The Election is Over

Congratulations to Barack Obama on being elected the 44th president of the United States in a landslide victory over John McCain. This is a momentous day in American history as Obama is the first ever African-American president. This election shows the greatness of the United States that although it took many years, we were able to overcome racial differences to elect a man who is thoroughly qualified to run this country. Truly America has come a long way and now more than ever I can say that I am proud to be an American.

We must also give credit to Obama's opponent John McCain who is a maverick and a true American hero. After he lost the Iowa primaries, many declared that McCain had no chance of capturing the Republican candidacy, but true to McCain's character that was shown in Vietnam, he fought on and decisively became the Republican nominee. McCain's spirit of never giving up was a true inspiration to me and millions of other Americans.

At the beginning of the Presidential race the two candidates were very close in the polls. One week we would see Obama in the lead and another week we would see McCain with strong support. What truly determined this election was the faltering economy. McCain waivered on the economy while Obama presented a strong plan and seemed much more confident. In the end the American people seem to trust Obama's economic prowess more than McCain's. Also McCain was put in a very difficult spot trying to run for a party whose president was tremendously unpopular. President Bush's popularity certainly did not help John McCain. Finally, I believe that McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate was a mistake. I know that he was trying to appeal to conservatives and to women, but he would have done much better if he had chosen someone from a battleground state such as Pennsylvania or Ohio. Before McCain's choice of Palin, I was undecided between he and Obama, but after I became an Obama supporter. I believe this is true for many other Americans who say Palin's views as being radical.

In the end Obama ran an excellent campaign and I am happy that he won this election. I hope to see him deliver on the many promises he made during the campaign and see a true change in America. God Bless America.