As a white kid going to a majority African American high school, I witnessed the rather sad racial consequences firsthand.  As I walked to class on the morning after Barack Obama became President Elect, just about every two seconds I witnessed people shouting things like "There'll be a black man in the Oval Office!" or "The black man finally won!"  I think that if civil rights leaders who fought so hard for the right to vote were to witness what I did, I don't think they'd be quite as jubilant as everyone says they'd be.

If you disagree with me, I invite you to share your reasoning in the comment area, but I believe that the fact that black people voting for Obama for the simple reason that he is part black (yes, part black--that's another issue I have, people calling him "black" instead of bi-racial, but that's another rant for another time) is a crime.  I'm not saying that every single black person voted for Obama for this reason only, but with Obama garnering 90-100% of black votes in most states, it's obvious that it's a problem.  If McCain got 90-100% of the white vote in most areas, people would be shouting that it was racism left and right.  Isn't it just as much of a crime as a white person voting for McCain simply to keep a non-white man out of the Oval Office?  Isn't that racism as well?

It's almost spitting in the face of those advocates who sacrificed so much to give African Americans, as the equal human beings they are, the opportunity to carefully consider their options and then make an informed, rational decision at the polls.  Isn't this what America itself was founded on?  The principles of intelligent thought and using the democratic power of choice for the good of all the people?

Remember, I write this as neither a Republican nor a Democrat, for I am neither, but as a white girl watching from the sidelines, I have something to say to all of the skin-deep Obama fanatics:

I have a dream, a dream where all Americans, regardless of race, can look past skin color and realize that the races aren't competing in some vast competition that Obama just "won."  American will fail and continue to be divided if we keep up this modern form of racism.  The only "change" in our us and them mentality will come from putting race aside.

Obama was born to a white mother and a Kenyan father, making him an African American, mixed race. The rights movement is a big part of Obama's legacy, as he is the first black president this drew many issues of racism into the presidential contest. Yet Barrack Obama never really referred to the rights movement. It was obvious that there was some aspect of prejudice against him with many links to "Osama Bin Laden" being attributed towards him. His main rival, John McCain, also tried to associate socialism with him as well. Barrack Obama's bid has gone from low to high, with skeptics saying that America wasn't ready for a black president, yet his popularity rose and rose.

The new president means new policies and a new direction for the country and so the world. He will have a new team influencing his decisions on the current finical crisis to what role America is going to play in cutting greenhouse gasses. There will be new laws and new benefits for Americans yet he is also most likely to remove some of the things that have served American society for a long time.

It is impossible to say how Obama is going to respond to the new job and in which direction he takes America. It is also impossible to tell whether it will be from the better or worse for any person, yet American citizens have chosen their next president and are going to have to live with that for another four years. As the new president elect gets ready for his inauguration a few issues will definitely be on Barack Obama's mind, including the very fist decision he needs to make... what will the design of the carpet in the Oval office will be like.

But there are other differences besides just the size of the population. The states that voted for Obama tend to be the ones where the populace believe that government can solve their problems. They tend to be states with their own income taxes that support large governments with many social programs. For this reason, people in the northern and West Coast states found Obama's liberal proposals very appealing.

On the other hand, McCain did best in areas with a tradition of self-reliance and individualism. States like Arizona and Texas, where people try to solve their own problems before turning to government. The only states in the southeast that Obama carried were Florida and Virginia, which are basically border states. New Mexico and Colorado were the only Mountain states that went for Obama.

Here in Florida, the five biggest counties (Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough and Pinellas) voted for Obama. Traditionally, northern Florida is conservative while south Florida is liberal, with the central part of the state being moderate. The large African-American and Hispanic populations were instrumental in putting Obama over here.

So, about half the country leans toward socialism and the other half leans toward the idea that "That government which governs least, governs best". What does this mean for the next four years? Right now, it looks like President Obama will either have to build a bridge to the McCainnation or try to rule with the support of only half the country.

Yesterday American's claimed they didn't have a prejudice bone in their body.  But today I received emails of people disgusted about waking up to an African American president.  Is this what it takes to have some Americans show their true colors?   My wife called me this morning to tell me someone already tried to shoot the president.  What happened to red, white, and blue?    America needs to stand together just like we did with all the other presidents.  We have learned through years of experience and history that color doesn't matter, or does it? If you are furious about results from the election then you need to take a look at your true motives, and source of your anger.  If this describes you then I say; where was the anger yesterday.  This country is not run on color, its run on the blood, sweat and tears.  This country is run on people who believe in a free country.  This country is run on the foundation united we stand and divided we fall.  Yet we will have people that are upset about our commander in chief.  This man is now the new backbone of our country. So now I say to everyone what will America do now?   

Preston Johnson, 22: “I feel like 100 pounds are off my shoulders right now. I feel the change right this minute”.

Tejahn Rahman, 25: “…the younger generation sees that we can do better than what we've done. I've got chills down my spine”.

Christine King Farris, 81, Martin Luther King Jr's sister: “Change takes time and to get to this place in time is a sign. This takes me back to my brother's last speech in Memphis. "I may not get there with you", but we - not some Americans, but all Americans - will get to the Promised Land…God granted this because of the struggles and hard work that brought us to this place. We are (now) accepted as full-fledged citizens of this country”.

Rev. Jesse Jackson: “For blacks who voted for Obama, this is reconciliation, for whites, it is redemption. That is the force that made his victory possible. His accomplishment came from the pain of martyrs. If Obama can become president, there is nothing we cannot be. We celebrate, but there is unfinished business. We may have arrived, but there is work to be done. We are now free, but there are still structural inequalities. We celebrate, but there is (still) unfinished business”.

Jeff Mann, 51: “You can't be anything, but joyful. Obama is going to change the world”.

David Dinkins, 81, who served as New York City's first black mayor from 1991 to 1993 and now a professor at Columbia University: “Everybody stands on everybody else's shoulders. Blacks are swelling with pride. I am a child of the Depression, in the Marine Corps, in 1945, stationed in the South. I know how it was when black soldiers and Marines were treated worse than foreign prisoners of war. Those were the days of white and colored water fountains”.

Andrew Young, who served as Martin Luther King's ally in demonstrations in Selma, Alabama and Florida: “The significance of this election is global and sends a message around the world that America really does believe in democracy and that we practice the values we preach. It's natural for Obama. He is African (and) he went to school in Indonesia. It forced him (to) be exceptional in his humility and his judgment. His childhood gave him a kind of cultural DNA to hear and understand people from all over the world”. This is a lesson that Hong Kong government officials should learn: listen to the people.

Isaac Farris, Martin Luther King Jr's nephew: “This is not the fulfillment of the dream. It's huge, though and we're three-fourths of the way there. The reality is that it can't be - too many people, both black and white, who vote based on race. That was not my uncle's dream. Just to have a guy there who looks like me, my child or my grandchild. That sends a huge message. Other than the March on Washington that set up the Civil Rights Act, I cannot think of a movement that surpasses this. Spiritually, this is a serious moment, not the watershed moment of the '60s, but the emotional high is right up there with that”.

In one sentence, not likely, based on the latest polls. Still, it's worth taking a look at how many people believe that McCain has a shot on November 4 and how many people don't. Honestly, it's shocking to read how many people think that McCain and Palin can still pull this off with only 1 day remaining.

According to RNC deputy chairman Frank Donatelli, “I don't think it's a long shot. It's a realistic shot. I don't think it's outrageous to think (that) we are going to do much better with party turnout than most of the models indicate”. So, Donatelli believes that McCain has a shot.

According to Ed Goes, a Republican who is also a McCain advisor, “I've been saying for some time that from our polling, I think it's much tighter, a 3-point national race on Friday. I think (that) this race is going to be extremely tight”. So, Goes believes that McCain has a shot too.

According to a top McCain pollster, Bill McInturff, in a conference call last week, “All signs say (that) we are headed to an election that may easily be too close to call by next Tuesday”. This is a statistical analysis and Bill, sorry to disappoint you, but the polls don't agree with you.

According to McCain campaign manager Rick Davis in an interview on Sunday with ABC, if suburban and rural voters “haven't bought into the Obama massage…, they're probably not gonna. We are witnessing, I believe, one of the greatest comebacks that you've ever seen since John McCain won the (Republican) primary”. Hey, Rick, at least Obama doesn't own 4 properties and can't tell where they are while a lot of us are struggling to keep our homes. This indicates that your boss is out of touch.

According to conservative analyst Bill Krystal, in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, “Obama has many paths to victory while McCain only has one narrow path, but you only need one narrow path”. OK, Krystal is trying to remain optimistic, but it's unlikely that McCain will be able to squeeze through this “narrow path”.

According to Yahoo!, however, “Most election watchers, however, are deeply skeptical - including some close to McCain”. This isn't a good sign for McCain, yet again.

According to a longtime McCain friend, John Weaver, a top strategist for McCain's 2000 presidential campaign, “As much as I would want to see a Dewey-defeats-Truman moment, it's next-to-impossible for me to see how that occurs mathematically as well as organizationally”. There, we have it. As much as McCain's friends and allies want him to win tomorrow (November 4), it just doesn't seem to be going the way they want. According to the latest Yahoo! poll/survey, Obama leads McCain by a margin of 51.6% to 44.3%, although McCain's support has increased since this report was last updated. Rounding this off, Obama's lead over McCain is 52-44, an 8-point difference which is impossible to make up in less than 1 day.

But I've got a few political thoughts of my own.  This campaign has raised for me some interesting questions.  I feel like assumptions have been made and taken for granted.  I can't help but wonder, would be saying the same thing about these men, and lady, if their personal histories were reversed.  

The point is to ask yourself, WHAT IF...?

What if the Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin tickets and personal histories were switched around? Would the country's collective point of view be different?  It’s something to consider…

What if the Obamas had walked five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?

What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?

What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

What if Obama had left his first wife after a severe car accident disfigured her?

What if Obama met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?

What if Michelle Obama was the candidate's wife who became addicted to painkillers and acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?

What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?

What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five? (The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)

What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker and Obama had difficulty reading from a teleprompter?

What if Obama were the candidate whose military experience included discipline problems?

What if Obama were the candidate known to display publicly a serious anger management problem?

What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?

What if McCain graduated from Harvard with a Juris Doctor (J.D.), Magna Cum Laude (that means "top of class")?

What if Palin earned duel BA’s in History and Political Science from the University of Delaware and a Juris Doctor (J.D) from Syracuse University College of Law?

What if Obama ranked 894 of 899 in the United States Naval Academy

What if Biden spent 1 semester at Hawaii Pacific University, 2 semesters at North Idaho College, 2 semesters at the University of Idaho, 1 semester at Matanuska-Susitna College, then finally three semesters at University of Idaho earning a B.A. in Journalism

As the polls would have us believe, the Democrat Barack Obama seems to have the majority in his hands. But all these polls do not guarantee him the November 4 victory just yet -- it could simply be the amalgamation of a scoop-obsessed media, of pollsters who haven't sampled enough, and of some poll respondents who just want to be politically correct.

On the other side of the fence, Republican John McCain seems all too poised at the losing end. These past few weeks, attention has gravitated front and center -- not to him, but to his vice presidential pick, Sarah Palin. If this was the campaign strategy they hatched two months ago, then it must have backfired with mixed results. Sure, they have our attention, but in the wrong corners -- Palin's wardrobe controversy? The viral web parodies that paint her as charming but ill-equipped? The exclusive news interviews that leave one more baffled about her than before? Palin could have been the fuel to McCain's nearly-doused fire, but aside from the celebrity she has brought, along came the damage that he desperately needs to control.

During the past two years of an exhaustive and extensive race to the presidency, these two men have been subjected to the most intense scrutiny that is albeit needed in order to elect the leader of the free world. Politics has always been a popularity contest, more so in this age of instant's and 24-hour news. Every sound bite and every gesture has been magnified for pundits and the masses to blog and talk about.McCain, the maverick senator from Arizona, has been a steady, dependable hand at the Republican arena since the 2000 election.

He then seemed to be the more liberal, more likeable candidate than George W. Bush was. He had the gallant experience in important policy issues, having held public office for more than 20 years, including championing a campaign finance reform act; an impressive stint at the Vietnam War; and he projected himself to be an outsider of the Grand Old Party establishment and showed to be open to bipartisanship -- which somehow led to the dissolution of his run in the 2000 GOP primaries. This year though, McCain is finally in the limelight, having overpowered pre-primary favorites such as Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. He could've pushed his agenda further and steamrolled his way to a favorable win, but what happened?

George W. Bush.

The Iraq war.

The financial crisis.

Sarah Palin.

McCain's own undoing.

Barack Obama.

It was a fatal combination of these that contributes to McCain's potential electorate demise.

W's Infamous Legacy

George W. Bush, who meekly endorsed McCain through video at the Republican National Convention, has silently relegated to the back seat in this campaign; the standard-bearer McCain salvaging in vain whatever was left of the GOP's credibility amidst its leader's failed presidency, amplified by the severe lashing it endured at the 2006 Congressional Elections. McCain has obviously distanced himself from W., seeking out voters who still believe in the conservative credo. This strategy may work well for others, but it comes across as an undiplomatic approach when viewed in a global sense -- that even if John McCain is your ally, you will be left to fend for yourself when he doesn't need you -- now, what does that present for international relations?

The war in Iraq has been a most unkind legacy the Bush presidency will bequeath to its predecessor. Borne out of greed, warmongering, sheer brashness -- and using the September 11, 2001 attacks as leverage to justify their cause, it has veered the attention of national security away to what should have been a winsome vanquishing to the real insurgents in Afghanistan. (How Al-Qaida came to be, is another matter.) Iraq, post-Saddam Hussein, is still and even more dangerous than before. The damage has been irreparable, thousands of lives have been lost, and there is still no end in sight.

McCain has only echoed Bush's foolhardy declaration that "We are winning the war" and will continue to keep the troops there, when in truth Americans have only been thrust into a quagmire that has risked them financially -- stretched taxpayers' hard-earned dollars in funding a war chest readily disposable and siphoned by Bush's defense-contractor compadres, but with no concrete results -- and internationally. Does this solidify the neoconservatives' cultivated image of the US as a Big Bully and The Only Rightful Superpower, notwithstanding Guantanamo Bay, the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, the subversive intent of the Patriot Act, the rampant disregard of moral and ethical standards?

More than that, the 44th president will be saddled with fixing an all-but-fallen economy. The US economy is at its most fragile stage today. The bourses have fallen sharply one week after the other, teetering into a depression to rival that of the post-1930's market crash, leaving ordinary citizens anxious whether this setback can be lifted at all. Every nation has felt its crippling effects, and governments have been struggling to soften the blows that the US crisis has consequentially deferred. This whole mess could have been avoided if the government wasn't too lax on big business -- like the levees that could've been strengthened before Hurricane Katrina blew New Orleans into a deluge.

Eight years of George W. Bush does not bide well for the United States. Its image within itself and across the world has only deteriorated since because of its pierced invincibility, complacency and resistance to yield to the nation's best and true interests.

A Campaign of Division

Since the official campaign for the presidency began, McCain has widely veered from his original positions on issues such as reproductive rights, the environment and immigration, to cater to narrow right-wing ideologues. He has only been too willing to risk his reputation to scour out votes, using antagonizing tactics and almost delusional self-aggrandizements. We know that elections are an avenue for all sorts of appealing platitudes and promises that may never happen at all, but can it bring out the worst in a man?

Returning to McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- this has been a provocative move. McCain surely have thought that since Obama has already chosen a man in the form of veteran Sen. Joseph Biden a week ago, he could take this opportunity to woo the disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters and pick a female to reignite the playing field. Before Palin, his campaign was almost going belly up. Since that proclamation, curiosity over the woman of the hour was but natural -- but upon closer inspection, the succeeding revelations suggest that Palin is a mismatch.

Reports that the VP selection process was recklessly dealt; the allegations and accusations that hound Palin's leadership record; her overwhelmingly conservative stance on her own gender's issues, science, religion and education; her short-sighted background on the issues that beset the country as witnessed through her uneasy responses in the nightly news interviews. Celebrity doesn't cut it, substance does. Watching her speak at campaign rallies, Palin exudes an appalling variety of close-minded thinking and adviser-coached applause prompts. A Vice President should be able to equal him/her capability to that of a President, in case the need arises for a succession -- but upon what we have seen, Palin doesn't seem to measure up. If she is unqualified, then it certainly reflects on the judgment of McCain.

Together with McCain, they have campaigned on a ticket of spite and estrangement, stirring up crowds with quasi-Bush "Either you're with us or against us" rhetoric. They have divided the nation into "the pro-America" / "real America" states, and the "others" with "that man". To call a state that votes for you as "pro-America", what would make of a state that doesn't? It conjures up insinuations that if you don't vote McCain-Palin, you're branded as unpatriotic and not putting your "Country First", which has been their campaign tag -- as if nobody thinks of their country's sake. They have taken the citizens as intellectually void -- using blatant discrimination, character assassination, antagonism, and shades of racism to fuel their last desperate stretch.

A Change Will Come

Barack Obama, the first-term senator from Illinois, is the one of the best that the Democratic Party has produced in a long time. His meteoric rise to the top can only be attributed to the fact that he is the living embodiment of the American Dream.

The 2004 Democratic National Convention introduced him to mainstream America and the whole world, and it brought much excitement about this new guy who's taken everyone's attention because of his identity, eloquence, intelligence, charisma and his stirring message of a unified America.

That obviously wasn't the last we've seen of Obama... the guy's got mission and ambition. Who would've known that in a span of four years that he would able to utilize his senate orientation to gear up on the biggest political stage, trumping the once shoo-in, Sen. Hillary Clinton and other more experienced colleagues?

The answer is hope. He was a fresh voice in the decrepit, dreary Washington landscape. Riding on a platform of change, he inspired sentiments of idealism and a renewed hope in the government not just among his supporters but also to the youth, the working-class people, the professionals, his fellow politicians, ordinary citizens within and outside of the country. His message is simple, powerful, and enduring.

Others may argue that Obama's all talk and no action, that he is too inexperienced to lead. Through the course of this campaign, he has showed incredible maturity in making his point without distorting it. He is willing to learn. He knows his subjects clearly and is wont to express his plans, which shone through in the three presidential debates. He acknowledges his limitations and ably compensates for them -- one major case would be the selection of Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, an expert on the area of foreign affairs. That itself is an example of how he makes important decisions -- well-thought out and for the long run, in contrast to McCain's Palin.

His stand on issues generally reflects what the United States needs in order to reform the government and the economy, and restore a common purpose -- the greater good of its citizens. He evinces an ability to repair frayed diplomatic relations and effect a more benevolent global opinion. And most especially, as what he has been doing, redeem optimism from apathy. Sometimes, all you really need is a dream, a vision, to get things going. No amount of credentials or experience can prepare a president, or predict what his term will be like. But Obama has the qualities, the confidence and the tenacity to become President. His victory can spell a real difference.

Politico editor Charles Mahtesian read the following line from a Republican lobbyist. If this was a plea, it sounded more like a taunt. It was “Keep it balanced”. He must have been referring to McCain because, OK, Obama may have grand visions, but at least he has visions. McCain has just gone too negative. All he's been doing since the general election began, besides defending the Iraq war, is attack Obama.

The opinions are divided sharply with one reader scoffing, “Are you f***ing joking! Your bias has stooped to an all-time low. Those asterisks, by the way, are hers, not ours”. This person must be taking a jab at McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin. Otherwise, why would he/she put asterisks by Palin's name? And if Palin believed that she and McCain still had a chance, she wouldn't have auditioned on “Saturday Night Live”. Remember the accusation that Hillary Clinton hurled at Obama during the primaries and caucuses and early on in the general election: “Senator Obama brings a speech that he made in 2002”. Palin brings "You betcha", 'gotcha' and a "hockey mom" persona'. Palin is simply unfit to be in public office.

Surprisingly, however, McCain still has some diehard supporters/fans. According to someone from Rochester, New York, “You guys are awfully tough on McCain. There may be some legitimacy to the claim of press bias, Mom”. Who is this person supporting? This isn't clear, but this much is clear: in the third and final presidential debate, all Obama had to do was not screw up and he didn't while McCain gained some credibility, but it wasn't enough.

No, they are not fallen heroes; they are all Marxist, communistic socialist, hell bent on changing our government to a socialist, communist dictatorship.

Dictator; a leader who rules a country with absolute power, usually by force.

Communition; trituration; pulverization; diminution by a gradual wearing or reduction as by slicing or rasping.

Clamor; any loud repeated out cry din or noise vociferation noisy confusion of voices a continuous vehement objecting or demanding.

History will tell you if you raise your voice and demand surrender divide them and instill fear with propaganda like part of them have given up and some others are dead, we stand a real good chance to win the war.

Obama's plan entailed just such tactics: in dim; information; he sought out the people above as to where they went wrong.

Maneuvering; working his way into our inner circle of our government.

Intelligence; gathering information about the people around him as to who he could bribe or are susceptible to threat of exposure to a hidden matter that may cost him his job or even jail.

Attack; charging his opponent by twisting, bending, distorting, and even lying about who he really is (we still don't know) and his real plan.

Watch, look and listen to everything your opponent says and does, change it around and distort it by maintaining only two distinct slogans that way it's hard to get caught in a lie yourself.

Insert spies, pay off TV reporters, newspapers and do any thing possible or necessary to keep the upper hand including suppression and or oppression.

Never talk to any more than five minutes.

Obama's plan to continuously refer to McCain as the “bush” has worked so well keeping him busy defending himself instead of campaigning.

I myself call these tactics the “Jesus plans” but don't think for one minute I am referring to Obama as Jesus, it's just the opposite, I think more like Satan. Obama is no more than a cheap thief stealing the perfect plan from the perfect man, the lord came of the lamb the first time but the second time he will come as a lion.

Let's define Barack Hussein Obama. Barack; the evil one, father of lies. Hussein; the insane one, hatred. Obama; the abomination of all mankind.

Devils advocate; one who argues perversely for a bad cause. Devil; evil a liar a wicked or malignant person.

If he is elected we will have the devil to pay.

Finally, I have something to say to all the media. I am so glad to know that God does not allow sinners into heaven. I have never in my years seen so many of you eat so much crap and have oratory sex just to fulfill your own deficiencies and depraved minds. You have licked you lips and wagged your tongues with the delight of a prostitute in the back seat of a car in a dark ally, and swallowed Obama's seed as if it were a delightful honey. You have orally impregnated the orifices of your body with expectation of his mere touch. You have all become his whores to spread the seed of dishonesty and discord to the American people.

Now you all can take pride a bastard child of sedition and lies. I really hope you are the first to lose your freedom. Remember the devil owes no allegiance to anyone.

Obama's top four hoes: Charlize “Hussy” Gimme some Obama, Georgina “Stuff Me A Lot with It” Obama, Tony “Break it off” O!Bama, Stoke me rabidly Obama “You Devil”!

Obama's number one dishonorable Judge Rra Barflay Turndick. After you read this go ask your master what to do and when he will be available to touch him.

Disgusted American Patriot