Only in America
By Niaz Hoda
Aurora, IL
Although it has been almost three weeks after the historical US election I'm still in awe and admiration for this great nation. Of all the places on earth the November 4 election outcome was only possible in America.
I have been religiously voting Republican ever since I became a naturalized citizen. The party appealed to me because of its conservative agenda of family values. It was somewhat close to my personal beliefs.
I'm little reluctant in admitting that I have voted twice for Bush due to my party affiliation which I now regret. This time it was not hard for me to cross the party line. Firstly, because I had to make up for
my past mistakes and secondly because I had to choose between status quo and CHANGE. As the results show the majority of American citizens opted for CHANGE on November 4.
I was in downtown Chicago near Grant Park on the eve of the election night. I witnessed the historic moment along with a sea of enthusiastic supporters of Barack Obama. They were mostly young men and women from all ethnicities and minority as well as majority groups. The jubilation and excitement was all too apparent. The fervor was a manifest confirmation of the political system that works in the USA. It could set an example for the rest of the world.
The results could partly be attributed to the poor performance of Chaney, and Bush and partly to Obama's charismatic personality and convincing oratory skills, but largely to the true American spirit of the citizens of America. I'm sure some people must have voted for him just because of the color of his
skin but for the majority of his voters who were white, Obama’s color did not matter. They listened to his well-meaning manifesto with an open mind and heart and cast their votes without racial bias or discrimination.
This is the beauty of the people of the US of A and today I feel very proud to be a part of this great nation. Being a new immigrant and minority in this country, I can tell my kids that if you strive, you can also be the president of America one day.
I'm not a political pundit, but one thing that I can foresee is that the November 4 election marks the dawn of a new era in American and world history. By electing Obama our new president, we will be able to at least slow down the eroding American image and position of a global leader. The next 4 or 8 years will determine if we will be able to regain this position.
Our nation will anxiously watch how the new
President translates the message of CHANGE and HOPE into reality.
He faces a tough task in reviving the economy, providing affordable health care to all, introducing educational reforms beyond the "No Child Left Behind" slogan, ensuring government and corporate accountability, and merging the "Blue " and
"Red" States in the "United States of America". I am optimistic tangible results would accrue as CHANGE is ushered by the new administration.
