Racial barrier falls as change comes to America
Business Times - 06 Nov 2008 Obama sweeps to victory as markets, war, demographics produce an electoral earthquake By LEON HADAR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT RACIAL prejudices were swept aside as Barack Obama won the White House yesterday - an event whose historic magnitude recalls the landing of the first man on the moon. The Democrat defeated Republican John McCain and will be sworn in on Jan 20 next year as the 44th US president - and the first African-American one. His march became a rout as he captured not only battleground states like Ohio and Florida but also scooped up traditional Republican-leaning 'red' states like Virginia and Colorado. With 349 electoral votes against Senator McCain's 173, it wasn't even close. 'Even as we celebrate tonight, we know that the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest in our lifetime,' said the president-elect. But the change he has repeatedly promised has already signalled itself. The election of the 47-year-ol...