Obama wins in a landslide!

This was a decisive victory for Barack Obama. A landslide! Americans are demanding Real Change and the results were clear as soon as the early returns were counted. When Obama took the so-called battleground state of Pennsylvania the victory was obvious and he was declared the winner at 8 p.m. West Coast time when the polls closed.

He won decisively on the West Coast, the Midwest and the Northeast. And also took Florida, which had been the key state that enabled GW to take the presidency, and Colorado and New Mexico, which are located right in the middle of the Republican heartland, as well. He also took Ohio, which enabled GW’s election in 2004, New Hampshire and Iowa.

This is a historical landmark in American politics. Obama is the first black person to be elected to the presidency and hopefully marks the end of racial prejudice and ethnic greed in American politics.

The rest of the world appears joyous at the end of the end of GW Bush’s reign. The countries that supported America until GW Bush took office worried about an America that preached Democracy but imposed its power, entered a disastrous war in Iraq, diminished the rights of its own citizens and tortured its captives, turned its back on the environment and supported the greed and corruption that caused global economic chaos.

The concept of democracy, through the right to vote for its citizens, has brought an end to the reign of the Bush Republicans. Even die hard Republicans are calling for the reestablishment of the traditional party values destroyed by the Bush Regime.

Hopefully, this election will also bring an end to the dirty politics employed by the Republicans under Karl Rove, who announced the Obama victory on his web site long before the media made the official announcement. The name calling and false accusations that worked so well for Rove in putting GW in power apparently worked against John McCain and his running mate, Alaskan governor Sarah Palin. Americans obviously grew tired of their campaign, which seemed an endless stream of such tactics and a call for Change that ultimately was answered by Obama’s election.

Obama took the high road in his campaign, pointing out the need for Change not only in the White House but in American politics and business as well. He retorted their accusations with respect and offered hope for the future. This could be a watershed moment in America, a return to the optimism and cooperation exhibited in the Kennedy era.

The road ahead is treacherous. It will require courageous and intelligent leadership by Obama and participation by not only the Republican party and all Americans, but the entire global population. It will require a return of the optimism and cooperation this country experienced during the Kennedy era. It will require honesty and a sincere effort with a focus on the good of the people, not just the rich and the powerful.

The task is monumental. Obama will need to lead us in the rebuilding of America. The corruption in Washington must be ended, beginning with an effort to eliminate the exorbitant costs of political campaigns and the resulting influence of special interest money.

The issues include the reestablishment of government controls over business practices, particularly the financial, healthcare, insurance industries and the military industrial complex. The competencies of government agencies must be reestablished in order to perform their assigned functions and protect America.

America’s relations with other nations need mending after the divisive, aggressive ”Our way or the highway” tactics of Bush and Cheney. We need to work with other countries to end the threat of terrorism and achieve global peace.

We need to rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure and provide adequate healthcare for our people. We need to revamp our education system and offer low cost quality education at all levels in order to strengthen our society through knowledge and enable us to compete successfully in the world.

We need to rebuild our economy by employing Americans at adequate wages and eliminating support for companies that are profiting from overseas labor.

We can only hope that Obama is the man to lead this effort. He will require our support and participation if these goals are to be accomplished. But, if we are successful, this will be a much better world in which to live.