Today, November 4, 2008, the 44th President of the United States was chosen by both the popular vote and the electoral college, and while final results won’t be available for hours or even days to come, it would seem as though Barack Obama has won by a large margin.  Mainstream media would have you believe that this election was sinificant simply because Barack Obama is the first African-American to run and subseuently win the highest political office in this great nation.  From what I’ve seen, this is only a small part of the victory for America and democracy.

The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, Barack Obama has, to date, had a very short political career as the junior senator from Illinois. But, today, he has defeated the more experienced John McCain in what many are calling a landslide victory, including wins in the battleground states of Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and Iowa, offering proof that Amerca is ready for change.  This alone is a great victory for the United States.

In my eyes, though, the bigger win is what I saw over the last ten days everywhere I looked.  I saw people articulately voicing arguments for both sides.  I saw people young and old extolling their right to vote and claiming that they had or would vote in this election – many for the first time.  Democracy and the American flag were held proudly as what would make America strong in the years to come.  This, for me, was the bigger victory and the one that I am most proud of today.

Today is the first day of the rest of Obama’s career, and I am hopeful that he will prove himself worthy of the trust Americans have put in him.  Regardless, though, I can rest easy knowing that Americans are prepared to rally and speak for what they believe in.  This is a great country and I am proud to be a citizen.

Ranter