Pop, Barack and Drop It

By: Iain Wilson
Posted In: News

Two hundred to 124. The numbers represented the number of electoral votes halfway through the election for Barack Obama and John McCain, respectively. McCain carried Texas,Pennsylvania supported Barack. On Nov. 4, the entire country turned its eager eyes to the 2008 election. The people have spoken, overwhelmingly, in favor of President Elect Barack Obama. What happens next is anyone’s guess. Students turned out by the dozen for the Election Watch 2008 at Wakehurst Student Center, an inspiring show of the youth involvement that has been so prevalent throughout this election. Campus Activity Board provided the refreshments; the students, their opinions.

A basket holding one or two Barack Obama pins was perched next to a wicker basket of more or less the same dimensions. The only difference: the other basket sat overflowing with pins bearing the nameplates of the McCain/Palin ticket, putting in a nutshell the country’s fervent support of change. Over the past weeks, pundits had all but declared Barack Obama the winner of the election. Unfortunately for supporters of the G.O.P., these pundits were right as Obama smashed McCain by eventually winning 364 of the 538 votes up for grab.

Students gathered around the television in the Wakehurst lobby, with cheering and jeering coinciding with the announcement of state results. Earlier during the day, Campus Activity Board held a straw poll in Wakehurst, polling on election choices and topics that were to be considered the most important.

Josh Vanjani, a senior at Salve Regina and astute observer of the political landscape, argued Obama would probably win, “Just because of the sentiment of the country.” What ultimately defeated John McCain was the popular belief (amongst the uninformed) that his political ideology was simply an extension of the tumultuous George W. Bush presidency. A powerful but inadequate analysis of why McCain fell short, his views were not the only reason for the Republic ticket falling short. This was an election about issues, and Vanjani succinctly points out that, “Clearly and unequivocally the economy is the most important topic.” With our country’s economy flailing, people were desperate for something to believe in.

Enter Barack Obama.

Obama’s promise of change, coupled with his youth and eloquence as a speaker, lured young voters to the polls in record numbers to cast their vote, many of them sharing the same mindset as Salve junior Megan Ruggiero, who said, “I’m really excited because it’s my first time voting.” According to Facebook’s election tally, over four and a half million users cast their vote in the election.

Even those who could not get to the polls, like French exchange student Guillaume Garcia, who sat casually watching the television, were inspired by this year’s election. What Garcia found most interesting was the media’s role throughout the campaigning, saying, “The (media) coverage in America is really great because you can see all the points of views and opinions of the candidates.” He may be alone in sharing this particular sentiment, but pressed to make an opinion on the election, he coolly states, “Obama”, pointing to the pin on his shirt.

The environment inside Wakehurst on Nov. 4 was electric. The feeling of change, whether you agreed with it or not, was in the air, resulting in one of those oh-so-rare “Where were you?” moments. It was democracy at its best, a solid reminder that even during these toughest of times, there is hope.