Kenyans are taking the news of Senator Obama's nomination and running with it! Everyone is so excited - I get asked multiple times a day if I am going to vote for Obama. They are so proud of his Kenyan roots (his grandmother is from the same tribe as my boss Dennis). Let me quote an excerpt of what the Daily Nation, Kenya's national paper, said this week:
"(Obama is) inspirational, articulate, brilliant, funny, and naturally empathetic... Now it will be up to every Democrat, every progressive, to take advantage of this historic opportunity to make Barack Obama the American president who leads the world into a new progressive era of unprecedented possibilities."
Wow! That's a tall order to fill, especially in 4 to 8 short years!
I'm not surprised at the support Senator Obama has found here in Kenya. What does surprise me is that Kenyans seem to think they will reap a harvest of blessings if Obama is elected. One Kenyan man (the guy I buy fruit from) said, "When Obama is president, our problems will be over." When I pressed him to tell me what he meant by that, he conceded that his problems wouldn't be over, but he believes his situation will improve with a "Kenyan" in the White House.
It's an interesting phenomenon. I'll keep my political convictions to myself for the moment. Let me just say that it will be interesting to participate in the elections this year from here in Kenya!
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