76 days to go from Nov 5 2008

On Wednesday November 5th 2008 Obama’s day started in his Personal Residence in the Hyde Park neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, in circumstances as close to an average citizens as his day could start. Considering that last night, just a few hours before he had been elected to serve as the 44th President of the United States of America. After night of celebrations and victory rally which encompassed an estimated 125,000 people in Chicago’s Grant Park.

This morning the President Elect ate breakfast with his family and saw his two young daughters off to school, one of lifes simple pleasure that he has not been able to enjoy for nearly two years while he has been on the campaign trail. After seeing his daughters off to school he left in a motorcade to spend some time working out at a Chicago gym.

During the morning he accepted cangratulatory phone call from the current President Bush promised Obama his “complete cooperation” during the transition period. President Bush pledged to keep President Elect Obama informed on all of his decisions between now and Jan. 20th. He also said he looked forward to the day that Obama and his family would take him up on his offer of a pre-inauguration visit to the White House.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a congratulatory telegram to Obama saying that there is “solid positive potential” for this election to improve strained relations between Washington and Moscow, if Obama engages in constructive dialogue. Yet hours after the election Medvedev had sharp criticism of the U.S. and announced that Russia will deploy missiles near NATO member Poland in response to the current U.S. missile defense plans in the region.

Obama announced this afternoon that his White House transition team would be headed by John Podesta, Pete Rouse, and Valerie Jarrett. John Podesta had previously served as chief of staff under Clinton. Pete Rouse who was Obama’s chief of staff in the Senate. Valerie Jarrett who is a friend of the President Elect and his campaign adviser.

Additional co-chairs were also named: Carol Browner, William Daley, Christopher Edley, Michael Froman, Julius Genachowski, Donald Gips, Governor Janet Napolitano, Federico Peña, Susan Rice and Sonal Shah.

Vice President Elect Joe biden’s White House transition team co-chairs were also named: Mark Gitenstein and Ted Kaufman.

Aides said that the Barack Obama planned on keeping a low profile on his first full day as President Elect. Obama had previously told reporters this past weekend that he would be holding a press conference on Wednesday however the campaign staff pushed the press conference back and stated that it would held by the end of the week.

Pope Benedict XVI reportedly sent Obama a personal note Wednesdaystating that he would pray for God’s blessings on the American people and on the new President Elect. Benedict’s spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told journalists today ”The pope expresses the wish that the blessing of God will support him (Obama) and the American people so that with all people of good will, a world of peace, solidarity and justice can be built.”

It has been reported that Obama will begin receiving highly classified briefings from top intelligence officials this Thursday. The briefings will typically last from 45 minutes to an hour, but Obama’s initial briefing is expected to take longer. Joe Biden, the Vice President Elect, also will begin receiving briefings this week.

The 44th President of America Barack Obama

The divisive and anger laced fear tactics of the McCain Palin ticket appear to have back fired. In the end McCain conceded victory to Obama first in a phone call and then in a well handled, heartfelt and honest speech. A speech that showed the old McCain. The pre electoral candidacy McCain. A McCain that up until that moment on the stage Had not shown up.

If McCain had handled the rest of his campaign the way he handled his speech last night he would have had mush higher acceptance across the nation. He would not have had to choose Palin as his bottom ticket, she would have remained unknown, and we would have had an election cycle that would not have been separatist in nature.

Obama’s speech in Grant Park was one of hope and inspiration which is more or less what we as a nation have come to expect from our President Elect. We will have a true orator of note for the first time since … well since JFK. The Last time I heard this type of public speech ability from a candidate was Bobby Kennedy and that is in many ways fitting as some of the Kennedy staff has been interlaced in President Elect Obama’s staff from the beginning and it has paid off.

No longer being called for are the chants of “terrorist” and “NObama” or “he’s a Muslim” and with any luck those voices will fade into the distant background and not well up again. Replacing them are 2 words “President Elect” and nine other words, “The Fourty Fourth President of the United States of America”.

We as a nation turned a page last night. We in fact have not yet closed the book, but we turned a page. We passed a mile stone that has been on the horizon for a ling time. Now we can stop being who we were and start working towards being the America we should be. Though it will not go away totally and will linger on for some time as all disease does, the hate and the racist sentiment of the past will slowly die off.

Last night was a hard fought victory and a difficult battle’s closing. As the numbers show it was President Elect Obama’s race to loose.

In the end even though we have yet to add to add North Carolina or Missouri to the total tabulation of the Electoral College votes, Obama has won the Presidency with an Electoral Vote count of 349 to 162 and a Popular Vote of 62,288,448 (52% of the vote) to 55,249,836. Again I will say that if the McCain that spoke last night had shown up at the beginning, this map and those number may have turned out vary differently.

At the end of the night and as the sun begins to come up this morning the Democrat Party has pulled off another victory or rather 15 of them. The Senate has changed power to the Democrat Party giving them the Majority with 2 seats still open and up for grabs as of this morning. This gives President Elect Obama a Democrat House, and Senate to work with as he moves to take his office on January 20th at 12:00 Noon.

In the mean time, I would fully expect the stock market to rise dramatically over the next few days as investors and the world see the Democratic Party majority and the incoming President Elect Barack Obama as a positive force of change in our international perception and as a wise move for our young nations future.