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By Rebecca Chambers
“Change has come to America,” Senator Barack Obama said to the crowd at Chicago’s Grant Park Tuesday night, as he accepted his nomination as the next president of the United States.
The 47-year-old Illinois senator will be sworn into the White House on January 20, 2009, faced with enormous challenges including stimulating and rebuilding America’s failing economy, bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq, and ending the war.
Obama’s victory is not only one for the country, but one especially for African Americans, who only 143 years ago were owned as slaves, and who over 40 years ago, fought to end segregation through the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” Obama said.
Emotions overwhelmed the spectators as they listened to Obama, bearing witness to one of the defining moments of our time—the first African-American president, the 44th U.S. president and the first democrat since 1976 to gain more than 50 percent of the popular vote, addressing the nation for the first time as the president-elect.
Obama’s campaign set records as well. His campaign earned more than $605 million, and brought in more than $105 million in the month of September alone. For the most part, experts said his campaign was executed flawlessly, mainly due to his calm, consistent nature and his ability to utilize the internet as a key tool in networking and fundraising. A major part of his funding came from $5 to $10 donations submitted on-line. Obama maintained the campaign theme of “change,” which resonated immensely with voters across the country.
Now that the campaigning is over, the country has a renewed hope to look toward the uncertainty of the country’s future, Obama will attempt to materialize his campaign promises on issues such as the economy, healthcare and education.
Obama vowed to work carefully to pull America up from its financial crisis, by proposing a $60 billion package that includes a two-year plan granting a $3,000 tax credit to businesses for each new job it creates. He would enable individuals to take up to 15 percent out of their retirement funds without penalty. His economic plan also includes a tax raise on families making over $250,000 a year, and large wealthy corporations while providing estimated tax breaks of $1,118 for those making between $37,600 and $66,400.
Obama’s healthcare plan requires that all children have healthcare coverage, supported by a universal care plan that would require large companies to share the cost of insurance with their workers, which is similar to the coverage offered to federal employees. According to the Tax Policy Center, Obama’s healthcare plan would cost an estimated $1.6 trillion over the next ten years, which includes a $50 billion proposal on information technology over five years to reduce the overall cost of healthcare.
The education plan that Obama proposed estimates spending $18 billion on a national mandate for all children to attend pre-kindergarten, teacher pay raises, and a tax credit of up to $4,000 available to all students wanting to attend college that perform 100 hours of community service a year. To pay for this, Obama commits to ending current corporate tax deductions for CEO pay.
Throughout his campaign, Obama made these offers to improve our economy, healthcare system and education structure and much more. He faces a challenge unlike any other president before him, and no doubt, he will be put to the test.
Tuesday night, our country witnessed one of the most important moments in modern history. Barack Obama, a biracial man, whose mother was from Kansas, and father from Kenya, became the first black president of the United States of America during one of the most fragile times of our country’s history. John McCain acknowledged this during his concession speech.
“I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans and for the pride that must be theirs tonight.”
Colin Powell, the former secretary of state for the Bush Administration, shared how he and his family succumbed to their emotions and wept as the results came in across the country to declare Obama as the next president.
“I have to share in the pride that Americans have now for the fact that America did this,” Powell said.
During the longest presidential campaign in history - 21 months - Senator Barack Obama was able to inspire and give hope to a country that was spiraling out of control. The people of America were discouraged and frustrated with a government that wasn’t admitting their failures or listening to the peoples’ fears. People were beginning to doubt the fundamental principles of democracy that America was founded upon.
Barack Obama breathed into life a new hope, a chance for change, to put America back on course. “The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you — we as a people will get there.”