A New President

8 Top Stories from 2008 #1

After his 2004 convention speech, I thought Barack Obama would, one day, be the President of the United States. I did not see how he could possibly be elected in 2008. I thought he was jumping the gun.

If you had asked me on January 1, 2008 who I wanted to be President-Elect of the United States on December 31, 2008, I would have said John Edwards.

If you had asked me on January 1, 2008 who I thought would be President-Elect of the United States on December 31, 2008, I would have said Hillary Clinton.

Even after John Edwards withdrew from the race, I did not jump on the Barack Obama bandwagon. In fact, I leaned towards Senator Clinton initially. Slowly but surely, I was won over by Barack Obama.

The passion he inspired in his supporters won me over. 

His method of raising campaign cash in small donations from a record number of contributors won me over.

His remarkable use of the Internet as the most effective political organizing tool yet seen won me over.

His progressive policy positions on virtually every issue of the day won me over.

His political savvy won me over. (He might be the most talented politician we have seen, and I include Bill Clinton. Obama seems to be just that good.)

Most of all, I was won over by his intelligence, and his calm resolve. This is a man who not only has big ideas, he knows how to articulate them. He knows how to sell them. He knows how to make you believe in them. This isn't a man who gets rattled. As he proved in his reaction to the financial crisis, he's calm, confident and collected.

Look, President's matter. They impact our lives every single day. Our state of mind, our very morale as Americans is largely derived from the individual we have voted into the Presidency. This is the most powerful single individual in all the world. Peace and prosperity, those awesome goals that we all hope to see realized, can only be obtained with a President

The past eight years have shown what can happen when the individual installed into office isn't up to the job. The state of our economy shows the results of this folly. The state of our foreign policy shows the results of this folly. The state of the very idea of America shows the results of this folly.

The next four years will not be easy. No President has come into office facing more dire circumstances since FDR first took the oath of office in March of 1933. I have never been more proud of a vote I have cast. I have never been more proud of my fellow Americans for casting their votes. We have, together, stepped up to confront the challenges of our future by electing the best man for the job. 

Barack Obama will live up to the hope he has inspired in us.