History Making History Today - A Reflection

[Cyrus]

I just helped make history today......wow.



Did anyone notice the McCain people Booo every time he mentioned Obama. But the Obama people clapped for McCain out of respect.

I though both had amazing speeches. Finally, America is back on track. Its long over due.

I look forward to my gold member status.

 

[moose]

Did anyone notice the McCain people Booo every time he mentioned Obama. But the Obama people clapped for McCain out of respect.

That's what always happens when there's someone who wins and someone who loses.

What I did find interesting was the white supremacist looking man who was holding his child. McCain said it was a proud day for black people, and the crowd was all clapping except for the bald dude with tattoos on his head...

 

[Cyrus]

For our generation, this was like watching Louis Armstrong land on the moon.

 

[Evo]

What I did find interesting was the white supremacist looking man who was holding his child. McCain said it was a proud day for black people, and the crowd was all clapping except for the bald dude with tattoos on his head...

I noticed that too!

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Yeah, I thought both had great speeches too. I got kinda goosebumpy when Obama was quoting Lincoln there.

Not only is this historic for being the first election of a black man to the Presidency but I think it really says something about the quality and resilience of American institutions and people that we've gone from separate restaurants, schools, and bathrooms to a black President in sixty years without the country blowing up.

⚛​

 

[Evo]

To me, it's sending out a message - We won't let religious fundamentalists dictate how we live, and that intelligence and respect for others is a good thing.

 

[Proton Soup]

For our generation, this was like watching Louis Armstrong land on the moon.

i know! imagine the possumilities!

 

[Cyrus]

He really struck me as a down to earth person when he gave his speech and said he want to make changes for Joe the plumber.

He was sincere.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Good comparison to the moon landing, Cyrus: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

 

[Ivan Seeking]

...Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called Obama's victory a "momentous" day for Kenya.

He declared Thursday a public holiday for Kenyans to "celebrate the historic achievement by Senator Obama and our country".

"This is a momentous day not only in the history of the United States of America, but also for us in Kenya. The victory of Senator Obama is our own victory because of his roots here in Kenya. As a country, we are full of pride for his success," Kibaki said in a statement.

"We the Kenyan people are immensely proud of your Kenyan roots. Your victory is not only an inspiration to millions of people all over the world, but it has special resonance with us here in Kenya," Kibaki said in a message to Obama.

"I am confident that your presidency shall herald a new chapter of dialogue between the American people and the world at large."

http://news.smh.com.au/world/obamas-kenyan-relatives-cheer-win-20081105-5ib0.html

 

[Cyrus]

Dance, my friends...dance.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

btw, that was Neil Armstrong.

 

[Cyrus]

btw, that was Neil Armstrong.

I know

 

[Mech_Engineer]

Am I the only one that gets really annoyed by every news article that says Obama is the first African-American president? He's not African-American, what's so hard to understand?

 

[Cyrus]

Am I the only one that gets really annoyed by every news article that says Obama is the first African-American president? He's not African-American, what's so hard to understand?

You're right. He's an arab muslim. A double historic first!

His father is from Kenya. Hmmmmmmmmmm.....

 

[grant9076]

Although I did not like either candidate, I gained quite a bit of respect for both of them tonight. I now feel very optimistic about the future of our country.

 

[||spoon||]

I have just been watching the coverage from all the way over in Australia. I must say, although i am not an American citizen, even i felt goosebumps throughout much of Obama's amazing speech form the other side of the world. I am sure Obama will serve both American, and Global citizens to the best of his ability. An amazing result for an outstanding campaign.

Congratulations on your new President.

 

[CaptainQuasar]

Congratulations on your new President.

Thanks! Isn't he all shiny and nice? We got a great price on him, too. I can't wait to take him out on the open road.

⚛​

 

[drankin]

I will back my new president 100% even though I did not vote for him. Obama won by a good majority and has both the Senate and House behind him. Things will move pretty quickly in gov't for awhile.

I'm just sorry to see that we won't ever have McCain in that office. I imagine we won't see him in the Prez race again. He is a good man and would have made a solid president.

 

[Cyrus]

I will back my new president 100% even though I did not vote for him. Obama won by a good majority and has both the Senate and House behind him. Things will move pretty quickly in gov't for awhile.

I'm just sorry to see that we won't ever have McCain in that office. I imagine we won't see him in the Prez race again. He is a good man and would have made a solid president.

He really shot himself in the foot with Palin, and started slinging a LOT of mud that just didnt stick on the wall. Stuff like Obama rolls with terrorists, etc.

 

[alligatorman]

Am I the only one that gets really annoyed by every news article that says Obama is the first African-American president? He's not African-American, what's so hard to understand?

His father was African. His mother was American. I think it's safe to call him African American.

 

[Astronuc]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/mccain/index.html

The new president-elect told McCain that he was eager to sit down and talk about how the two of them can work together. "I need your help, you're a leader on so many important issues," Obama told McCain.

I hope so, especially on Iraq, Afghanistan and the federal response to the financial crisis. Even though he's not in the presidential office, McCain can play an important role in the Senate.

 

[Cyrus]

The bauld guy didnt have any tats on his head guys...

But he does look like G gordon liddy!

http://www.edge1400.com/liddypr.jpg

Who did happen to be playing a bad guy on tonights re-run of miami vice!

 

[Cyrus]

Can you imagine how Bush must feel right now. People all over america went into the streets and started celebrating like it was new years! They even went to the gates of the white house cheering unanounced. To my knowledge, that's never happened before. Meanwhile when bush won second term, the country was like...are you kidding me.

I voted for Kerry in the first election because I didnt like bush. But I really didnt care much about Kerry either. It's interesting to actually care about a candiate for a change.

I have all these funny feelings. Te-he-he-he-he.

 

[Monique]

Am I the only one that gets really annoyed by every news article that says Obama is the first African-American president? He's not African-American, what's so hard to understand?

He's mixed blood, apparently the color of your skin is still very important. All aesthetics if you ask me, but to some racist people this is the marker that they go by, so that is what he had to overcome.

 

[arildno]

Congratulations to all Americans.

You have chosen to elect a man who has promised much; hopefully, he will be the man to make those promises true.

 

[kasse]

Congratulations America!

 

[mhill]

I hope he really does thing better, to build a safer better, and bigger and more fair america but also to help Europe and suffering people from Palestina.

No more troops (from any country) on Irak or Afghanistan , ... say NO to war

another question.. Obama itself was really born on USA ?? .. i think i have heard that his parents (at least one of them) come from Kenya

 

[moose]

The bauld guy didnt have any tats on his head guys...

Oh my bad, it was really short hair... I have a really crappy tv so those looked like tats for me.

 

[vanesch]

"Yes, we can", wasn't that the slogan of Bob the Builder ?

http://www.bobthebuilder.com/usa/pdfs/parents_theme_song.pdf

 

[CaptainQuasar]

I'm just sorry to see that we won't ever have McCain in that office. I imagine we won't see him in the Prez race again. He is a good man and would have made a solid president.

If nothing else, I can definitely say that I wish McCain had become president in 2000 rather than what actually happened.

⚛​

 

[Borek]

What I did find interesting was the white supremacist looking man who was holding his child. McCain said it was a proud day for black people, and the crowd was all clapping except for the bald dude with tattoos on his head...

Haven't seen that, but from your description sounds like he had hands occupied with the kid.

 

[Borek]

Obama itself was really born on USA ??

I think it is the prerequisite.

 

[jostpuur]

I'll be following eagerly how Obama manages to end the war in Iraq. He did promise that, right?

Obama itself was really born on USA ??

I think it is the prerequisite.

Yeah, the only thing that protects America from Schwarzenegger

 

[Andre]

So, is included in the wholesale package also, continuation of the death penalty, no futher restrictions on weapon control, no improvement in tolerance for gays?

But of course it's like Louis Armstrong on the moon

 

[Borek]

This is fake, everyone knows that Armstrong was never on the Moon.

Besides, he was a trumpet player. They should know these things at NASA.

 

[Fra]

Congratulations America!

Me too :) Congratulations from Sweden.

Just for the game, I think a more even fight would have been more entertaining but at least it was a good end.

As a foreigner, I hope that Obama is the man to restore the view of America in world politics also in the eyes of the supposed enemies and bring more balance to the peace processes around the world. I hope his hands won't end up too tied by the economic crisis.

/Fredrik

 

[Astronuc]

another question.. Obama itself was really born on USA ?? .. i think i have heard that his parents (at least one of them) come from Kenya

Obama's father is from Kenya. He was a student in the US when he met Obama's mother. According to records, Obama was born in Hawaii.

 

[Astronuc]

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

from McCain's concession speech.

Cheers to McCain!

 

[Borek]

The best opportunity to show the class is not when you win, but when you loose.

 

[lisab]

So, is included in the wholesale package also, continuation of the death penalty, no futher restrictions on weapon control, no improvement in tolerance for gays?

But of course it's like Louis Armstrong on the moon

I think this election signals a sea change in *some* American's view on those topics. I think a lot people thought they were aligned with the Republican Party's policies and world view, but after the last 8 years, realized otherwise.

Now I want to see where the Republicans go from here. Will they re-group and re-tool their party, or will they simply allow themselves to be defined as the "Not Obama Party"?

Love, love, love the picture - almost laughed coffee through my nose .

 

[Moonbear]

Well, congrats to President-elect Obama and his supporters.

I'll have to draw hope from this part of his acceptance speech, "We may not get it done in a year, 2 years, a term..." and keep my fingers crossed that he doesn't drive us deeper into the economic ditch we're sliding into with his half-baked plans.

But, hey, when businesses downsize more or close down completely because they can't afford the higher taxes at a time when consumers can't afford to pay higher prices on their products, and the middle class wind up out of work and the formerly rich business owners are bankrupt, I'm sure he can redistribute the income to the unemployed, from... From where again?

 

[Dale]

Well, congrats to President-elect Obama and his supporters.

I'll have to draw hope from this part of his acceptance speech, "We may not get it done in a year, 2 years, a term..." and keep my fingers crossed that he doesn't drive us deeper into the economic ditch we're sliding into with his half-baked plans.

But, hey, when businesses downsize more or close down completely because they can't afford the higher taxes at a time when consumers can't afford to pay higher prices on their products, and the middle class wind up out of work and the formerly rich business owners are bankrupt, I'm sure he can redistribute the income to the unemployed, from... From where again?

I have to admit that I have the same misgivings as you, but luckily the American system resists rapid changes. There will be change, but it probably (hopefully) won't be fast.

 

[Astronuc]

But, hey, when businesses downsize more or close down completely because they can't afford the higher taxes at a time when consumers can't afford to pay higher prices on their products, and the middle class wind up out of work and the formerly rich business owners are bankrupt, I'm sure he can redistribute the income to the unemployed, from... From where again?

That is a catch-22 situation. The federal government (treasury) is borrowing billions to finance itself and the recovery. Much of that comes from sovereign investment funds, which pulled money out of the US.

Presumably the government will borrow more, but then how to pay off $11 trillion in debt, interest on which is something like $500 billion now. And there is apparently more deficit spending on the way.

The question is then, where to cut expenses? Social security? Medicare/Medicaid? Defense? McCain would have been faced with the same problems as Obama now faces as president.


Meanwhile - an interesting article on expectations around the world.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7708238.stm

 

[turbo]

I think it is the prerequisite.

No, he was born in Hawaii (USA), but he would have been a US citizen anyway because his mother was a US citizen. McCain wasn't born in the US - he was born in Panama, but that's OK, too.

 

[Borek]

The question is then, where to cut expenses? Social security? Medicare/Medicaid? Defense? McCain would have been faced with the same problems as Obama now faces as president.

My bet is that path any president can follow now is rather narrow, so (to some extent) it doesn't matter much whom you choose - unless it is a blind idiot that will walk directly into ravine.

 

[turbo]

My bet is that path any president can follow now is rather narrow, so (to some extent) it doesn't matter much whom you choose - unless it is a blind idiot that will walk directly into ravine.

The choices will be difficult, with many opportunities for error. The ignorance, imperialism and greed that have driven our administration for the last two terms carry a heavy price - one that we can never repay. The toll in lost and ruined lives alone is a shame.

 

[Astronuc]

My bet is that path any president can follow now is rather narrow, so (to some extent) it doesn't matter much whom you choose - unless it is a blind idiot that will walk directly into ravine.

There was this article yesterday -

World hopes for a 'less arrogant America'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081104/ap_on_re_eu/eu_us_elections_world_view

I think Obama has a chance to repair the damage that Bush has done with respect to foreign relations.

Much will depend on how Obama moves forward with Iraq. Looking at it now - the occupation of Iraq looks a lot like the Soviet occupation of E. Europe after WWII, and it took nearly 45 years to change. I'm reading several books on the subject of Bush's war in Iraq, and one startling revelation by one general is that the US should plan to have military forces (and perhaps mercenaries) established in the region for 50 years. This draws parallels with the Soviet Warsaw pact, at least as Iraq (Baghdad) is concerned, and whether or not the US government is directly involved in who serves in the Iraqi government.

If Iraqis decided to have their country free of US forces, will that be the case? Will Iraq be allowed to independently established normalized trading relationships with Syria and Iran, or will their be pressure from the US and Sunni nations (e.g. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Egypt, . . .) to meddle in Iraqs relationship with Syria and Iran? These matters have yet to be resolved.


On the bright side and in parallel with the challenges facing the US and world:

Catholics, Muslims open landmark talks at Vatican
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081104/ts_nm/us_religion_dialogue

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Senior Vatican and Islamic scholars launched their first Catholic-Muslim Forum on Tuesday to improve relations between the world's two largest faiths by discussing what unites and divides them.

The three-day meeting comes two years after Pope Benedict angered the Muslim world with a speech implying Islam was violent and irrational. In response, 138 Muslim scholars invited Christian churches to a new dialogue to foster mutual respect through a better understanding of each other's beliefs.

In their manifesto, "A Common Word," the Muslims argued that both faiths shared the core principles of love of God and neighbor. The talks focus on what this means for the religions and how it can foster harmony between them.

The meeting, including an audience with Pope Benedict, is the group's third conference with Christians after talks with United States Protestants in July and Anglicans last month.

Delegation leaders Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Bosnian Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric opened the session with a moment of silence so delegations, each comprising 28 members and advisers, could say their own prayers for its success.

. . . .

This is a very hopeful step in the right direction.

 

[Gokul43201]

I'll have to draw hope from this part of his acceptance speech, "We may not get it done in a year, 2 years, a term..." and keep my fingers crossed that he doesn't drive us deeper into the economic ditch we're sliding into with his half-baked plans.

From everything I've read and seen, it was McCain who was coming up with half-baked economic plans at a rate of one a day. Obama gained respect from the WSJ and the Economist (to name a few) precisely for not doing that.

 

[turbo]

Extracting our military from Iraq will be difficult and fraught with danger. The Saudis have influence with the Sunnis, and Iran has ties to the Shiia. The Kurds would like to have an autonomous country, but Turkey would probably fight that. Neighboring countries to the west have become refuges for displaced Iraqis who fled ethnic cleansing, and they have interests in the resolution of this situation, as well.

Bush could not have picked a more problematic region in which to establish himself as a "war president". Saddam was the US's military surrogate in the region for decades, and as bad as he was by some measures, he managed to contain religious fundamentalism that denies basic freedoms to women in that region. When there is an uneasy balance of power somewhere in the world, it is very dangerous to upset it with military intervention. Unfortunately, Halliburton and its subsidiaries do not make money from diplomacy, so diplomacy was never on the table.