change.
wednesday afternoon in typical preacher-like voice and chanting, "yes we can". the tag-line of the obama campaign. i don't claim to know much about US politics but all i can say is, the next four years are interesting times. how does a country cope with 2 wars, a nuclear stand-off with one of its nemesis, a financial crisis that many are claiming to be the worse in a century? in time we'll know if america made the right choice, if america can regain its foothold as a financial and military superpower.
that said, mccain's concessionary speech was one to remember. not so much because he was conceeding defeat but because of the manner in which he did it and underlying message in it. to be gracious in defeat is one of the most difficult things anyone can do, to reach out to the victor and pledge to help him it brings things to another level. it was a heart-felt speech and knowing that he was sincere and that he will remain true to his word. his was a speech of reconciliation, repairing ties and relationships torn apart by a brutal election campaign.
mccain might have lost the elections but this wasn't a battle that was done and dusted right from the start. one can argue that purely because of his relation to the incumbent, he never stood a chance. one could also argue that if it weren't for the financial crisis that struck in september, he might have won. but all that's done now. obama has won and we wait in earnest to see the outcomes of his policies. come janurary 20, 2009, the first black american president will be inaugurated.
perhaps the biggest victory is that democracy won out. race was no longer a factor and that's one lesson that people around the world need to learn. being tolerant is fine but why can't we be accepting instead? martin luther king had a dream. that dream has now be fulfilled.
its amazing how americans all over the world can remain so patriotic, so nationalistic. it remains one of the challenges that i feel, singapore has. it is annoying knowing a few people who are singaporeans yet choose to behave that they are not and choose to disassociate themselves from singapore.
so, after following the elections since i woke up at 9am, its back to the books. first paper is tomorrow and i'm feeling fairly confident about it. just need to finish up the mock exam paper and i'll take a break till after the paper tomorrow..
and oh. i'm not a supporter of any one of the presidential candidates. this is just me and my random thoughts. and in any case, why can't singaporeans pay more attention to local politics and be more involved? what an irony that many are interested in what happens overseas but not in their own country..
that said, mccain's concessionary speech was one to remember. not so much because he was conceeding defeat but because of the manner in which he did it and underlying message in it. to be gracious in defeat is one of the most difficult things anyone can do, to reach out to the victor and pledge to help him it brings things to another level. it was a heart-felt speech and knowing that he was sincere and that he will remain true to his word. his was a speech of reconciliation, repairing ties and relationships torn apart by a brutal election campaign.
mccain might have lost the elections but this wasn't a battle that was done and dusted right from the start. one can argue that purely because of his relation to the incumbent, he never stood a chance. one could also argue that if it weren't for the financial crisis that struck in september, he might have won. but all that's done now. obama has won and we wait in earnest to see the outcomes of his policies. come janurary 20, 2009, the first black american president will be inaugurated.
perhaps the biggest victory is that democracy won out. race was no longer a factor and that's one lesson that people around the world need to learn. being tolerant is fine but why can't we be accepting instead? martin luther king had a dream. that dream has now be fulfilled.
its amazing how americans all over the world can remain so patriotic, so nationalistic. it remains one of the challenges that i feel, singapore has. it is annoying knowing a few people who are singaporeans yet choose to behave that they are not and choose to disassociate themselves from singapore.
so, after following the elections since i woke up at 9am, its back to the books. first paper is tomorrow and i'm feeling fairly confident about it. just need to finish up the mock exam paper and i'll take a break till after the paper tomorrow..
and oh. i'm not a supporter of any one of the presidential candidates. this is just me and my random thoughts. and in any case, why can't singaporeans pay more attention to local politics and be more involved? what an irony that many are interested in what happens overseas but not in their own country..
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