President Elect Barack Obama!

I know many in the country were divided over which candidate was best suited to be the next president. There was lots of opinions and in many cases emotions that went along with this Presidential election. No matter who won I would like to say (though I am an Obama voter) I really hope the country joins together Republicans and Democrats and those independent voters to put disagreements aside and, as President Elect Obama asked on Tuesday night, work together to bring needed changes to some of the problems the US is facing. During tough times bickering, arguing and fighting does not help.

My first impression of Barack Obama was formed back in 2004 when he spoke at the Democratic Convention. I remember sitting on our couch with Jake and just being blown away by his speech. The way he delivered the speech, the speech itself, the inspiration both Jake and I were left with was amazing. We felt empowered. I remember thinking at that time, "I wish this guy was running for president instead of Kerry!" I know words are just that, words, but words have a power and they play an important role. If you think about it, as voters, we really just have the words of the candidate - do we believe them or not? 4 years later Barack Obama is our president and his words are, to me more motivating, encouraging and arouse in me a spirit of optimism and hope for the future and increase the pride I have for my country. I know very few of you will care to read the following but I include it for my own record.

Parts of Obama's speech from Tuesday night

On the future

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there. There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand."

On bipartisanship
"Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too."

On the genius of America

"To all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope. For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow."

On the moment
"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can."