Credit: ElectiveDecisions.Wordpress.com
I was honored to sit inside of a studio, in front of a microphone, and turn on the microphone just after 6 pm on General Election Night to make the announcement that Senator Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii and played prep ball at Punahou who is the current senator of the state of Illinois, was projected to be the next president of the United States.
The last two presidents to represent this country have come from Sports backgrounds. President George W. Bush was the former owner of the Texas Rangers, and his parents often frequent Rangers Ballpark at Arlington. If Senator John McCain were to be voted in, he would've brought an athletic background as well, being a former wrestler and football player in his prep days.
As a first time presidential voter, I was excited to be one voice among millions in the history books, yet the nervousness of casting that first presidential ballot was very big as well. I was quivering as I filled out that electronic ballot machine because I knew the magnitude of what we had all gathered in many sites across the island and country to do.
Credit: KonaTimes.Blogspot.com
And of course, here on the Big Island, we would vote for the first new mayor of the County of Hawaii since Mayor Harry Kim took office two terms ago. I personally want to say a big Mahalo to both Billy Kenoi and K. Angel Pilago. Our reporter at Pilago HQ's, Claude Barnett, described this race as a "Gentelmen's Race" and that is very accurate. Supporters may have had their own things to say on blogs and in papers, but the two candidates were cordial, professional, and ran a positive, issues-oriented race. Young up-and-coming politicians (which I won't be, I'm sure) should take notes on how those campaigns operated and use that as an example.
Whether you were a first time voter, a long time voter, an off-and-oner, your voice was one of many who spoke loudly during the 2008 General Election. Thank you for being a part of the process.
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