A New United States

The lengthy and tiresome race for the White House is finally over. Barack Obama is the new President Elect. Wow! I must say that I am exhausted and worn out myself. I can hardly imagine how Obama, Biden, and their families are doing.

I am proud to say that I supported his candidacy and even volunteered for his campaign. I voted early nearly two weeks ago. So, I spent election day knocking on doors and reminding people to get to the polls. After contributing time, money, and my vote, I do feel that I was a part of this campaign. I feel a true connection to this process.

I am relieved that the process is complete and that everything has become clear. Now, I will admit that I experienced two feelings the minute that NBC News declared the winner: proud celebration and a fearful unsureness. The latter sprung up in me as I thought about all the challenges that Obama will have to face. I am nervous about where the USA stands in the global society. Our problems seem far too numerous, both abroad and at home. Can this man really bring together the great minds of our nation and pull us out of our troublesome state? It is hard to be sure of the future. I had supported Obama from very early on, but I had resolved to maintain a level head and avoid falling for Obama's celebrity hype. He had to prove himself to me...which he did. However, I still saw those challenges and wondered.


Then he gave his acceptance speech.....

Obama said exactly what I needed to hear. I still see those challenges. They are ever looming over our nation. Yet, my reaction has changed. I am no longer fearful...I have confidence. Where once things were extremely unsure, I see opportunity. We must take a good look at where our nation stands and what we must change. Then we, the American people, must take it on. This is our nation and our responsibility. President Obama will make huge steps, but he is counting on the joint efforts of a united nation to back him up.

That was perhaps my favorite sentiment: We are the United States. For too long now, this nation has felt divided. We have let our differences of opinion drive us apart. Instead of encouraging dialogue and understanding, we have bred hate and division. The American spirit must be rekindled within all of us. We must realize that our diversity and disagreements are our greatest assets. We could accomplish so much by working together and realizing our commonalities. I loved this part of his speech. The nation has decided and now the nation must step up as a collective whole. We may have bickered during the campaign, but now we must move on. We must put aside our affiliations and other dividing qualifications. Come together. Many as one.

I listened to Obama's words and ran these thoughts through my mind. As I tried to focus them all, I noticed how intensely my parents watched. My father said, "I don't think the boys get how big this is as much as we do." This comment was made even clearer by Obama's story of an American voter who had lived for over 100 years. He traced the timeline of her life and what she witnessed. It was truly incredible to picture all that had occurred and changed.

Then he laid out a challenge. What change and advancements will appear in the the next 100 years.


We must connect with each other and unite behind our country. It will be difficult, but these are the challenges that the American spirit was created to overcome. I truly believe that our nation can not only re-stabilize itself, but also advance and grow.


Here's to the next four years...let's see what we can accomplish.