number of voters was 130 million; far more than any election since 1960. Many Americans felt that this election is a vital & historical one; they were right. Generally 2 main messages are heard: the US citizens are unhappy with the Bush administration & that it's time to put racial blocks aside for better change.

John McCain

The Winning Factors
The most outstanding feature of Obama's campaign was how it was craftfully organized. Money was important; he rejected Federal funds & seeked to create an expansive donor base.

• Supporters: Facebook founder Chris Hughes was the first step. He helped to develop an innovative Internet fundraising system which collected $650 million from about 3 million users. Obama had a mini country of campaign staff & volunteers who worked to obtain key data for the election. The website drew people in to contribute & Obama had enough money to face the cost of buying airtime which is one of the most crucial branches of the campaign. Ads were not restricted to airtime: Obama could afford ad-space embedded in video games; stretching the Republican campaign fund thinner as they bid to keep up.
  
• Strategy: The man himself is a very appealing individual; a superb orator, a self-made family man: certainly a more wholesome image as compared to McCain who divorced the wife who waited for him through the Vietnam war, married an heiress & couldn't remember how many houses he has. This appeal has pulled in many new voters: more than 29 million people voted in 30 states before election day; plus adding new Democrat voters: more than 29 million registered in Florida alone.
• Anti-Bush candidate: With the negative effects of the Bush administration still coursing through many Americans, Obama was in a primed position to promise change; a position McCain was unable to achieve. Obama connected more deeply with the minority groups, certainly the blacks, the younger voters, the Hispanics & Jews that were formerly mostly Republican.
  

Read my short entry comparing the policies of Obama & McCain.

The Vision

The Road Ahead
Winning the election was no easy task. Fulfilling the promises he made that, in a way, helped him to get into office will be far more challenging than any electoral campaign. The road ahead is a long & challenging one:

• The Promises: He has promised a tax cut for 95% of Americans, better access to health care, more teachers with improved salaries, etc.
• Economic crisis: A lot of repair is needed to improve the US economy; he will be inheriting a budget deficit of hundreds of billions a yr & a national debt that's expected to hit the $11 trillion mark.
• The Vision: His vision for America is to unite all Americans; the young & the old, the black & the white, the rich & the poor, the gay & the straight; to work together for a common purpose. Racial tension is still prominent in the US & this is an issue he has to face to achieve that vision.
• Foreign policy: The withdrawal of troops from Iraq, the complex conflict between Iran & Israel, Afghanistan, Palestine: he will probably be just as tested by these issues as Mr. Bush was.

The Challenges Ahead

Conclusion
Barack Obama has promised change; only time will tell if he will be able to realize the promises he's made not only to America, but also to the world. I have faith in Mr. Obama & that we could not ask for a better man to lead America out of this troubling times & into the light. Rowie wishes him all the best & may he bring positive change for the US & the globe.