He’s a what? (He’s a what?) He’s a newspaperman!

In less than a week, president-elect Barack Obama has made the cover of six (count ‘em, six) magazines, and most definitely more on the way. This includes (but is in no way limited to): Newsweek, Time, People, US Weekly, The Source, and Men’s Health. Yeah, Men’s Health.

On three separate occasions, groups of middle-aged women (probably Oprah and Dr. Phil enthusiasts) came in to my work, making a beeline for the magazines to pick two or three of those magazines, as if meticulously picking apples from a tree. They (unnecessarily) boasted about how they’re putting them in plastic covers and how I should do the same.

Thank you, middle-aged women, for your benevolent advice. I bought People. I don’t have any money for more mags.

Upon the presidential election of Sen. Obama on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, the United States made history by finally electing someone who isn’t white. It was either that or electing a vice president who isn’t male.

As soon as I found out Sen. John McCain had chosen Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, I was happy to know that whichever way the votes would swing, the executive positions wouldn’t be limited to the clichéd white male politicians.

In truth, when I found out Sen. Obama was our president-elect and McCain wasn’t I was somewhat apathetic. Some have a misconception about me: Because I have a lot of democratic views it’s assumed I’m a flaming liberal and I’m a hardcore Obama person. I’m not.

The notion to rock the vote

I’m into politics, but not obnoxiously. I listened to what Sen. McCain had to say, and quite frankly I thought some of his ideas were better than Sen. Obama’s, but Obama won my vote in the end, just as he’s won the hearts of millions in this country.

I was somewhat apathetic about the turnout because throughout that day, leading up to the conclusion at approximately 10:30 p.m., I had been so enlightened by how much spirit everyone had to vote. In the end, I really couldn’t give a fuck who’d be running our country as much as I gave a fuck that everyone gave a fuck to vote.

Though this was the first election in which I could vote, it was so refreshing to see people my age getting pumped about who’d be running the country for four years. This woke me up as well as my 18- to 24-year-old peers. I didn’t care who they voted for—at least they voted.

It didn’t make me happy to see Obama win or to see McCain defeated, it made me happy that Obama gave a great acceptance speech, and McCain an even better departure speech.

Barackin’ the prObama

So Obama won. He’ll be running the country before I move to Chicago. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared. However, it’s not Obama I’m scared about. It’s the thought of a new president, a concern anyone (possibly everyone) has at this stage. I know I’d be just as scared had McCain been elected.

Jay Leno made a joke Monday evening just hours before the polls opened; he was talking about how in some presidential elections, America won’t find out who the president will be for possibly a couple of days. He said, “It’s exciting to go to bed not knowing who’s running the country, but we’ve been doing that for the past eight years!” It’s a cheap shot at Pres. Bush, and I laughed, but it’s kind of true.

We may all have this fear in the pit of our stomach that is packaged with a new president’s term on the horizon, but Obama couldn’t do much worse than Bush. Or can he? Obama has a lot of pressure on his shoulders now. If the economy continues to plummet as he’s just getting comfortable in the Oval Office, it’ll be all “his fault” that he didn’t come up with a “plan” in the past decade to miraculously dig us out of this financial trench.

In all honesty, I have this hope that all naysayers will be wrong Obama, and he’ll end up being one of the greatest presidents of our time. I really hope that happens. I hope that’s the “change” he’s been talking about. There were many skeptics about JFK (a Catholic) being elected, and Reagan (an actor) as president, but they turned out to be some of the best presidents of the past half century. Clinton wasn’t half-bad either. Not including the obvious impeachment, Clinton was a great president.

Some still stupid

I’m nervous for our country, but I’m also scared for Obama. Before the presidential election, there had been two plans to assassinate Sen. Obama. Obviously they were thwarted, but if there were people out to get him then, I can’t imagine what could happen now that he’s slated for Pennsylvania Avenue residence.

Throughout the campaign, Obama seemed like a nice guy. Well, of course he seemed like a nice guy—he wanted to be our president. He seems very down-to-earth, but in a much more informal (yet still classy) way.

As I pore through the pictures of this nice guy in People, my eyes almost fill up with tears and it pains me to think of people already plotting to kill him. Is it because of his color? If this is the case, it sickens me to think there are prejudices not unlike seventy years ago in twenty-first century.

There are still KKK groups in America. That sickens me as well. Really, KKK people, are you that dense? Hell, I think it’s pathetic that it took America this long to put a nonwhite person in office.

In closing, here are my thoughts it a nutshell: I respect Obama, I respect McCain, and I respect the millions of voters who turned out for this election who normally wouldn’t make the simple effort of doing the most American thing you can do. I don’t care who you voted for so much as I care that you voted. I don’t care who won the election so much as I care that McCain displayed some real sportsmanship. I’m nervous and excited about what happens after Jan. 20, 2009, and I’m scared for Barack. And racist pieces of shit make me sick.

In the midst of economic turmoil and the sludge of war, America was brought together by the most historical election of our generation, if not of the past century. Go you, Americans.

Cheers,

Ciara

Obama's speech in Grant Park

McCain concedes the presidency