Capsun's Corner – by Capsun M. Poe

Well, America, we made history yesterday! And the good kind of history, not like the kind we made in 2000 and 2004 with “The Decider” – at least in my opinion. Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama! In addition to being the first African-American president, he is also the first Hawaii-born person to be elected president. He has also become the most famous Punahou School alumnus.

Obama-mania in Hawaii was high. With 71% of the vote, we gave our favorite son one of the – if not THE – largest margin of victories of any state. I have to admit I thought he’d get 75-80% here, but a landslide is still a landslide. Kim Fassler (formerly of The Honolulu Advertiser) even had some first-hand observations of the jubilation in Washington, DC. Oh, and someone I know didn’t have to cry herself to sleep last night.

Pop quiz. When is Election Day? I know it was yesterday; I don’t mean the date, I mean the day of the month. Many people think it’s the first Tuesday in November, which is incorrect. Election Day is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

In the tough primary fight between Sen. Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton, I had always predicted that Obama would win. Why? Simple – America wasn’t ready for a female president, but it was ready for an African-American president! Yes, I said it, but I don’t agree with it. We need only look at history for proof. America gave African-Americans the right to vote with the 15th Amendment in 1870. It was not until a full 50 years later, in 1920, due largely to the Suffragettes and the Women’s Suffrage movement that we finally gave women the right to vote with the 19th Amendment. So then, it was no surprise to me that Obama won over Clinton, although the fact that she can be divisive played a part. Remember, for every Democrat in her corner there were at least one or two Republicans waiting to take her on.

Nationally, Democrats were able to secure a clear majority in the U.S. Senate (56 seats), but fell short of the magic 60-vote margin. This means Republicans still have enough votes to filibuster. 60 is the magic number needed to invoke cloture, or cut off debate on the Senate floor. With four seats still undecided, this might change, but it is doubtful they would win all remaining seats for the 60-vote margin In the U.S. House, they have another clear majority with 252 seats and another 10 contests undecided. I think much of this sweep across the nation is due to the “Obama effect” of many first-time voters and experienced voters looking for change. And change they got!

In California, Prop 8, which sought to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry, passed. Some of its opponents aptly named it “Prop H8te” to truly reflect the spirit with which it was concocted. I’m concerned cooler heads did not prevail over there! Thanks also to Apple for taking a public stand against this hateful legislation and for contributing $100,000 toward its defeat:

No on Prop 8

October 24, 2008

Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

You know I can write and talk a lot, but I had so much to say and celebrate that I decided to separate my reactions into national and local races. I’m still crunching some of the local numbers, so I will put that post up later. I’m aiming for this afternoon, but it may not be up until tomorrow.

Mahalo!

Tags: bainum, brickwood, Con Con, democrats, election, h8te, Hannemann, obama, OHA, rail, senate, voters