Barack Obama Election story

Mr. President

By Donna Marbury
Contributing Writer
Columbus Post

From England to Denmark – from France to Australia – from California to Florida – Tuesday night, the whole world celebrated "Change."

In Columbus, Ohio, The Renaissance Hotel downtown hosted a cheering crowd that celebrated Barack Obama's win as the 44th president of the United States. More than 500 Democrat supporters packed into the hotel on all floors, and roared at 11 p.m. when Obama was announced the president, and cheered even louder as his opponent, Senator John McCain, delivered his concession speech via satellite.

Obama's hometown of Chicago hosted more than 125,000 at Grant Park, with a crowd that included early Obama supporter Oprah Winfrey. During his acceptance speech, Obama was hopeful, and aimed to bring together the country in this time of war and economic turmoil.

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," Obama declared to a roaring crowd.

"It's the answer that led those who had been told for so long, by so many, to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we could achieve, to put their hand on the arc of history and bend it for another day," Obama said. "At this defining moment, change has come to America."

Obama, 47, will be the first president born outside of the continental United States, being born in Hawaii to a Kenyan father and a White mother from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School serving as the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review. He moved to Chicago in 1991 to serve as a community organizer, and was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1997 and elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004.

Most of the country was introduced to Obama in 2004 when he gave the keynote speech for the Democratic National Convention. In 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for president, and beat well-known Senator Hillary Clinton in a long primary race. He raised more money than any candidate in U.S. history – more than $600 million – all while turning down public financing. Obama handily defeated Republican Senator John McCain, winning in battle-ground states like Ohio and Virginia which historically vote Republican. At press time, Obama had secured 338 electoral votes, needing only 270 to win.

McCain conceded Tuesday night in his home state of Arizona, to a crowd of his own long-faced supporters. "America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of old times. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African American to the presidency of the United States," McCain said.

Generations of families voted together in Ohio during early voting, and some accounted Obama's unique campaign strategy for uniting old and young to energize the vote. Using text messaging to announce rallies, and even his vice president, Senator Joe Biden, Obama tapped into young voters, with use of technology, and tapping some of the biggest names in music and Hollywood to rally voters. Just one day before Election Day, entertainers Jay-Z, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Beyonce and Mary J. Blige rallied voters at the King Arts Complex in Columbus.

Obama's historic win as the nation's first African-American president was sentimental to many central Ohio politicians and supporters. Governor Ted Strickland was the first to announce that Obama had one the state of Ohio, and was the first Democrat to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1996. "We have come together as a people and broke the barrier of race. The country is strong and unified because of what happened in Ohio and in this country," Strickland said.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman sent congratulations to Obama as he addressed the crowd who chanted Obama's campaign slogan, "yes we can." "What an incredible night for the country, state and city of Columbus. It marks that our state is ready for change. I'm so proud of Ohio tonight," said Coleman.

William Anthony, chairman of the Franklin County Democratic Party, remembers working on Shirley Chisholm's and both of Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns. "The Obama push helped turn our state blue," he said. "I can't even describe how much this means. It's about time. And it couldn't have happened for a more deserving guy."

With more than 1,200 neighborhood leaders in Ohio, and 80 offices in the state, Obama volunteers took the win personally. Stephanie Spaulding worked 12 months for the Obama campaign, switching hats from a line manager, working phone banks and canvassing neighborhoods. She even traveled out of town and used all of her vacation time at work to help spread Obama's message. "I used to have to fight just to go to school and get a minimum education. But to see this, and after all this work, it was worth it."

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