Obama Wins!

After a campaign of historic proportions, the people have spoken, and what they said was “Barack Obama.”
Obama Wins!
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama crowd Grant Park on election night, November 4, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois. (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)
11/5/2008
Updated:
11/5/2008
<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/83566391_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/83566391_medium.jpg" alt="Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and family stand on stage during his election night victory rally at Grant Park on in Chicago, Illinois. Americans emphatically elected Obama as their first black president in a transformational election whic (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)" title="Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and family stand on stage during his election night victory rally at Grant Park on in Chicago, Illinois. Americans emphatically elected Obama as their first black president in a transformational election whic (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-76012"/></a>
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and family stand on stage during his election night victory rally at Grant Park on in Chicago, Illinois. Americans emphatically elected Obama as their first black president in a transformational election whic (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
After a campaign of historic proportions, and a day of record voter turnout, the citizens of the United States have spoken, and what they said was “Barack Obama.”

The nation faced a choice on Tuesday between two distinguished candidates. Americans were bound to choose a leader to guide the country through the immense challenges facing it today. And as the vote drew ever nearer, it became more and more clear.

And on Tuesday night, they made their choice known. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois will be the next president.

At the time of printing, not all votes had been counted, but the exit polls gave Sen. Obama an undeniable advantage. Most of the swing states had even been conceded to the man who will become the country’s first African American president.

“We have come to the end of a long journey,” said Sen. John McCain to his supporters on Tuesday night. “The people of America have spoken and they have spoken clearly [...] A moment ago I had the opportunity to call Senator Obama and congratulate him.”

McCain called for unity and support of the new president as he conceded the presidency to his opponent. He quelled boos from the crowd, thanking them for their support, but encouraging them to move forward without regrets.

President-elect Barack Obama gave his victory speech to an overjoyed and emotional crowd in Grant Park in downtown Chicago, Ill.

“I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you,” said a gracious Obama to the overwhelmed crowd at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois. The Reverend Jesse Jackson, who stood by with tears streaming, as did many of the one hundred thousand Americans from diverse backgrounds who had gathered in support of Obama.

“This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change.”

The People Speak

With Wall Street in a volatile state of unpredictability, housing markets down, banks going bust, and unemployment on the rise, the economy was by far the most important issue on people’s minds.

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/obob83563702_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/obob83563702_medium.jpg" alt="Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama crowd Grant Park on election night, November 4, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois.  (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)" title="Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama crowd Grant Park on election night, November 4, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois.  (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-76013"/></a>
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama crowd Grant Park on election night, November 4, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois.  (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

“Voting is very important to get our voices across, our choices across, it’s a chance to pick who we want to be leading our country. I think that Obama will handle the economy better. I think that McCain is a lot of the same we’ve had for the last eight years. I think it’s time for a change, and that we need to be in a position where the rest of the world respects us, and having a president like Obama will do that,” said Sarah Kennedy from San Francisco.

While the economy was the most prevalent single issue for most people, it was Barack Obama’s broader message of hope and change that rang true for most of his supporters.

“I voted for Obama/Biden because the United States needs a new direction and change. [...] I believe that Obama can change people’s perceptions on prejudicial issues and can change how the people of the United States are being perceived from other countries. Obama can better lead the U.S. into the future with the right direction,” exclaimed Ms. Lillian Gomez, a teacher in Pembroke Pines, Fla., originally from the Dominican Republic.

Record Fundraising

Another matter for the history books for this year’s campaigns was the fundraising. Having passed on public funding, Sen. Obama raised hundreds of millions of dollars privately, allowing him to vastly outspend his opponent in the lead up to the vote.

“During the first half of October, according to the latest FEC reports, Obama and the DNC disbursed $132 million (including $16 million transferred to state parties)—about as much as they spent in the entire month of September! This burst, fueled by Obama’s remarkable $151 million fundraising in September, overwhelmed the combined spending of John McCain and the RNC which totaled $67.6 million,” stated the Campaign Finance Institute in an Oct. 24 release.

What made Obama’s fundraising efforts particularly notable is the volume of small donations. The majority of his funds raised in the past two months came from donations under $200.

“We have created a parallel public financing system where the American people decide if they want to support a campaign they can get on the internet and finance it, and they will have as much access and influence over the course and direction of our campaign that has traditionally been reserved for the wealthy and the powerful,” he told a crowd at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C. in April.