The historic election

“I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America.” — Senator John McCain

The United States has finally made its choice after one of the longest and most expensive election cycles in history. Over two billion dollars were spent in advertising and over 120 million votes were cast. Senator John McCain, an honorable man by any measure, a statesman by general acclaim, a man who spent five torturous years as a Prisoner of War, and a selfless public servant for 26 years fought the good fight for the Presidency before giving one of the most gracious concession speeches in US history. With the election of Senator Barack Obama to the highest office in the United States, change has definitely come, and it is not only for reasons of race and creed.

The 2008 election marked the first time since 1928 that an incumbent president or vice-president has not run for the presidency of the United States. In the United States, a President serves a four-year term, with a maximum of two terms. The 1928 election is notable because it was the election directly prior to what would become the Great Depression. In that year, Republican Herbert Hoover, the US Secretary of Commerce, ran against Democrat Al Smith, then Governor of New York. Herbert Hoover won in a landslide on the promise of continuing the economic prosperity of the 1920s; in less than a year, the US stock market would crash. It would take a new president (Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932) and a series of economic and social policies and programs called the New Deal to begin turning the country around. Today, we are in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression nearly 80 years ago.

The United States stands at a crossroads, and by extension so does the world. The domestic and international issues facing the next administration are numerous; the changes needed to remedy the situation are not readily apparent and not easily accomplished. But for all the probable difficulties ahead, some sort of change is necessary.

This election though, went beyond the selection of a president and vice-president. The American public selected new Senators in 33 states and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs. The Democratic Party came out of November 4 with a majority in both houses and 64 million Americans cast their vote for President-elect Obama. There has been a clear ideological shift in the country, a definite rejection of the policies and attitudes that have been prevalent in the United States over the last eight years. By any measure, President-elect Obama and the Democratic Party enter the next four years with a mandate from the American people: a mandate to change the course of America for, hopefully, the better. 

The challenges of the election trail will pale in comparison with the issues that President Obama faces when he takes office on January 20, 2009. On that day, he will swear on the Bible to faithfully execute the Office of the United States and to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Since the Cold War the President of the United States has informally been called the “Leader of the Free World”. Change has come to the United States; the world waits and hopes that more is on the way.