Obama's Tough Road Ahead

Although Democrat Barack Obama’s victory was a historic one, so are the challenges that lie ahead. Barack Obama will be the first president since Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated during the Great Depression in 1933 to be confronted with such hard choices and challenges right at the start.

The heart of Obama's campaign was his determination for the need for change, for his country and abroad. Domestically, Obama is set with the task of restoring a falling economy experiencing the worst financial crisis since more than half a century ago. Abroad, he has vowed to end the war in Iraq and defeat al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. As the new president, Obama now has the opportunity to assure his country and deliver on his promises.

Obama's winning percentage is most likely the largest of any Democrat since Lyndon Johnsons in 1964 and makes him the first since Jimmy Carter in 1976 to obtain more than 50.1%. And like Johnson, he will govern with more support since Democrats gained at least five seats in the Senate.

However with those advantages come hard choices. Obama will have to determine how much of his victory came from the rejection of Bush and the Republicans and how much came from a true desire for Democratic authority in order to assess how best to resonate with the American people. Obama must also start acting on his promises on issues such as taxes, health care and energy and education and translate them into a set of legislative priorities for his first two years in office.

Obama's victory speech at Chicago's Grant Park set the tone when he asked for the help of all Americans to tackle the country's most serious challenges but also noting that patience would be vital to success. "The road ahead will be long," he said. "Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there."