Husband takes a photograph of his wife in front of a mural of Obama on Figueroa street in Downtown Los Angeles. Photo: Anant Goenka
Whatever the polls may say, people are politically correct in public but when they are alone in their booth they are not going to vote for a black president. I put my money on McCain knowing that there were new voters, young voters and even Republicans voting for Obama. But I couldn't believe a black Democrat could win in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Nevada in the same election. I am glad I was wrong and the best candidate won. It really illustrates just how much the previous white, Republican president screwed up.
Obama needs to thank Bush for being such a terrible president and for the state of economy. And maybe, (yet to be determined), thank McCain for Sarah Palin. The trouble the country is in is probably the reason Obama won this election and he may be better suited to solve it. But America must remember that Obama is not Superman.
Although this is my first close experience of an American election, I find an unusually large number of people have tremendous expectations from him. Speaking of equal opportunities for all races is not restricted to job placements but also an opportunity to make mistakes. And Obama probably will. There isn't a single correct way of solving the economic crisis the world is facing and people need to understand that he is not a god-sent savior who can solve all the world's concerns. Every one seems to have developed their own individualized hopes of change after his election.
Africans say they are expecting a shift in American foreign policy towards their entire continent. Indians are ecstatic - more ecstatic than they have been after any Indian election. Even Pakistanis are happy! The theory that "Democrats are friends of India and Republicans of Pakistan" was challenged. An excerpt from an editorial in The Nation (on Nov 4 before the results):
"He (Obama) inspires the hope that once in the saddle, he would have a different view not only of Pakistan's call for respecting its sovereignty but also the war on terror as a whole"
He has so many supporters that any strong decision he makes will break someone's heart and if he tries to please everyone, how much will he really be able to change?
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