Victory for Breakfast: Obama is Our Man

It is hard to sit still after Elections for Breakfast. A decidedly sweet taste in ones’ mouth persists after Obama’s landmark victory – he has done it! For months we have watched and waited, speculated and wondered, laid bets, made guesses, passed judgements and reflected on which way the race would go. My staunch left-wing leanings persist from my student days, and it is with sincere delight that I celebrate the presidential victory of a black man in America.

Driving to work through the streets of Arusha, I consider what Obama’s victory means for us here. The lack of hope and confidence can be seen in the many faces of this country. Obama’s sunrise chant of ‘Yes we can’ is not only the summation of his success, but the promise of ours. America, whose global reputation has been truly soiled by Obama’s predecessors, is the champion for the underdog everywhere. As Obama himself said in his victory speech, his triumph is a victory for the marginalised. His success is not defined by nationality, gender, skin colour or sexuality, but by the experiences of people all over the world, today and for centuries before us.

It is easy to get caught up in the emotion and symbolism of Obama’s triumph. His victory speech was satisfyingly unsentimental. It displayed, not his emotions at such a triumphant win, nor the embellished Hollywood sentiment so associated with America, but rather the calm reliable maturity of a man who deserved to win. His stance, as much as it may have been one of battle to secure him an initial victory, was no less persuasive or honourable with victory in its pocket. He spoke as a man who means what he says, will do what he promises, and will stand solidly for what he truly believes in. The world watches expectantly: we have waited for this change.
Obama is our man.