Somewhere in 2007, I was getting my hair done in a small hair salon back in my home country while reading an article about a would-be American presidential candidate whose name sounded a lot like the most hated terrorist in the world, and said to have spent part of his childhood in my home country. I scoffed at what seemed like the sensationalized journalism.
Fast-forward to 2008, then, as a freshly hired uni grad in a foreign country, I watched Senator Barack Obama rose to power as the first African-American friggin' President. I, together with the rest of the world jumped my couch and wept like hell.
Tonight (or according to where I live, today), President Barack Obama wins the election. I can't tell you how elated I am, and I'm not even an American.
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| Wheww...that was one hell of a race now, wasn't it? |
I can't tell you how nervous I was this morning, knowing the election was underway and that in a matter of hours the world could change *hyperbolic much?* lols. And despite my best effort not to, I couldn't help but to constantly check the development every other minute. For the first half of my morning it seemed like Romney was in the lead, I remember having knots in my stomach thinking my world would definitely be a little sadder if he won.
But then i hit the F5 button one more time and there it was. Barack Obama had won.
Call me silly to care so much about another country's election but
like it or not, USA does have a global influence so whatever goings-on
they've got in their politics, the effects will eventually spread
worldwide.
Despite the many issues brought forward by each party, for the most part it felt like this election has been a conflicting battle between wealth vs. sensibility, and judging by how close the race was and the uncharacteristically marked presence of the notorious undecided voters, many of the people seemed to be conflicted as well. After all, it looks like one of those damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situations: Gunning for wealth only and you'll end up like a certain nation whose economy has progressed so aggressively yet remains unabashedly crooked in every other way. Yikes. Not good for the soul, man! Oh, you'd rather focus on improving the quality of the nation as a whole? You think you don't need money? Whaddya gonna eat then? Good luck on buying that house and those cars that you want!
See what I mean? It's a never ending debate where one argument negates the other because basically, they are of equal importance. How do you choose between these two? But when it does come down to that, I think as an educated person, one should be able to acknowledge the importance of wealth without having to be enslaved to it.
That's why I vouch for Obama. If I were an American, I'd feel comfortable having him as my president. I feel he represents hope. I believe in most things he believes in. I believe in LGBT rights, human rights, women rights, tolerance, equality, kindheartedness, and hard work, more than I believe in wealth as a golden ticket to the solution of every problem faced by a nation.
In addition to that, I like what the First Lady has been doing so far, bringing in obesity awareness to people's attention and advocating healthier lifestyle. I also like how she can stand up in her own rights next to her president-husband and accomplish something on her own, knowing she would've done just that had her husband not been the president. She's one of my role models, I look up to her.
So from this little corner of blogging space, I'd like to congratulate President Obama and wish him well on his second term. Keep on doing what you do best and improve on what you don't.
And last but not least, Good Night, and Good Luck, Mr. President.
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| Congratulations! |
