It happened today
Tuesday 4 November 2008 (16 years ago)
Obama president of the USA
: «If there is still anyone who doubts that America is a place where nothing is impossible, who still wonders if the dream of our founding fathers is still alive in our age, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight he had the answers he was looking for”. These are the first words of Barack Obama as the forty-fourth President of the United States, the first African-American to become the principal occupant of the White House.
Born in Honolulu (on 4 August 1961) to an American mother and a Kenyan father and a Harvard law graduate, Obama perfectly embodies the American dream and in his victory international public opinion identifies an important signal of change, in the perspective of an open society to the requests of the weakest social groups.
An ambitious project, an impossible mission for many, as was initially his run for the presidency which began on 10 February 2007, with the announcement of his candidacy for the Democratic Party primaries. From that moment, from an unknown senator from Illinois, Obama becomes the man of change, catalyzing the attention of the media around the world.
The challenge against the very favorites was narrowly won Hillary Clintonpresents himself in a decisive confrontation with the Republican John McCain with the promise of decisively turning the page on the policies of George W. Bush. His effective slogan «Yes, We Can» strikes a chord with the embittered and disillusioned spirit of an America hit hard by the economic crisis and unemployment.
The “we can do it” is expressed in almost 70 million votes (equal to 52%) against McCain’s 60 million (45%), which allow him to wrest historical strongholds such as Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. The main objective of his legislature will be the approval of the Healthcare Reform to expand the insurance coverage of the American population, especially in favor of citizens who are sick or suffering from chronic pathologies.
In October 2009, «his extraordinary efforts aimed at strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples» will be rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.
