Obama and Media Coverage

On Tuesday November 4th the people of the United States elected Senator Barack Obama their 43th President.

This was a truly historic election. For the first time the people of the United States elected a black President, an accomplishment of equality that many people doubted would happen in their lifetimes.

The media coverage of Obama’s historic campaign and victory has proved to be very interesting. On the day after the election most coverage focused on the historic relevance of the election. And all of the coverage I took in was very positive.

First Reaction

From New York Times November 5^th:

But it was just as much a strikingly symbolic moment in the evolution of the nation’s fraught racial history, a breakthrough that would have seemed unthinkable just two years ago.

Whether they voted for Obama or not, I don’t think anyone can deny that our country took a positive step by electing an African-American President. I think it is an important step towards further civil rights equality, and the media coverage recognized this.

Candidate of Change

Now a week later the media has continued its coverage of President-Elect Obama, but is focusing on different themes.

Obama ran his campaign focused on change. From today’s Washington Post:

Barack Obama campaigned as an anti-Washington candidate, and the leader of his presidential transition team made it clear that the president-elect would seek to build on that theme over the next two months.

This story shows Obama working to live up to his promise of change in Washington. I found it to have a very positive tone. It seemed hopeful, hopeful that Obama would bring the change that the American people count on him to.

My Favorite Story of the Past Week

Barack Obama’s victory was very successful in changing the way America is perceived in other parts of the world.

This from France (and the Boston Globe), the country the Bush administration urged us all to hate, well because they hated us:

A manifesto published Sunday – subtitled “Oui, nous pouvons!”, the French translation of Obama’s campaign slogan “Yes, we can!” – urges affirmative action-like policies and other steps to turn French ideals of equality into reality for millions of blacks, Arabs, and other alienated minorities.

Our country has quickly become an example of racial tolerance to the rest of the world. Who would have imagined that?

My Favorite Quote from the Past Week

So I guess some people weren’t encouraged by Obama’s victory and have rushed out to buy guns:

He’s a gun-snatcher,” said Jim Pruett, owner of Jim Pruett’s Guns and Ammo in northwest Houston, which was packed with shoppers on Thursday.

“He wants to take our guns from us and create a socialist society policed by his own police force,” added Mr. Pruett, a former radio personality, of President-elect Barack Obama.

This story is from the New York Times. I find the idea OF Mr. Pruett and his friends with all their newly purchased guns a lot more frightening than being ‘policed by his (Obama’s) own police force.’ But maybe that’s just me.

My Favorite Election Joke from the Past Week

It comes about 3:30 in: ’senior-citizen and woman beaten by black man.’