If only the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. were here to see the election of our country’s first black president, Barack Obama, he would know that America has begun to cross the river to a new generation of Americans who do judge a person by the content of his character and not the color of his skin.
For those who believed this day would never come, that Americans would not elect a black man, or a woman to the country’s highest office, know that history has been made, and it was made by a diverse group of people, from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, including 63 percent of whites.
And now that we have crossed this historic threshold, we want to let you, our readers, know that this is the last time we will refer to the president elect as a black person; from today forward we will refer to him as President-Elect Barack Obama, to do anything less would be a disservice to the significance of his election.
But as we bask in the glory of the moment, let’s not forget that the real work is still to come.
Democrats in their joy at winning the White House with such a large plurality and increased numbers to the House of Representatives and Senate, now have an opportunity to bring change to our country. We hope that in the future the anger and frustration they have at times exhibited towards those who don’t agree with them, will be put aside for a more cooperative and bipartisan effort to get the country back on track.
President-Elect Obama, and his administration, will face a country whose economy is in a recession. But Americans are blessed with enormous amounts of optimism and they have exhibited great faith that our new president to be will lead us down the right path to solve these problems, and quickly, which is how Americans like to have things done.
We hope Obama’s gift of persuasion will keep him rein in those expectations, and create the sea change in the Capitol this country so badly needs.
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