Students usher in new President-Elect

As students gathered at West Campus Tuesday night to enjoy pancakes and engage in U.S. politics, they watched history in the making when Barack Obama successfully complete his presidential campaign as the votes rolled in and declared him the 44th president of the United States of America.

With an outstanding sweep of electoral votes that more than doubled those earned by John McCain, Obama is the victor of the 2009 United States presidential election.

The GCSU campus is buzzing with students’ thoughts on Obama being the president-elect of the United States. Some students are full of excitement and anticipation as they await the inauguration of the new U.S. president in January 2009.

Freshman Kevin Brewer said, “The past eight years haven’t been working too well, so I thought I’d support some change. I’m excited and ready for a change and I think Obama’s got a lot of good ideas.”

Senior rhetoric major Paul Basham and others are interested in whether Obama will be able to follow through on the change he has proposed to bring to America.

“I think it’s evident that people want to see a change and they think Obama is going to bring that about. I look forward to seeing whether or not he’s going to bring about the change he’s promised,” Basham said.

Some of the change Obama has promised is cutting taxes for nearly all working-class families, ending the war in Iraq, and breaking America’s dependence on Mideast oil along with other major issues causing Americans concern.

Obama has some followers who are somewhat unsure if he is truly ready and competent to take on the role of U.S. President, but they are hopeful and still give him their support.

“I voted for Obama, but I don’t know if he’s ready. Hopefully he’ll follow through with his promises. I think that if America gives him a chance, he’ll be successful,” mass communication major Tim Graham said.

Other students, who have supported McCain all throughout the campaign year, are upset with the turnout of the election and are not quite sure how to respond yet to Obama as the new U.S. president-elect. Some jokingly claim they are ready to pack their bags and move to Canada because they are convinced the country is going down the drain and they do not want to be around when that takes place.

Political science major Kim Lynch said, “It’s definitely a change from the past 200 years. There will definitely be changes in the government, but I’m not sure if it will be for the better or for the worse.”

Yet other students who have supported John McCain up to Election Day, are ready to put aside their differences and stand behind Obama as the next leader of the United States and support him in that position.

Nursing major Natalie Wright said, “Before the election, I supported McCain, but now that Obama is going to be our president, I will support him in his presidency.”

Wright believes that as Americans, we are all called to give support to our president and be united as a country, even if we are not all in complete agreement with everything he says and does.

America is in for some changes with Barack Obama gearing up to take his place in the White House as the 44th president of the United States and deliver on the promises he has made to the American people.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 31 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry