There is no question that a new day has dawned in America. You can feel it in the air. You can almost breathe it in. It's called pride. It's called patriotism. Above all, it's called hope.
With the election of Senator Barack Obama comes a historic time in our nation's history. Some long-held political beliefs, the long-running status quo and the divides among class, race, religion, have been shattered.
What we witnessed last night was a new age coming. An age in which our President-elect transcends race, transcends partisanship and possesses the ability to inspire, to elevate and to unite this country at a time when it is needed most.
But make no mistake. President-elect Obama indeed has his work cut out for him. It will not be an easy road . . . .
He will, undoubtedly, be a depression-era president, he will inherit two wars and the task of restoring the world's faith in the United States of America. He will take office at a time where many Americans feel we cannot possibly sink any lower. The challenges that face him are great.
He will face hostility from a bruised and defeated Republican party. A party that now finds itself in the midst of an identity crisis. The Reagan glow has faded, replaced by the tarnish of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Gone is idea of less government, undermined by those who placed wealth and power above all else. There will be resentment in this party. There will be resistance. But I do believe that President-elect Barack Obama will help heal these wounds, and, with the help of none other than Senator John McCain, will close the divide and create a bi-partisan government.
He will have to reach out to those Americans who bought into the campaign spin and will still view him as a radical, a socialist or anti-American. He will face criticism from the Conservative media - the Rush Limbaugh's and Bill O'Reilly's of the nation. And he will do so with same grace, intelligence and calmness that have marked the great campaign that got him here.
He will need all of us. He made the call to us last night in his acceptance speech. We must work together. We must work hard and sacrifice. We must reach out and help our neighbors. Many of us will answer that call and we will do so proudly because it has always been the right thing to do. We just needed the right leader to remind us.
Americans will stand behind President-elect Barack Obama for this simple reason -- he restored our faith in this great democracy. He restored our faith in the Constitution. He involved us. He involved us in his campaign and he will involve us in his Administration because he understands, quite possibly unlike anyone before him, that it is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
And the people have spoken.