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?