Obama is president

As Election Night 2008 comes to a close, I can hear people running and yelling in the streets, honking their horns, celebrating the announcement of a new president, a new beginning for our country.  I knew that Obama would easily take D.C. but was surprised to see him win an amazing 92% of the votes in the District!  It was also interesting to see that (when polled) almost every country internationally favored Obama to McCain about 3 to 1, so I hope that the opinion of America will begin to change in the eyes of the world.  

Fortunately, I made it out of the polls in about 30 minutes.   Kudos to anyone who took up to three hours out of their day to stand in line and be counted after this long and grueling election season.  THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered to work the polling stations to make the voting process as pleasant as possible for the voters today.  Despite the long lines and the hot, crowded gym at 7:30 AM, I was greeted with cheerful smiles and enthusiasm, which is always a refreshing way to start the day!

I also want to take a minute and recognize/thank the hundreds of thousands of young people who volunteered as part of the Obama campaign.  Many of you I know personally.  Many of you took time out from schoolwork and work to help support this cause.  You got up early many Sunday mornings to make calls, knock on doors and speak to strangers, not to lecture them with a speech template but to have open, honest conversations on the relevant issues we face today.  You worked tirelessly for no financial reward.  

These aren't the people who want to sit back and watch the system work FOR them.  These volunteers, thousands of them, worked hours and hours to see their dream come true.  Not because they wanted life to be easier, they just wanted it to be different.  

To see it all come together tonight, to watch Obama make history, as he gave his acceptance speech, I was proud of the work he has done and especially proud of the efforts of our voting citizens to make it happen.  I hope that he treats this honor and responsibility with every bit of energy and sincerity that he has shown throughout his campaign.   

I have the utmost respect for John McCain and I have no doubt he has the ability to run this country well.  However, I am excited to see the new direction that our country is heading under our the president elect, Barack Obama.