In Australia, we have to vote because if we don't we get fined albeit a small amount but a fine all the same. My opinion of politicians in general is not high I believe they are all alike regardless of what party they are from.
No system of government is perfect. There is always going to be disagreement I mean we don't live in a perfect world. Given the state of the economy right now I wasn't surprised that people wanted change. In my opinion the Republican handling of the war in Iraq and the state of the economy was what sealed the deal for them. Bush's rescue package came a little too late to save the Republican campaign.
I'd like to think that we could put aside our personal views of Obama as a politician to acknowledge the fact that for a race that had largely been opressed for many years by slavery and segregation that they have achieved the highest office in America. One can say the same for that of Nelson Mandela after his release from prison that he too became South Africa's first black president.
When first heard that Obama had designs on the presidency, my initial thought was that the party nomination would go to Hilary because I didn't believe that America would vote for a black president before a woman was in office. Well I was wrong on that count, but his achievement means that we can see a woman in the running for the presidency in the next eleection. Voting a woman into office would now not be just a dream, but can be a reality because electing a minority group is an even bigger hurdle to overcome.
I'll end with this quote by Clarence Darrow in 1926: 'I would like to see a time when man loves his fellow man, and forgets his colour or his creed. We will never be civilised until that time comes.'
