Barack Obama - The President Elect

This week, we have witnessed a truly significant moment in U.S. history - the first African American and genuinely universal citizen, Barack Obama having been elected as the next president of the United States.

This striking victory in the U.S. presidential election has inspired not only the people in this country but also the rest of the world. Indeed what characterizes Barack Obama as a world leader is the unprecedented inspiration that he brings to the people as a community organizer not only in the Southside Chicago but throughout the world. In Kenya, they had a national holiday yesterday, closing all the schools and companies and celebrating the astonishing triumph of the son of a Kenyan man. In Japan, there is a city called "Obama". There, people had a massive celebration all day long, dancing, marching, and selling Obama T-shirts on the street. Yesterday, all the major national newspapers ran out of their morning print editions. The NY times was sold out at many New York City stands before 8:30am. On Tuesday night, I saw very many people on the street of midtown and the village, jumping up and down, sharing their joy & uncontrollable excitement for and with the president elect "Barack Obama".

When was the last time we got united like we did last Tue around the world: New Millennium, New Years Eve in 2000 or Olympics? Or, was it the celebration of another newly elected president, John F Kennedy, in this country in the late 60's? It was astonishing to see this much excitement and optimism among the people who supported him or the people, who have voted for the Republican party for all their lives until last Tuesday, changed their position by voting for the Democrat.

One of the strong reasons that people in this country chose him, while the rest of the world cheered Obama as the next U.S. president, was due to his extraordinarily passion and belief towards people. He is very different from 99% of conventional politicians in this regard. He typifies his campaign with a motto of "from Bottom to Top", not “from Top to Bottom". His life itself reflects this campaign theme because he came from a modest background that did not have any special family connection in the world of politics or was known by any prominent Washington establishment until he started his campaign two years ago.

Having started his career as a community organizer in Chicago, he seems to really understand how to organize and harness the energy of a community, the power of the people. Sometimes we forget this fact, but politicians are supposed to serve their nation. They are public servants. Their job is to create a better society that enables their citizens to maximize their individual potentials, while advancing the quality of society for its members. Barack Obama seems to be committed to these fundamental missions as a public servant and has always been appeared steadfast when it comes to a better form of government. After eight years of political regression in this country, led by a divider in chief, time has picked someone like Barack Obama, who genuinely cares about the future of this country. This time people consciously or subconsciously made the choice of taking progressive risks to re-direct this country, betting on a truly honorable new politician. That is why Obama will become the next president.

As many of us are painfully aware, which Obama himself repeatedly addressed in his victory speech, there are many challenges that we face with our new president coming to office in two months – two wars, the worst financial crisis in a century, and a broken healthcare system, just to name a few. What’s going on in this country or elsewhere in the world don’t look as shiny as gold. However, with the new leader carrying universal visions, intelligence, and extraordinary talents to inspire and organize the world community, we are on the right path. As the president elect Obama has orchestrated, now is our turn to shout and act – “Yes, We Can!”