Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States

(UPDATE: Complete text of Pres.-elect Barack Obama's acceptance speech is available here.)

As expected, the moment the polls closed in California, Oregon and Washington state, network projections declared that Barack Obama would win all three.

And with those three, based on such calls, the senator from Illinois passed the 270-electoral-vote mark needed to win the presidency.

Not only will he be the nation's first biracial president, he also will be the first native of Hawaii to move into the White House.

He is the first sitting senator to claim the ultimate political prize since John Kennedy in 1960 (as would have been John McCain).

There is one trend that continues -- Obama will be the fourth straight president with an Ivy League educational pedigree.

-- Don Frederick 

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Comments

[Valencia Robertson]

The day has finally come. If Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King JR. was alive today, he would say his dream has finally come true. That we all can become one nation

[W.]

CONGRATULATIONS TO OBAMA!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

[K.D.L.]

This has to be the moment that every person has waited for!!!! This is the day I have dreamed about giving hope for a brighter future for a better tomorrow, for a grown up United States.... Who said that we are not ready for a BLACK PRESIDENT!!!!!

[Annie]

In weakness I had nearly given up hope for this country. I watched us fall farther into ruin and I silently said my goodbyes to the hopes and dreams I was born with. My pride in being an America fell into the shadows and the only string I clung too was that born out of injustice and corruption, centuries ago our fore fathers rose up and fought for a nation to be based on revolutionary ideas. And tonight, my hopes are revived. Resucitated in the final hours, not just by our honorable President elect, but by the American people. We watched segregation come and go within a few generations, we watched our country, our still young country, stand up and say 'we were wronged' and now we stand up and change the course of history. I myself stand up today and say God Bless us all, God Bless this country, God Bless that we live in a place where we can stand up and make change happen.

[Jon Sr]

Just remember who you are that voted for this man that WILL NOTsalute the American Flag, does not believe in the bible, and less time in the senate than my grandson.May GOD have mercy on all of us.

[Jessica]

This is such a tremendous & meaningful moment that will forever be a part of history! I am so proud to have voted for him and to be able to see what change he will bring for us to lead us in a direction of achievement.... We as people and a country need this......

As a minority & woman, I have t say that I feel inspired and I look forward to our future.... Change is not going to be easy and it is not going to happen over night, but Obama can make it happen and I have faith that he will!

this is for all the minorities and women out there!!!

Thank you Martin Luther King Jr..... this is owed to you....

[Dave]

The United States will be a total welfare state by 2015, if it still exists.

[aussie]

I'm not even an american but listening to his speech gave me goosebumps and the people repeating those words that have been heard numerous times - YES WE CAN

and he has done it! well done!

[Kelli Uldall]

This is a great day in history... there is hope for America. We are on our way!

OBAMA ROCKS!

[anonymous]

It is not sad that Obama was elected or that McCain was not - it is sad that there are so many Americans who are racist and full of hate. I don't fear the new president - just the people living in this country.

[Rachel Olivieri]

America, a nation faced with deep social division, endless war, economic inequality, financial overextension, threats to constitutional rights, media dominated fear campaigns, racial and gender discrimination, and pending environment disaster, is promised change. Really? Many desperately want to believe change is possible. Yet under the corporate regime can change come from the top down?

Long before speeches resonating the winds of change fade from collective memory. Long before millions of posters, pamphlets, and buttons littering the American landscape with emotional slogans find national landfills, long before the last million is invested in hollow promises, long before the final vote tally, the one will have already been chosen.

There are many ones among the one. They’re all interchangeable. They play by the rules, corporate rules. One doesn’t become a national candidate or a New York Times writer without first demonstrating you know how to play by the rules, corporate rules.

That system supports illusions of democracy and choice. Yet, the biggest illusion is that the powerless, the few, are the powerful and the powerful, the many, are powerless. But don’t tell anyone, the truth may frighten people. We’ve grown accustomed to the arrangement. We accept the illusion for fear rejecting it might lead to real change and responsibility. And change is acceptable only to talk about in primaries and dangerous to actually bring about in a presidency. Those are the rules.

The U.S. presidency is the epitome of power and wealth distribution. Entities invest thousands or millions in candidates and anticipate many more millions or billions in return. A candidate doesn’t have to win to win. A candidate’s interchangeability assures the powerful remain so. A candidate is a mere player in a corporate poker game. There’s only one deck one dealer. The subtleties of nuance between the candidates are nearly indistinguishable. There’s no wild card and the house never loses. When a candidate runs the deck, they win the big chips. But in this game, every candidate wins something big – a contract – an appointment, or an influence chip to be played later. Everyone wants to be in the game or invest in the players.

The drama is over. Barack Obama is the one and the one’s entitlement “to change” is severely limited by the game itself. There is only one true power that can truly bring change. That is you and me. The legacy of Barrack Obama, whether of change or more of the same, will be written by you and me. Either we return to our self-centered lives and let the game play on or we force that change upon this new president. For without that overwhelming citizens voice, there will be no change.

After awhile, the whys and the reasons fade. Supporting our poised appearance is a world completely out of control. What do you do? Pretend it doesn’t exist. Whoever the one is, they are not meant to change anything meaningful. They are part of the system of control and they are limited.

This brings us back to the greatest of all illusions. The illusion corporations are powerful, when actually we, the illusionary powerless, are powerful. If we can get caught up with this truth and are willing to sacrifice for it, there is no greater power. And Barack Obama’s legacy depends on it, our future depends on it. Be a knowledgeable citizen first and never let this new president ever question who is in the drivers seat, you and me. Only then is the change you seek possible.

[ben aflleck]

well ima bad actor as they say but i think i could do a better job acting as the presedent than obama can being the presdient thank you im ben afleck and i approve this message

[Elaine]

I am 69 years old and white, This is the proudest day of my life knowing that all men and women are equal. I Iived in a segregated state in 1950s I thank God that times have changed May God bless Obama.

[Yukiharu Hadeishi]

Very insightful post, Rachel Olivieri! You make several points that we all need to think about quite carefully. It is absolutely true that it is well past the time we need to focus on the global challenges we face--- economic, environmental and sociopolitical--- and stop being distracted by the petty, personal attacks that are clearly intended to distract us from the behind-the-scenes games being played by those in the military-political-industrial complex. The endless wars we are engaged in certainly do far more damage to the world and our standing in it than those who personally benefit from the enormous defense appropriations bills manage to fool themselves into believing. And it is absolutely dangerous to believe that the system will be changed from within, regardless of how heartfelt the candidate’s slogans really were--- power does corrupt, after all, and it is going to be very difficult to resist corruption given that the Presidency and both houses of Congress now lie in Democratic hands. We will need to pay close attention to our new administration, a level of attention that we probably should have paid all along, before our troubles got to be as big as they now are.

But, isn’t that the job of the media, our so-called fourth branch of government? To keep tabs on our elected officials, to ensure that our political leaders don’t start thinking of themselves as being above the law? Or is it part of your thesis that the military-political-industrial complex has a fourth conspirator these days--- the media? While you may be correct that one probably “doesn’t become a national candidate or a New York Times writer without first demonstrating you know how to play by the rules, corporate rules,” it seems to me there are enough independent reporters out there, especially these days with the blogosphere, that it would be very difficult for truly big secrets to remain secret for very long. There is just too much benefit to ‘breaking news,’ whatever the news may be, especially if it is expose’ level material. The more people you need to bring into a conspiracy in order to make it work, the weaker the conspiracy theory--- the more likely it is that the null hypothesis that it’s just a bunch of people acting according to their own narrowly defined self-interests and not thinking that their actions will have any long-term effects on the planet that is in fact true. The family really could use that extra vacation home, just like the Jones’ have.,,.

In fact, it seems to me that the greatest of all illusions that you name in your last paragraph is something that the Obama campaign has been sort of telling us all along, that it is an illusion that “corporations are powerful when actually we, the illusionary powerless, are powerful.” Obama managed to overcome whatever voting irregularities the Republican party managed to pull off successfully, perhaps with tricks of the trade he happened to know of himself--- not that I know of any such irregularities performed by either side. To be honest, I was awfully worried that the polls would utterly contradict all of the polling data collected over the last several weeks indicating that it would be close but Obama stood a very good chance of winning this one, and wouldn’t *that* be a tremendous blow to our claim at being this great example of true democracy. But, that point aside, it seems to me that your main point seems to be pretty much what Obama said in his acceptance speech. If I understand your main point correctly, it is that we, the knowledgeable citizens, are the ones who are truly in control of our country, of our own destiny, not the corporations and their entrenched and corrupt politicians. To quote from Obama’s acceptance speech, “but above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you…. I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.” To the cynical, this focusing our sights on the enormous global issues we face might be a sneaky way of drawing attention away from where our public monies are headed, but it seems much more believable that he’s just being honest with us. It seems to me that the bulk of the cynicism out there about our government probably has its roots in the fact that our present administration has been so secretive in its dealings with the media and the fact checkers out there, intent instead on concentrating power in the administrative branch of government, of creating this doctrine of “pre-emptive war” that it used to justify a new age of imperialism. It seems to me that while it is important that we keep in mind the dangers of the military-political-industrial complex which also might extend to include segments of the mainstream media, it is probably of greater importance that we remain engaged in politics, that we keep our eyes and ears on our elected representatives and that we make good use of their political skills of oratory and persuasion. Let us not forget that Mr. Obama has the support of much of the rest of the Free World right now as well. Let’s not squander this chance at reuniting the world like our current president squandered our position after the 9/11 attack. And let us hope we are truly able to come together as a nation behind our new president-elect and not fall victim to the thoughtless pre-election day rhetoric that has already hatched one, thankfully spoiled, assassination plot. Negative campaigning can have very serious consequences, especially in our current, violence-ridden culture.

-- yh.

[Ryan]

We're all screwed...

[wildcat77]

We are headed down a slippery slope...the eagle has been plucked

[Tia]

For EVERYONE who thinks yesterday was the worst day in history for America, you should be ASHAMED of yourself. It doesn't matter that Barack Obama is black, white, latino, WHATEVER. The man is qualified and will take this horrible country to new heights. What makes you people think that McCain would have done a better job than Obama. PSH! Think again! I am proud that Barack Obama won, and all you people who thinks it sad, you wondering now why McCain didn't win, NEGATIVITY!
Some people get TIRED of people knocking others down. Even last night when McCain did his speech, members in the crowd BOOED! So people who start talking down about Obama, your kind was in the audience! I am soooooooooooo happy that Obama is president, and it isn't because of his race.

Respect my thoughts

[Laura]

I could care less what color he is... If this was about color why years ago did Americans not vote for Alan Keyes, he is a good man with morals and values why would Americans wait for such a twisted mind to run. I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around voting for a color not a person.Also congradulations on not making all votes count since so many states were given to obama within minutes of the poles closing. There was no time to tally anything, they were purchased. You get what you asked for are you really ready. It is a sad day when no one really knows the person they are voting for. Had enough people done the research on the candidates Baldwin might have won.

[nicci]

Are you people serious? McCain was a awful choice for president. Plain and simple. His running mate was a horrible choice. One whom McCain only met twice prior to choosing. He choose her on her looks. I don't know what I'm more disgusted in the fact that he could have almost been our president or the fact that so many of you close minded republican were looking forward to four more years of a failing economy. I hope that Barack Obama can fix all the problems the republicans have left our troubled country with.

[Samantha C]

YAY OBAMA IS IT....THE 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE USA...GOODBYE BUSH and HELLO CHANGE......YES WE CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sherry]

I hope the love affair with the media is over and we get down to the facts. He’s not white or black he is now Our commander and chief he must be accountable for all he does, do not let the color of his skin give him a free ride to do as he wants. To the media don’t be scared if you don’t like what he does keep you from reporting the truth you will not be called a racist, report the truth ask question speak up stand up shout out when you think it wrong. Not matter what color you are this is our country we must stand as one for what’s right!

[sherry]

I voted for McCain But I will stand behind my new elect prez, however I hope all people of color will remember that before color you and I are first and foremost Americans, this is all, of our land let’s not sugar coat when he messes up we must stand as One and not let the color of his skin let him have a free ride. May God bless this country this is still the best place to be We spoke badly when Bush messed up and so it shall be when our new prez does now is the time for blacks also to show that they are not racist.

[Not White, Black or Brown...I am an American]

Not White, Black or Brown...I am an American...such a big deal is being made about Obama being African American....was he voted into office because he is black and not for the better of this country?

[huge obama supporter]

first off, I wanna say congrats to barack obama for winning.

2nd, I wanna say never in my 19yrs of life would I thought we would be going thru history like this, I myself did vote for obama, not because he was black tho. because I liked wat he offered for our country, my country,

I believe that change is coming our way, I believe that it won't happen over night, it may not happen in a year, but with obama in office, I believe it WILL happen

it makes me sad to see some people sayin obama is the devil, and a terrorist, n all that. like we're in 2008 I thought racism would have been over by now, I thought we can live together as 1. I pray for those people, that they turn around and be an american.

anyways..I am proud to say that barack obama is my president...who's urs??

[Blueberry]

it will take Pres. Obama a long time to un-do the mess that *bush* has done to our country.
GOD BLESS THE WORLD ( not just America )
because we are ALL equals.