DID YOU KNOW?: Barack Obama is the first president-elect to be born in Hawaii .
• THE METROPOLITAN • NOVEMBER 6, 2008 • METRO • A7
World heralds new leadership
BY ANDREW FLOHR-SPENCE
spenceand@mscd.edu
Americans were not the only
ones glued to the election news on
Nov. 4.
And Americans were not the only
ones rooting for Barack Obama.
From packed bars in Europe
to public spaces in Africa, South
America and Asia, groups of people
gathered to cheer for Obama, many
inspired by his promise of change in
U.S. foreign policy and the idea of the
first black president.
According to a simulated world
election conducted by a British week-
ly business magazine, the Economist,
with more than 50,000 ‘votes’ cast,
Obama would have received more
than 75 percent of the world’s vote.
And already statements from nu-
merous leaders to Obama have been
pouring in.
“By choosing you, the American
people have chosen change, open-
ness and optimism,” French Presi-
dent Nicolas Sarkozy said. “At a time
when all of us must face huge chal-
lenges together, your election raises
great hope in France, in Europe and
elsewhere in the world.”
VOTE: GEOGRAPHY SPLITS EXIT POLL RESULTS
Continued from A6
She said regardless of who wins,
she hopes the American people will
rally behind the troops, even in the
smallest of ways, such as putting
together care packages or sending
board games or decks of cards.
“Our soldiers in Afghanistan
have nothing,” she said. “They’re
alone on a hill.”
Roberts also said McCain’s and
Palin’s experience helped secure her
vote. “She’s been tough in Alaska,”
Roberts said.
Geography is a culprit in this tale
of two precints. Everyone questioned
at Manuel voted for Obama while
everyone questioned at Word of Life
voted for McCain.
Chris Kingery, 38, and a regis-
tered Democrat, laughed as if it was
insane for anyone to ask why he vot-
ed for Obama.
“It’s time,” he said outside of the
high school. “I’m tired of the Repub-
lican regime.” He said Obama would
bring a young and fresh perspective.
And Kingery, a white man, said he
liked the fact Obama was black. He
said this would help shift the para-
digm in Washington.
When asked if he was worried
that Obama was too young and inex-
perienced, Kingery said no candidate
except an incumbent is qualified.
“This is a job that you learn as you
go,” he said.
A similar sentiment was echoed
by European Commission Chief Jose
Manuel Barroso, who said it was time
for “a renewed commitment between
Europe and the United States.”
“We need to change the current
crisis into a new opportunity. We
need a new deal of a new world,”
Borroso said.
In Africa, there was perhaps a
touch more delight in the Obama
victory.
“This is a momentous day not
only in the history of the United
States of America, but also for us in
Kenya,” said Kenyan President Mwai
Kibaki in a statement to Obama. Ki-
baki said because of Obama’s roots in
Kenya, his victory was also a victory
for the east African nation. “Your
victory is not only an inspiration to
millions of people all over the world,
but it has special resonance with us
here in Kenya.”
Metro African-American studies
professor Lucas Shamala, who moved
to Denver 12 years ago from Kenya,
said in an interview before the results
were in, that he had received calls in
the last couple days from friends and
family all over Africa asking him to
But Micah Cameron, 24, voted
for McCain because he believes, from
living in Chicago, Obama is only
“theory” and doesn’t have enough
experience to accomplish anything
on his agenda.
“He’s done nothing in Chicago,”
he said. “There have been more mur-
ders on the streets there than deaths
in Iraq in the last six months.”
Cameron thinks that if Obama is
elected president, anything he would
accomplish would be too drastic.
He said companies couldn’t afford a
government mandate and enforce-
ment of equal pay for equal work for
women.
Kaewyn Picard said she voted
for Obama because of his themes of
hope and change. She believes there
are “infinite possibilities in the uni-
verse,” and she thinks Obama can
capitalize on them.
“Obama has two children,” she
said. “And he’s running to make
their future better. He wants change
for his daughters.”
Picard said Obama’s intellect
and outsider status as someone “not
so ingrained in the system,” would
benefit the country.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have an
intelligent president?” she asked rhe-
torically.
Despite the issues, some voted for
the party instead of the person.
Beatrice Bonner, 87, is helped
Lucas Shamala
make sure Obama wins the election,
not to mention numerous calls from
concerned students.
“They feel that this is a very spe-
cial moment – when they look at
him, they see someone who is inter-
national looking … they see the fact
that he has come from humble roots
… they see someone like Martin Lu-
ther King Jr.,” Shamala said. “And it
is not just him – even who he is – that
is important. It is what he represents
that is most important – he repre-
sents hope, he represents prosperity,
he represents opportunity.”
But at even at noon on Nov. 4
with the first polling pointing to an
Obama victory, Shamala said many
he talked to were reluctant to be-
lieve it would really happen. That
Dennis Hase and Waeshiea Sipes discuss why they voted for Sen. Barack Obama Nov. 4 at Manuel
High School in Denver. (Photo by Dawn Maudra • madurad@mscd.edu)
out of a ‘90s Chevrolet sedan. “These
are stiff legs,” she tells her younger
friend, Theresa Wildy. Wildy voted by
mail. Bonner wanted to, but she said
her mail-in ballot never came.
Both are registered Democrats.
Wildy was enthusiastic about her
vote for Obama while Bonner smiled
and, not naming a candidate, said “I
have to keep the democratic spirit.”
Barack Obama • History
night, after the Obama’s acceptance
speech, Shamala again talked to doz-
ens of people from Denver to Africa,
many of whom cried on the phone.
“My brother in Kenya was so happy,
he couldn’t believe it,” Shamala said.
“Everybody in Kenya is dancing and
crying.”
Shamala said that, especially for
Africans, the election of Obama and
even that he had made it as far as the
primaries had given them the feeling
they were somehow more included
in the global community. And even
the more skeptical have softened.
“One of my students called me …
He believes in all these government
conspiracies against blacks and even
he said he was very moved,” Sha-
mala said.
But expectations of the next U.S.
president are high, and with a long
list of problems facing the world, any
new president would have his or her
work cut out for them.
Obama takes over at a time when
U.S. foreign relations are at perhaps
an all time low.
The wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq have drawn out longer than ex-
pected, straining partnerships with
It was Mari Brown’s first time
voting. The 33-year-old Peru native
was nationalized last year. She said
she was registered as a Republican
and voted for McCain. She said she’ll
vote for her party’s candidate unless
he’s “stupid,” and “McCain’s not stu-
pid.”
even our closest allies.
“For those who have become dis-
enchanted with America – including
many Americans – (Obama) offers
the hope of reigniting the love affair,”
said London Mayor Boris Johnson, a
Cconservative. British Prime Minis-
ter Gordon Brown said the election
had made history.
And there are numerous other
conflicts around the world at crisis
level, including Pakistan, Somalia,
the Congo and Zimbabwe. All this
when most major economies are suf-
fering the consequences of a bank-
ing crisis, leaving less financial back-
ing for involvement in other counties
business.
Shamala cautions that some of
the expectations of Obama are too
high.
“He is only one man,” Sha-
mala said, adding in his acceptance
speech, Obama spoke to the need for
the people of America and also the
people of the world to work togeth-
er to solve our common problems.
“Obama has opened the door – now,
we all need to pick up the mantle and
do something. We all need to take
part.”
“Obama has two
children. And he’s
running to make
their future better. He
wants change for his
daughters.”
— KAEWYN PICARD, an
Obama supporter