Obama’s Election is a Paradigm Shift in Politics

Today is a proud day for America. The election of Barack Obama as our 44th president represents a paradigm shift in the consciousness of the nation. It demonstrates that we have chosen hope and change over fear and divisiveness. It demonstrates that we are ready to embrace a future where the United States of America will become the first truly multi-ethnic, multi-cultural nation in the world.

Obama’s election is significant on many levels. He is hailed as the first African-American to be elected president, but it is even more significant that he represents a mixture of ethnic influences. His personal background includes White (through his mother and her family), African American (through his father, as well as his wife) and Asian (through his stepfather and sister, and his years in Indonesia). He has joked that his family gatherings look like a U.N. assembly. As such, he symbolizes a new America, where the fastest growing populations are minority groups such as Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians. By 2025, no ethnic group can claim to be the majority, and the United States will be the first country in the world where a multitude of ethnicities and cultures co-exist peacefully, eventually blending together in the proverbial “salad bowl”. The United States can become an important beacon of cultural diversity for the rest of the world to follow.

But Obama is not just a multi-cultural symbol; even more significantly, he has the ability to become a transformational leader. Throughout his presidential campaign, he has demonstrated that he is intelligent, perceptive, and visionary. He has shown that he is capable of making rational, levelheaded decisions. He is not afraid of seeking out the opinions of people who disagree with him, and he is willing to listen to facts and consider all sides of an issue before making a decision. He knows how to surround himself with the most qualified advisors on every issue from the economy to national security. And he obviously knows how to inspire people and bring out the best in all of us.

It is almost unfathomable that after 8 years of secretive leadership that was driven by the interests of a small group of insiders, a narrow-minded worldview, and George W. Bush’s personal agenda to redeem the legacy of his father, we will now have a president of the people and for the people. A president who truly represents the multifaceted groups of individuals who make up this great nation.

Of course there will be challenges and difficulties ahead. Of course, Obama will make unpopular decisions and mistakes along the way. But ultimately, I truly believe that he is driven by a desire to do what is right for the people, for the country, and for the world, and that he has the intelligence and sound judgment to be successful in his endeavor.

That we have elected Obama as our next president says something about us as a nation. It says that we are able to overcome our differences and embrace the future. It tells the world that we have grown up; that as a people we are capable of making wise, mature decisions. Yes We Can!

Congratulations, America!