An Amazing, Historic Week

Here is a collection of my posts and videos from this amazing, historic week:

Obama Wins: Why All Americans Have a Reason to Celebrate

Watch: Election Night Reactions: Arianna Talks With Norman Lear, Laurie David, Marty Kaplan And Madelaine Lear

Tuesday's Second Biggest Winner: Democracy

The Winners and Losers of Campaign '08

Watch: Arianna on BBC Newsnight Discussing Obama's Win

I'm Ready to Declare a Winner in the 2008 Race: the Internet

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[LewisWalsh]

02:39 PM on 11/08/2008

Though I am delighted with the outcome of the election, we should not ignore the damage that has been done during the last eight years. I am content to forgive those individuals who contributed to our present sad state through incompetence, but forgiveness should not be in the offing for those who damaged the United States through deliberate criminal acts. If the new administration does not encourage the new Justice Department to investigate allegations of crimes committed by government officials during the preceding eight years, they can rightfully be accused of abetting the actions of rogue officials.

President Elect Obama must quickly order the investigation of those government officials who are suspected of illegal acts during their tenures. Many would say that the new administration should tackle the economic problems before anything else; I say that justice must be dispensed swiftly if it is to be effective in discouraging future bad acts.

The US has the reputation abroad of having no reluctance in incarcerating large numbers of its citizens, many of whom are serving prison sentences for petty and non-violent crimes. It would be a stain, not easily removed, if we are seen by the world as a country that metes out punishment based on status. If prosecutions do not occur, the accurate interpretation will be that the high ranking can undermine the Constitution and walk away with their taxpayer provided benefits and their reputations intact while the less prominent are imprisoned for minor addictions.

[lifeisart]

08:34 PM on 11/08/2008

Doesn't this man have enough to do? Let's move to the future and recognize as amazing and unique as president elect Obama is he is still a human being and will have and encounter limitations as to what he can fix and accomplish. This president-elect hasn't been one for a week and I have heard way too many urgent pleas from many, many people regarding what he should do, has to do, and better do... grasp reality: He'll do what he feels is a priority and accomplish what he is able to accomplish in what will be four years and hopefully four more. We elected him because we had faith in what he would try to do, now let him go about his business. Hopefully not, but after his term(s) then we may get to look forward to going backwards again if some dodo is elected.

[LewisWalsh]

09:42 AM on 11/09/2008

First order of business for a commander-in-chief is to enforce the law, not to protect the 401k that you put in the hands of the thieves that I would like to see prosecuted for their more serious crimes.

[meneghin]

12:43 PM on 11/08/2008

I am becoming rather annoyed with everybody talking about our newly elected “African-American” president. Even people with some reputation and authority like Charlie Rose have not been immune. Looks like we cannot get over the fact that Americans have finally managed to grow and mature politically enough to vote for what is important rather than being trapped by the usual platitudes, labels and gimmicks, but after finally making up for lost time now they are sitting back and realizing that they have elected a man that is not entirely white. Good Lord, what have we done!
We should, I think, pay more attention to important things like the fact that our political system relies on two parties that have proven to be disgraceful. Instead of being engaged in offering different perspectives and solutions to the problems facing the US their purpose seems to be just an endless struggle for power and money and total disregard for the will and needs of the people.
The reality is that there are problems, plenty of them, and the focus should be on who has ideas to offer and reasonable solutions for the common interest.
The parties we have stand for values that most of their members do not even share. They are all over from extreme left to extreme right within the same party. An enormous amount of money, energy and human resources are literally wasted. A road to nowhere.
Time for change and never too soon.

[AbsolutBlue]

02:06 PM on 11/08/2008

Yeah, how totally asinine of us to be really excited about voting a man President who at one time in America's short history would barely have been considered a person. It's absolutely ridiculous. What a total waste of time to consider how far we've come as a nation. No one is saying that we don't have problems anymore. But it's an historic moment whether you like it or not. So give everyone a couple days to move on and in the meantime stop being so freaking cranky. He hasn't even been inaugurated yet.

[meneghin]

05:51 PM on 11/08/2008

Unfortunately you heard what you wanted to hear and didn't understand a word of what I said. I can assure you that I love Obama and couldn't be happier for the outcome of the elections but it is time to call him our president and not the African-American president. I am a sweet old woman and not at all crancky.

[Screenmoniker]

12:31 PM on 11/08/2008

I'd also like to believe that America voted for Obama on an upsurge of idealism reminiscent of the civil rights era. But my impression from poll tracking is that it was only in recent months, when people saw the potential of Bush's policies to impact their personal finances, that things took a decided turn in his favor. As far as I can tell, the baby boomers – I speak as one myself – and subsequent generations have been voting primarily on self interest defined in narrow, short-sighted terms.

I'm glad Obama was elected and hope he can at least roll back some fraction of the last eight years of damage. However, I’ll be surprised if it turns out to be The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius after all and that the last few decades were only a passing cloud.

It will take millions more Americans from all walks of life to care with real passion about more than the state of their personal finances before The Sun Shines In to make it anything close to a Bright Bright Sunshiny Day. Until then, we’ll continue to emit record setting levels of greenhouse gases, our educational system will sputter on without the serious overall it needs, our health care system will go on primarily serving the interests of insurance corporations and so forth while we continue to sing the all time pop hit that has become the anthem of generations: “It’s the Economy, Stupid.”

Paul Maurice Martin

[zetacplus]

12:01 PM on 11/08/2008

I agree it is very historic for our nation but our gay brothers and sisters are still being discriminated against. To give a chicken rights while taking them away from your sons and daughters means we are no better off today than we were yesterday. This moment is for all our African American brothers and sisters to cherish and rejoice in--but please don't forget that gays are still looked upon as outcasts in society. We still wake up each morning and wonder when or if we will ever really belong in America--a country who's principles of freedom and equality should solidily support us. It is still a very sad day for me--and millions of others just like me.

[Netizen]

11:53 AM on 11/08/2008

Democracy was the primary winner.

[avraamjack]

11:34 AM on 11/08/2008

.
Hopefully having a real Democrat in office means that the USA will no longer allow gang stalkers to poison people.
.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22gang+stalking%22&aq=f&oq=
.