Just a year ago, few Americans believed that this young Senator from Chicago, with a white mother and an African father could be elected President of the United States. .............. "This is America........This is a new day for our country"

We Have a First black president Today..
NEXT ONE MAY BE "NRI"

Los Angeles, California, Nov. 05, 2008
Gary Singh (Avtar)

Yesterday, I received "Election Night Invitation From Anaheim Councilman Harry Sidhu" at Tandoor Restaurant, Anaheim, California and the festivities began at 7:00 pm. Sidhu Family and JoinHarry Campaign Team enjoyed local and national election coverage. Harry Sidhu was also re-elected as Anaheim Councilman.

As I watched President-elect Obama, gave his acceptance speech in Grant Park in Chicago, I saw people wiping away tears, and then, I felt my own eyes well up with tears of disbelief, tears of happiness and gratitude that I had the opportunity to witness this moment. He said, if anyone doubted that anything was possible in America, they received their answer tonight. Yes, we can!

I realized that "What would Abraham Lincoln think?" and we certain that he would approve of what the American people have achieved by electing a black President. Barack Obama's election has brought us together not only in US but worldwide.

At an Election Night party hosted by Kala Garner (left) of San Diego, Valentina Ofurdire (center) jumped to her feet as Barack Obama walked on stage for his victory speech. ... Photo PEGGY PEATTIE / Union-Tribune

President-elect Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, and Vice President-elect Joe Biden celebrate their campaign victory with the crowd of supporters in Grant Park during Obama's election night rally in Chicago.Tribune photo by Zbigniew Bzdak / November 4, 2008)

Thus, it is easy for me to imagine the immense jubilation in the hearts of America’s African-American population. Many eyes will be shining with joy tomorrow. Many will feel arise in their breasts a great new sense of pride, accomplishment, and public dignity. They will feel validated as never before.

Newly elected president, Obama now faces the challenge of putting together an administration that can work toward fulfilling his campaign promises to get the nation on the right track.

Election Results:

With 97 percent of precincts reporting nationwide, Obama had secured nearly 63 million votes, the largest total in history. He led McCain 52 percent to 46 percent in the popular vote--the highest percentage of any Democratic presidential nominee in 40 years.

Barack Obama, President-elect, dove immediately into his transition to the White House this morning, accepting congratulations from President Bush and the Pope, preparing to commence intelligence briefings and reportedly asking Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) to be his chief of staff.

Today, Bush called Obama's election a victory in the nation's long civil rights struggle. He said:

• All Americans can be proud of the history that was made yesterday.
• They showed a watching world the vitality of America's democracy and the strides we have made toward a more perfect union.'' Obama's life story, and his election, are a testament to the fulfillment of the American story
• Many of our citizens thought they would never live to see that day, not specifically citing the election of the first African-American president but alluding to it with his words - "especially uplifting for a generation that witnessed the struggle for civil rights with their own eyes.
  

Pope Benedict XVI sent Obama a personal note Wednesday, The Associated Press reported, saying he would pray for God's blessings on the American people and on the new president-elect after his historic victory.

Barack Obama: Biography

Barack Hussein Obama (known as "Barry" in childhood) was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii to Ann Dunham of Wichita, Kansas (white woman) and Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black Kenyan father. His parents were students at that time at the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

He was only two years old when his parents separated and divorced when he was four. Obama’s father went to Harvard to pursue Ph. D. studies and then returned to Kenya. In the Kenyan town where his father was born, the long-brewed "Senator" brand of beer has been nicknamed "Obama."

His mother, Ann Dunham grew up in Wichita, Kansas and her father worked on oil rigs. In World War II, her father joined Patton’s army and went to Europe. Her mother started work on a bomber assembly line and after the war they moved to Hawaii through the Federal Housing Program.

Barack Hussein Obama's mother married Lolo Soetoro, Indonesian student at an East-West Center and moved to to Jakarta, Indonesia. Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro–Ng was born there. Obama attended schools in Jakarta, where classes were taught in the Indonesian language. She returned to Hawaii in 1972 for several years. In 1977, she went back to Indonesia, where she worked as an anthropological field worker. She stayed there most of the rest of her life, returning to Hawaii in 1994. She died of ovarian cancer in 1995.

At the age of 10, Barack returned to Hawaii to enroll in the fifth grade at Punahou School in Hawaii under grandparents supervision. In this school, there were only three black students among the majority Asian-American students where he got conscious of racism and realized that what was the meaning of African–American. From Kenya, his father came to visit him and his family. His father died in a car accident in 1982. Obama had admitted that he used alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years.

Barack Hussein Obama went to Occidental College in Los Angeles for two years. In 1983, he graduated a degree in political science from Columbia University in New York. In 1985, he moved to Chicago and started working at Business International Corporation. He also worked as a community organizer with low-income residents and joined the Trinity United Church of Christ.

In 1988, he went to Harvard Law School, elected the first African–American editor of the Harvard Law Review and graduated magna cum laude in 1991.

He joined the firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland at Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and started teaching at the University of Chicago Law School.

In 1988, Ob ama started dating Michelle and married in October 1992. They have two daughters Malia, 10 and Sasha, 7.

His political career began:

• He worked for both parties in drafting legislation on ethics, expanded health care services and early childhood education programs for the poor
• He helped to create a state earned-income tax credit for the working people.
• He worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases and for inmates on death row who were found innocent.
• In 1992, presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, he joined a team of democratic party to organize voter registration drives.
• In 1996, he was elected State Senate as a Democrat from Hyde Park
• In 2000, he ran for the U. S. House of Representatives seat and lost
• In 2002, he spoke against a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq during a rally at Chicago’s Federal Plaza and said:
  • I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.
  • Saddam poses no imminent and direct threat to the United States but He's a bad guy
  • I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda
• In 2004, Obama ran for the U.S. Senate open seat vacated by Republican Peter Fitzgerald and received 70% of the vote, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history.
• To support John Kerry at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, he delivered the keynote speech:
  • We worship an awesome God in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the red states
  • We coach Little League in the blue states, and yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states
  • There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq, and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the Stars and Stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

He helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He helped to create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel.

His first book was published in 1995 after Obama was elected the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, but before his political career began. The book was re-released in 2004 following Senator Obama's keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention (DNC);

In October 2006, his second book was published- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.

In February 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. He countered that he would cut taxes for 95 percent of earners while raising it on the richest Americans, those making more than $250,000 a year.

His grandmother died one day before the election day.

Newly elected president, Barack Obama

• Named one of Time magazine's "100 most influential people in the world" list in 2005 and 2007.
• Chosen as one of "10 people would change the world" by New Statesman magazine (2005).
• Won his second Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for "The Audacity of Hope" (2008).
• Several celebrities including; Halle Berry, George Clooney, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Topher Grace, Macy Gray, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah Winfrey Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Hayden Panettiere, Zachary Quinto, Eddie Murphy and John Cleese support his 2008 presidential campaign. Robert De Niro gave his endorsement at the same rally where Barack was endorsed by Caroline and Ted Kennedy.
• Enjoys playing basketball and poker.

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Barack Obama's mother and Obama

Michelle Obama: Wife, mother and campaigner