Life just got a lot better

I can't lie.

I was sitting at work and saw that McCain was leading 8-3, with each candidate winning a state and I felt a huge amount of doubt. I felt like I had been teased for the past year and now reality had set in. Sure, these were only the first two states and they were decided as predicted, but this was my fear.

We've had 43 presidents. All of them have been white men. Not to say there is anything at all wrong with white men, but in a country that has proclaimed itself the melting pot of the world, it can't be a coincidence that we've only had a white man as our president.

Many of them have been very capable of the position, but some, most notably George W. Bush, have been terrible choices in comparison to their opposition. Some have chosen peace and some have chosen war. But more importantly, I know that a large portion of our American people did not feel that they chose our president. A lot of us have felt that the system chose our president, that our vote and our voice did not mean anything. Not because we didn't want to choose one candidate over the other, but because we were choosing between two people we didn't care to see on the ballot. And whether that is a correct assumption or not, today I woke up to a new day in this country.

Today I feel like I chose the president of the United States.



Out of every person in this country, every woman, every man, every Asian, black, latino, and caucasion, the man that I feel is best suited to lead our nation has been elected as President of the United States.

Over the past eight years, America has gone from the richest, most successful and powerful country to the butt of the world's jokes. Our president has been prime material for stand-up comedy and editorial comics.

The oval office just got a lot more serious.

As of last night, we are the new example for other countries to follow once again.

U.S.A. broke ground not just in our country, but we broke ground globally.

The unbelievable just became reality.

Never in my life have I cared what was going on in the white house on a daily basis. Of course I care about our soldiers at war and the economy. I'm talking about the every day press conferences that go on. I didn't care what Bush had to say. Heck, I really didn't care what Clinton had to say. I didn't see hope in them. I didn't see my own beliefs in them, so I didn't want to listen.

Now, I'll check the news every day to see what decisions Obama is making and what plans he has for our country. Not because I am waiting for him to make a mistake but because I believe in him. I believe that he has every American's interest at heart and is looking to improve all of our lives.

And I'm sure I'm not the only one. I'm sure that families will watch the news together to see what Obama is doing with our country. I'm sure that mothers and fathers will discuss the nation's issues with their children more often because of the man that is taking on those issues.



We have four years of progress to look forward to. We have shattered alliances and relationships to mend with other nations. We have brothers and sisters and cousins and mothers and fathers and friends to bring home. We have healthcare and an economy to repair and for once, we have someone leading us that we can believe in.

Someone who lost his only older immediate relative just two days ago, who has no living parents or grandparents to lean on or look to for support. We are his support and he is ours.

Someone who just had the biggest day of his life, who re-wrote the history books and changed an entire country overnight.

Someone who kept his cool and delivered an amazing speech to his new nation without cracking a smile or shedding a tear.

Someone who's family reminds us of our own family or the family next door.

Someone we know wears a wave cap at night, even if we've never seen it.

Someone we think we could beat in one-on-one basketball because he only goes left.

Someone we proudly wear on our t-shirts and hats.

Someone who is from the same background as us. This is not someone who's father was the president or owned a baseball team, but someone who's father moved to America with a dream.

Someone who became not just a presidential candidate, but a cultural icon at the same time.

President Barack Obama is someone that we believe is going to make all of our lives much, much, much, better.