President-Elect Barack Obama, we welcome you!

What a great day it is! We, as a nation, have to be proud of ourselves for coming together and making a collective choice for the betterment of our country and its impact on everyone in this increasingly connected global society. We have elected Barack Obama as our next president. Finally, we have come to a decision that will ultimately benefit all the citizens of America, even those who don't yet realize it - their lives will be made better too. (It is surprising though, that 48% of us didn’t choose to believe in the positive potential of an Obama presidency, but of course that is their choice to make.)

Barack Obama reflects the changing evolution of the American people - a person with a varied background - racially, culturally, and economically. He is much more representative of the changing face of the United States than any other candidate. And yes, even though he may seem very different than some of us, we are intelligent enough to realize that he does represent us all. He is an inclusionary energy, not exclusionary or isolating.

Obama’s race for the Presidency has been a transformative force in our election process. The Obama Movement has been so extremely motivating and inspirational for so many, cutting across all groups – first-time voters, younger voters, blue-collar workers, middleclass voters, racial minorities, as well as African-Americans. This election has brought trust back into our election system – finally the will of the people is heard and honored - each vote really does matter (and doesn’t get pushed aside because of a technically). Finally we have a president we can be proud of and support – an intelligent, fair, compassionate and rational person. This is the first truly good thing that has happened for America in decades.

Obviously this is only the beginning of the transformation or tweaking of American internal and foreign policy. President-Elect Obama (that sounds so great!) is a unifying force that honestly wants what is best for the people and will work with others in a collaborative not competitive way to make positive change happen. He has become an iconic figure with an immense set of expectations to live up to. We hope our President Obama won’t buckle under the pressure and disappoint us as most politicians have – he is human after all. But for now, truly exuberant crowds throughout the nation and even in other countries are celebrating; celebrating the hope, inspiration and the very real possibility of a better nation and a better world. What a momentous time we live in!