On June 7, The BVI Beacon turned 40. To celebrate, it is re-publishing some of the biggest stories from its archives over the past four decades. The article below was written by Mason Marcus and originally ran Nov. 6, 2008.
On Wednesday morning, Amorelle George was busy explaining how she had jumped to her feet and shouted “Hurray!” after first-term Illinois Senator Barack Obama won the US presidency, when her friend, Elsie Durante, walked towards her and shouted, “What a change, what a change!”
“Last night was like waiting for Santa,” said Ms. Durante, excitedly.
All across the territory, VIslanders and residents from abroad shared in the excitement of the US presidential race, which culminated after some 21 months of campaigning in the election of Mr. Obama, the first black man to serve as the nation’s chief executive.
For many, Mr. Obama’s election was seen as the fruition of the civil rights movements of the 1960s.
“This is the change we want. This is the change Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed about,” said Ms. Durante.
John McCain, 72, the Republican candidate for the presidency, said the election held a special significance for African-Americans.
“America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry,” of the past, said Mr. McCain, during his concession speech given at the Biltmore Hotel in Arizona, his home state. “There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States.”
Victory speech
Mr. Obama, 47, echoed the same sentiment in his victory speech at Grant Park, Chicago, in his home state of Illinois.
“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” he said.
For others, the election of Mr. Obama was a repudiation of what some see as failed Bush policies and doctrines, which has led the US into two expensive wars, saddling the country with debt, and the lax financial regulations which has driven much of the world into a US-led recession.
“Even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century,” said Mr. Obama.
The 2008 presidential election was also remarkable for its cost — an estimated $2.4 billion — and for the enormous number of new, young and minority voters, casting their ballots for the first time in their lives.
According to CNN exit polls, 62 percent of voters said the economy was their chief concern. The news organisation also found that one in 10 voters said they voted for the first time in their lives this year, and one in five new voters was African-American.
On Tortola
In the VI, the excitement throughout the day was palpable: At Nexus Café Bar & Grill in Road Town, about 30 people had gathered to watch the election results come in. When Mr. Obama’s victory was announced a few minutes after midnight, our time, they celebrated with cheers, chants, applause and spraying Champagne.
Meanwhile, a similarly sized crowd had gathered at Pusser’s in Road Town, which offered two special presidential drinks — the “Oba-matini” and the “Obama-Slide.”
As the election night wore on, the lights stayed lit in homes, bars and restaurants territory wide, where televisions blared the most recent polling figures from cable news networks.
After Mr. Obama’s victory was announced, a motorcade of cars drove across the island honking well into the morning.
Yesterday, many residents were still glowing with the thrill of the election.
“I had a feeling he was going to win — Mr. Obama’s message was clear. He told people what they needed,” said one Obama supporter.
Some scepticism
But others were more sceptical of the democratic nominee’s victory.
“If you listen to the other side and all the allegations against Mr. Obama, they could get people to believe that,” said a maintenance worker with the Health Services Authority.
Margaret Rogers, a chef at Capriccio’s, said she was not nervous about the election, which she had watched at home. When Mr. Obama won, “it felt real good,” she said.
Cynthia Milings, another employee at the restaurant, said she had hoped Mr. Obama would win. Asked why, she said, “He seems like a very loving, kind and humble person.”
At the Taxi Stand in Road Town, the consensus was clear: Mr. Obama had to win.
“It was locked up from A to Z,” said an off-duty police officer, who believed that Mr. Obama’s aggressive and well organised campaign had led to his victory.
VI?
Though this reporter canvassed the streets for a few hours, he was hard-pressed to find a single John McCain supporter.
Still, the election of the democratic nominee may not be all good news for the territory. If Mr. Obama is able to put a stopgap measure in place to revive the US economy, more expendable income may be used for tourism and travel into the VI, one of the two pillars of the economy.
However, Mr. Obama has been notoriously hard on offshore finance, the other pillar of the economy.
In February 2007, Mr. Obama, along with Carl Levin, of Michigan, and Norm Coleman, of Minnesota, introduced legislation to stop offshore tax havens and tax shelter abuses.
While the legislation never made it out of the Senate, it remains to be seen after Mr. Obama takes office as president in January, whether he will pursue the same agenda.