A presidency of firsts
Republican, Democrat or whatever else you may be, you cannot deny the fact that this presidency will go down in history. President Obama is making sure of it.
It started with the presidential race itself. Never before have presidential candidates used the World Wide Web as they did this past election. Unlike the race before where we had the Swiftboat Veterans and other like groups causing a stir, this time we had sources like MTV and MySpace creating platforms for the candidates to speak.
On college campuses around the country, there was an overwhelming preference and respect rising for Barack Obama. The younger generation was mesmerized. This past election welcomed more young people to the voting polls than ever before, many of which were voting for “a change you can believe in.”
That slogan is becoming a reality with each choice that President Obama makes. He’s “changed” a lot with his stimulus bill, his feelings toward stem cell research and his recent limitation of car exhaust emissions. He welcomed the first female Secretary of Defense and just nominated the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor.
Changes such as these are worth believing in. What we’re seeing with this presidency is that America is not just white. It encompasses every race and every sex.
According to the Alternative Press, President Obama praised Sotomayor as “an inspiring woman.” She was chosen by President Bush Sr. to be a federal court judge, was nominated by President Clinton to be elevated to an appeals court judge and now embraces the chance to serve on the Supreme Court.
As Americans, are we to embrace this transformation and believe that our prejudices in American government are soon to be amended? Or was this how it should have been all along?
andrea @ May 27, 2009