Before a crowd of cheering thousands,Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois laid claim to the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday night, taking a historic step toward his once-improbable goal of becoming the nation’s first
black president.
Mrs Hillary Rodham Clinton maneuvered for the vice presidential spot on his fall ticket without conceding her own
defeat.
“America, this is our moment,” the 46-year-old senator and one-time community organizer said in his first appearance as the Democratic nominee-in-waiting.
“This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past.” Mr Obama’s victory set up a five-month campaign with Republican Senator John McCain a race between a first-term Senate opponent of the Iraq War and a 71-year-old former Vietnam prisoner of war and staunch supporter of the current U.S. military mission.
And both men seemed eager to begin.
Mr McCain spoke first, in New Orleans, and he accused his younger rival of voting “to deny funds to the soldiers who have done a brilliant and brave job” in Iraq.
It was a reference to 2007 legislation to pay for the Iraq war, a measure Obama opposed citing the lack of a timetable for withdrawing troops.
Mr McCain agreed with Obama that the presidential race would focus on change.
“But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward,” he said.
Obama responded quickly, pausing only long enough to praise Clinton for “her strength, her courage and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.”
As for his general election rival, he said, “It’s not change when Mr John McCain decided to stand with Mr George Bush 95 percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.
“It’s not change when he offers four more years of Mr Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs. …
And it’s not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave young men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians.”
In a symbolic move, Mr Obama spoke in the same hall – filled to capacity – where Mr McCain will accept the Republican nomination at his party’s convention in September.
One campaign began as another was ending.
Mrs Clinton won South Dakota on the final night of the primary season; Mr Obama took Montana.
The former first lady praised her rival warmly in an appearance before supporters in New York in which she neither acknowledged Obama’s victory nor offered a concession of any sort.
Instead, she said she was committed to a united party, and said she would spend the next few days determining “how to move forward with the best interests of our country and our party guiding my
way.”
Only 31 delegates were at stake in the two states on the night’s ballot, the final few among the thousands that once drew Obama,
Clinton and six other Democratic candidates into the campaign to replace Bush and become the nation’s 44th president.
Obama sealed his nomination, according to The Associated Press tally, based on primary elections, state Democratic caucuses and
support from party “superdelegates.”
It takes 2,118 delegates to clinch the nomination at the convention in Denver this summer, and
Obama had 2,144 by the AP count.
Well Done Obama! You have done us proud!!
CHANGE WE BELIEVE IN.
he used some serious masai mashabe
Mashabe or not, it worked. Congrats BO!
Yes. Black Prez
Go, go, go Barak Obama. Whatever happens, you have managed to bring a CHANGE on the perception of some people regarding black people – even though you are not really a black man.
Enjoy your moment and do what you know best.
All the best in everything, keep well and take careful care.
There’s got to be change especially in US foreign policy. Al qaeda exist because of US foreign policy. They start wars for personal gain. Good lucky Mr Obama.
Well done Senator! 500 million Blacks in the world are supporting you…but are the Rednecks really ready to for a Black president? I doubt it. Well, ready or not, here we come! Time to paint the White House BLACK.
We need the likes of Obama in Zambia. We are tired of mediocre leadership in Zed. Come 2011 we need someone better than LPM to better our Zambia. No more old recycled and short sighted politicians.
Go Obama Go.
Bravo Obama! We hav come a long way my man! lets quickly get to the finish line, CHANGE YES WE CAN! Its takes sons of the soil to change things for goodness sake! It took Martin Luther King to bring positive change in the 60’s, It took Madiba to bring sence to the white man in the 90’s and now its your turn boy, CHANGE YES WE CAN! Now, what change? Hey my man, change for all of us! What is done at white house affects us all man! Look at the effect of Irag war, high fuel prices, diversion of attention from poverty and fair trade talks, etc! Six whites gets shyamboked in Zim, hell breaks loose, its now axis of evil, Zims scampering in all directions! CHANGE YES WE TRUST YOU! Son of our soil!
Iwe #6, what do u mean Obama is not really a Black man? Didn’t your Biology teacher educate you properly on genes? Don’t u know that Black genes are dominant and white genes are recessive? Look more closely at Obama’s face, are those caucasian features or African ones?
Well done and for for it.
# 6, you r wrong! Africans r very responsible! They dont forsake their own blood! The whites dont claim Obama, Tiger Woods, etc. Let me educate you a bit bwana! When our ancestors were slaving it out in foreign lands, some of our beautiful African ladies were selected as house slaves not to work in the fields! These had the opportunity to look clean, and wear nice clothes by slave standards. The white men raped our poor beautiful ancestors but never claimed the children, it was an a big embarrasment and taboo then. This happened a lot in Namibia too by the Germans! Africans take care of their children, thats our culture and Obama is fully our child and we r proud of him! Now get sensible #6
Plain simple genes or not Obama is not black. Couldn’t agree more with #6. Well dome Obama, and all the best for November
#6 And what race do you think Obama is?Does he look white to you?Even himself says African-American…
Omuchende Obama! You have made a good step forward man. All the best in your future political goals
Congratulations Barrack! Go forward now and change America…go forward and change the world! God bless you young man!
Number 15
African American is not a race. If so are Africans, that is, us, African Americans too. No, we are not. This man is half-black half-white. Nothing more, nothing less. I do like the fact that he is going to bring about change in America though. I can definately see that happening. Is America ready for an actual black person, that is, one who is dark-skinned to rule? I think the answer to that is no.
One thing I love is that the people who are saying America SHOULD vote for a black person or supporting Obama JUST because he is black even though they don’t live in America is that they would never vote for a non black person in their own countries. Which is a shame really. I come from
Don’t expect too many drastic changes as Africans; Americans are Americans first and foremost. He will pander to the Washington “players” during the first term; he obviously doesn’t won’t to be a “one-termer”.
He has merely opened the doors to changes that will be clearly evident in the next 20-40 years.
what is the fuss about conceding? We are used to African politics where losers never concede. In Zambia KK is one of his kind who willingly conceded on TV and gave up office. But any where else losers go down with the noise!!!
Blacks can henceforth walk with their head high because of what the Democrats and the USA poeple have done. Congrat to Barack Hussein Obama.
Thumbs up mudala, not because u are black but because are the right man for the JOB.
Thank you #21
The monster is back. Lets be careful.
“IMF approves $79.2 mln loan for Zambia”
LUSAKA (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to give Zambia a $79.2 million loan over the next three years to help it fight poverty and sustain economic growth, it said on Thursday.The IMF said the approval of the new Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) followed Zambia’s strong economic performance since the completion of the last PRGF in September 2007.
“The authorities remain committed to maintaining macroeconomic policies and pursuing structural reforms to sustain high economic growth, further reduce poverty, diversify the economy, and preserve macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability,” it said in a statement.Zambia expects its economy to grow by 7 percent this year, rising to 10 percent in 2010.The PRGF, IMF’s concessional facility for low-income countries, lends at an annual interest rate of 0.5 percent and its loans are repayable over 10 years, with a five-and-half year grace period on the principal payments.
“The programme envisages a cautious policy on foreign borrowing, emphasising concessional loans and close monitoring of external borrowing by public enterprises,” it said.The new higher taxes for the mining sector would provide substantial resources for infrastructure development and social spending but IMF warned Zambia not to scare away the mining investors.
“In implementing the new regime, the authorities are encouraged that the attractiveness of investment in the mining sector is preserved,” it said.
The fund said prudent monetary policy had helped Zambia keep inflation low and urged the country to maintain its flexible exchange rate system.
JOB WELL DONE OBAMA AND HIS FAMILY. THE ENTIRE WORLD IS BEHIND YOU. I KNOW IT’S VERY HAD FOR THE BLACK TO BE ELECTED IN WHITE HOUSE, YOU BROKE THE ICE AND YOU’RE INSPIRATION TO OUR NEW GENERATION, OUR KIDS WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO MOTIVATE THEM. I KNOW THIS IS NOT A CHANGE FOR USA BUT IT’S FOR EVERYONE. I WISH YOU GOOD LUCKY AND THE BEST AS WE’RE HEADING TO NOVEMBER’S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. WHITE, BLACK, LATINOS, ASIANS ETC VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA.
Obama – now is the time to take the leaf from where JFK – left from . Martin Luther said we have a dream, so brother make sure the dream is done.
As for zambia we need more Osamas than Obamas to weaken us up
Whenever, Barack Obama appears on TV (news), my 2 and half years old daughter always shouts “DAD, THATS THE MAN-BARACK OBAMA”.
Yes! I agree. Barack Obama is the main man. He represents change in the real sense. All people of colour will be walking with their heads up. All people without colour will start to learn to accept people of colour which has been very difficult for them. America imposses democracy in foreign lands yet what happens at home (in USA) against the people of colour is contrally to what they impose on foreign lands-up to this age. Even voting for a man of colour-Barack Obama almost became a problem. They were thinking on racial lines…
…If Obama were white against a white woman. This battle wouldn’t have lasted for such a long time. Because, America can never vote for a woman presidential candidate. Not at least now. They even say it themselves that, “America is not ready for a woman president”. Therefore, Hillary Clinton, would have been slapped down (the way you do to a menacing fly) a long time ago. Now, white Americans were seemingly saying a white woman’s brain is better than a black man’s. What carried the day for Obama was the fact they are not yet ready for a woman president, the fear of democrats losing to the Republicans, again, entirely losing international recognition-therefore, America wants to improve its..
…image through Obama, the man of colour. The other fear was putting Bill Lewinsky (or is it Bill Clinton) back into the Oval Office. Don’t be mistaken. Hillary wasnt going to lead America. Bill was in fact going be ruling America. Fact is he is a man and a clever one indeed. The other thing is that most Americans now realise the ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ lie and are tired of it. So, the need for change. Americans have lost jobs to China as most productive companies have been trnsferred to China for the sake of cheap labour. There are a chain of reasons, this blog space is not enough to account them. But, whatever the case, the way forward is in BARACK OBAMA.
#21 very excellent observation. I find the gentleman very intelligent. He has however a long winding road to whitehouse but it has been a well deserved victory.
#11 and 13. You assertions about my writings do not warranty a justification on my earlier points on #6.
This is so simply because your analysis fails on both common science and sense. Or is that you are in denial of the truth on the ground – that Barack is HALF WHITE and BLACK. But for your sake….
Firstly, any foetus obtains 23 chromosomes from its father and another set of 23 from its mother giving it a total of 46 to propel its proper construction. The rest as portrayed by #11 on genes is speculation.
Secondly, Barack Obama’s mother was WHITE/CAUCASIAN and so the presentation by #13 fails to hold water.
Have some nice blogging brethren.
Congrats man and good luck.you got a very tough job ahead of you.
#33 Obama’s father is described as having had razor sharp intelligence. At least even if Barack doesn’t carry the day in November, Martin L. King will be happy that his dream is coming closer to reality.
Seeing Obama’s uncle and grandmum in Kenya, i can’t help but give a dance for his achievement!
@ Hehehehe etc….
Ever heard of the ‘ONE DROP RULE’?,
It states……if you have one drop of black blood(or genes)in you,then you are black(you are not white at all)
You see, in the days of slavery and segregation,in the US and colonies (portuguese colonies being an excerption)
Race classification formed an important part of the social and physcological contract btn citizen and state,someone like Obama wasn’t covered by the social contract btn state and citizen i.e he had no say in affairs of the state e.g voting,state had no obligation to house him,educate him etc
Such laws where clearly aimed at self(race) preservation,to date this still remains in the Caucasion psyche
@ Hehehe..
Besides the more the merrier,..we are happy to accept our disowned half cast bros and sisters,
..and by the way Barack’s mother is Jewish not Caucasion as you put it
Pleasant Day
Thanks #37,38 for more data.
My contribution on #34 was meant to educate some characters who think that I do not know science. As a matter of fact I have done, and I am still doing, the most fundamental of all sciences – Physics.
While I appreciate history (American and European history to be specific), I think it is being myopic to allow some people to indoctrinate us. I have no problem with Barack identifying himself with black people. Actually, he is very welcome.
However, the TRUTH is that Barack Obama is Half White and half White. No amount of LYING will change this fact. Whether it is some self proclaimed cardinal man or not.
#39 cont’d….
Insults will not change the fact that Barack is not a complete black person.
Let us be OBJECTIVE in our rational thinking and way of doing things. Why should we allow someone to cheat us in broad daylight. Let us desist from this old mentality of being cheated in front of our eyes.
When shall we have some self esteem? We seem as if we always want to be told to believe lies even on things we can rightly discern (recognise with (5) senses).
All the best you all.
While i don’t except any fundamental policy shift,should Barack get elected,i would love to win simply because
1. It would perhaps change the psyche of our african american cousins,it would challenge them to dream,not only think of success in terms of hip hop,athletics,hollywood etc
2.And secondly for 3 black ladies (Michelle and her two daughters to have a white house experience),well maybe it will be the black
house by then,LOL
Ta
Great stuff #41. This is exactly what I was trying to point out in #6.
People have been looking down on blacks.black people seem to have had no pride of being black in colour. Obama and his family have made and are making history.
The perception change is what is at stake here. Also, the experience will surely be great for the Obama family should he make it into the white house.
What impresses me about all this Obama campaign is that we have a lot to learn from it as Zambians since we are also a diverse nation.
Come to think of it,i think Barack Obama is just what the American foreign policy system and apparatus could do with just about now
Infact it needs him more than say the black community need him,
his would be refreshing image to the world,a rebranding of america,even when nothing has changed much,
More so after the disasterous foreign policy fiascos of the right wing/neo-con Bush admin,not forgetting the clown baby Bush himself,
Imagine the image the US will create in a Pakistani or Afghani kid, on seeing a black US president with a muslim middle name..
Ta
This is our hope that OBama is President. This is the faith with which we have. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope in America. With this faith America shall be able to transform the jangling cords its nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith Americas will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that economic flourishment one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where man is equal.
#31, My Friend in America, there are no colourdes. Its either you are white or black, Hispanic. Latito, Caucasian. That is how race is defined. Obama is black, so are the so called colourdes in Zambia.
One great man said ‘Never mind your nationality as long as you are black man you are an African’. Thanks Obama you ‘ve done Africa pride. A warning to Maureen who may think it can be automatic!!!
#45, look at the following qoute critically:
Robert Miller, 72, who lives in a government subsidized room in Bedford, said the Constitution should be amended so it will “not let any colored people run for the White House.”
Source: ht tp : / / news . yahoo. com / s / ap / 20080609 / ap_on_el_pr / obama_race
I think, it is clear that the word ‘colored’ refers to ‘coloureds’ in the US in this quote especially Obama. Hence,”Obama is black, so are the so called colourdes in Zambia” in your own words does not hold water.
Coloureds are coloureds whatever some myopic character tells you to believe.
Thanks #38. But are you sure his mum was Jewish? Where do u get this from?
I don’t care whether he is white or black or half white/black, we need a leader that does not see things through the color of the skin. We need a leader that has a vision to unify the people and adopt an equal foreign policy. A leader that would hit hard on race discrimination, a leader that would address serious social and economic issues. Is Obama the man?
You can be a black USA president, but if you are being told what to do by the most powerful white racists, then there is no pride in what you do. Koffi Annan was our president, what has that changed in this world? Whatever, that can be achieved by a visionary black leader can also be achieved by a white leader if he is not racist.
Bravo Obama…who would have thought.I’m happy for him. I kind of feel like it’s me. Eish.
DSdNW7 comment3 ,
Very interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!