• Obama wins Presidency, Democrats win majorities
  Winnng 349 electoral votes to McCain’s 163, Barack Obama handily passed the 270 threshold needed to secure the US Presidency. With two states still left to be counted and tabulated, Obama’s margin of victory could go even higher as the Democratic party had a good overall day. They also picked up 5 Senate seats to increase their majority to 56 seats in the US Senate (2 more races are still undecided) and also picked up a number of House seats leading with 253 seats to 172 with some races yet to be finalized. This was a good day for the Democracts but not all was rosy as many conservative measures, including the famed Proposition 8 in California, were voted by the electorate. It signals that Americans are ready to give the other guys a chance but now a carte blanche. There was no direct shift towards the left as the country decided to move more to the centre of the political spectrum.

• Markets drop after reality sets in
  After surging the previous day on expectations of an Obama victory, many world markets reacted today with dropping slightly as the reality of the economic crisis and global economic downturn set in again. The Dow is down 287 points, the FTSE100 down 108 points, CAC down 72 points and DAX also down 111 points. The IBEX is currently up only 17 points but the Nikkei is up a whopping 406 points. The markets are expected to recover in the upcoming days barring any unexpected circumstances as an Obama victory was preferred by Wall Street. Addditionally, oil was back hovering around 62 dollars per barrel.

• Mexico’s interior minister killed in plane crash
  Mexico’s interior miniser, Juan Camilo Mourino, died yesterday in a plane crash that also killed 12 others. The government jet crashed in the business district in Mexico city during rush hour and caused another 40 injuries. Mourino was Mexico’s most important official in the country’s battle against the drug trade. There is no official word about foul play in the incident but it would not come as a surprise as over 4 000 people, including police officers, have been killed this year due to organized crime.

• Countries have a good reception of Obama’s victory
  Many countries from around the world seemed to be pleased with the victory of the Democratic candidate. Many people from around the world acknowledged the historic nature of his victory as well as confirm his popularity even outside of the United States. Stories appeared throughout media outlets about people from Kenya, Obama’s native country, to China, Iran, Canada, and throughout Europe were moved by the results from across the Atlantic. Germany especially has shown an adoration of Obama and people seemed to be particulary pleased as Obama represents the next president they can fall in love with, as the country as often done with great American presidents.

• Zambian electoral officials confirm election results
  The Zambian electoral authority has officially rejected requests for a recount and thus confirmed the result in the country’s recent election where Rupiah Banda was elected over Sata by only 35 000 votes. Only a court of law can order a recount and the electoral authority can only perform a standard electoral verification.

• Russia to place missiles by Poland
  Russian president Medveded announced yesterday that Russia will place strategic missiles near Poland’s border in a direct response the American anti-missile system. In his first annual address to the nation, Medveded come across as very assertive and powerful as he proposed to extend the presidential term to 6 years, defended his country’s war with Georgia and attacked Washington directly. He blamed American foreign policy for the state of current world affairs and also threw blame on America’s financial instability for the current world financial crisis. All these assertions were meant to appeal to Russian nationalism that is driving Russia back towards its former superpower status.

Photo by Barack Obama (Flickr)

Americans went to the polls and elected their first black President. President-elect Barack Obama handily won both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote in the US election yesterday. He carried the majority of swing-states and battleground states, winning 3 of the 4 largest states in the country as well as stealing many traditional “red” states. In 2000, Obama could not get to the Democratic National Convention. Five years ago, he was elected the first black Senator and two years ago launched a presidential campaign as an unknown who many said would not make any impact even on the Democratic nomination. Today, he is the President-elect of the United States of America.

In what was a historic day for the Democratic Party as not only did it win the presidency, it also increased its majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. In a long day of frustrated voters complaining about long line-ups at voting booths, it is a clear sign that a shift in values that took place two years ago when the Democrats won the respective legislative majorities was not a one-time mistake. A significant shift in political views was confirmed as Democrats had a good day across the board.

After a long and drawn out battle with fellow Democrat Hilary Clinton, many doubted his chances of defeating a long-standing and respected member of the Republican Party. Many of Hilary’s supporters said they would rather not vote or even vote for McCain than vote for Obama. Further, a frosty relationship with the Clintons and his decision to not even consider her as a running mate further dented his image in the eyes of many. However, his choice for Vice President in the end proved to be a good decision. He ran a flawless national campaign based on a steady issue-focused campaign. His political instincts delivered great decisions time and time again throughout the campaign as his responses to personal attacks, the financial crisis, and refusal to go negative on character delivered great political results. When he began leading in the polls, he focused on building up that lead and maintaining it. He was steady through the debates and always did enough to win and purposely kept the rhetoric down until the end. His calmness and steadiness throughout the campaign has led him toward this historic final outcome.

The historic nature of this campaign cannot be underestimated. Some will believe this will be an overestimation of the potential impact of this victory. An outpour of emotion in the media is to be expected as many, both Republicans and Democrats, realize how big of a step this was for not only America, but the entire world. This victory represents a transformational change in American politics, a generational change in social values, and a  historic moment that proves anything is possible. Many of the greatest American presidents have been transformational figures, from Lincoln to FDR. A youth movement gave America President John F. Kennedy. A generational movement today gave America President Barack Obama, a transformational and transcendental symbol for the entire world.

This moment will also prove a significant shift in American reputation world wide. The country that elected President Bush twice has learned from its mistakes and has given Obama the opportunity to hold the coveted position of “leader of the free world”.  Not only does it represent a move in line with the world towards progressive policies, Obama’s victory also strengthens the world famous “American dream”. He will also have the opportunity to follow in President Clinton’s footsteps, as the last Democratic President, and follow-up on the goodwill and impeccable image he left behind. The symbol of hate towards America will have gone and replaced by a young and driven President who promises many things that the entire world would like to see happen. America’s image experienced a massive boost with this historic movement.

The expectations placed on President Obama will be outstanding. His constant promise of change, grand promises of sweeping reforms in many fields, as well as the presumptuous nature of voters will result in many people being disappointed regardless of his performance. Obama himself has raised the bar high and many people have raised it even higher for him as they interpreted his promises and mantra of change as they wished. The American people expect him to follow up on substantive promises. The world expects drastic changes in American foreign policy and conduct. Further, everyone wants a leader capable of following up his historic nation-wide movement who will transform it into a new world order. Many, if not most, of these expectation are heavy enough to ensure any man, including Obama himself, will crumble underneath them. Only time can tell whether Obama can be the President the world needs.

As images of Oprah, Rev. Jesse Jackson and many others crying in Chicago during Obama’s victory address, it was clear that, for many, today was a very special day, a day Martin Luther King spoke of in his last speech before his tragic death. The first person born after the civil rights movement to become President is a black man, a true testament of how far America and the world has come in the quest towards racial equality. The Republicans severely misunderstood who the average “Joe” in America is. The face of America is more diverse, tolerant, and intelligent.  The Latino vote, the Black vote, the Youth vote really shook the current political order to the core and after almost two hard years of battle, a new leader emerged, Barack Obama. Is this the beginning of a movement or the end of a historic step?