2008-11-05 06:38:21

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) --

Either it is to be the oldest president who takes office in the United States or the first African-American president, definitely, Americans have been making a historic election on Tuesday.

    AMERICANS TURN OUT FOR VOTING

    Since 6 a.m. EST (1100 GMT) on Tuesday, tens of millions of Americans have been flocking to polling stations throughout the country to cast their votes.

    Outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, one of the polling stations in downtown Washington D.C., hundreds of people were waiting quietly for their turn to vote. They had arrived hours before voting started and many of them said they would go to work right after casting their ballot.

    "I'm here to vote for America," a middle-aged black woman said.

    Many black voters were not too reluctant to voice their support for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. "Of course, I'm going to vote Obama," an outspoken Dana Price told Xinhua. "He represents change. Change is always better."

    "Change," Obama's rousing election slogan, has become the No.1 reason for countless voters to vote for the first black presidential hopeful in the U.S. history.

    When asked about Obama's ability to lead the United States to tackle the worst global financial crisis in some 80 years, many voters expressed confidence in the Democratic White House hopeful.

    "The ongoing economic crisis is above the single government level. It needs international regulations. But Obama can do something," said a woman who declined to be identified.

    The White voters appeared more cautious about making a comparison between Obama and his 72-year old Republican rival John McCain. "It will be a historic day for either Obama or McCain," said a U.S. Navy lieutenant.

    OBAMA, MCCAIN READY TO MAKE HISTORY

    Early on Election Day, Senator Obama for Illinois voted at an elementary school in Chicago, where he was welcomed by cheerful voters.

    "The journey ends," he told reporters. But the Democrat hopeful continues his trip for Indiana, one of so called battleground states for the White House race.

    His rival McCain, finished voting at a church in Phoenix, Arizona, also continues trips for the battleground states of Colorado and New Mexico for a final bid for the race.

    In Virginia, so called "John McCain Country" and another battleground state in which McCain's national campaign headquarters based, most voters interviewed by Xinhua have showed their tendency to Obama.

    "I voted for Obama because he represents the beginning of a 'post-racial' American society, the diversity, tolerance and strength of American people. ... His personal success sets a great example for my children, who are first generation American-born Chinese," Xu Gang, a senior lawyer at Morrison & Foerster lawyers firm, told Xinhua.

    Latest polls showed Obama leading in most battleground states, leaving McCain with only the narrowest possible path to victory Tuesday night. The 72-year-old candidate, however, said he was confident of winning the election.

    First polling stations close at 2300 GMT in Kentucky and Indiana, and the latest, in Alaska, at 0600 GMT on Wednesday.

    Regardless of who finally wins the presidential race, history will be made in the United States.

    If Obama wins, he will be the first African-American to become the U.S. president and his vice-presidential running mate Joe Biden would be the first Roman Catholic vice president.

    On the other hand, if McCain wins he will bring with him the first female vice president in U.S. history, Sarah Palin. A McCain victory would also make him the oldest U.S. president to take office.

Exit polls show 62% U.S. voters regard economy as top issue

2008-11-05 06:22:41  

    NEW YORK, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) --

The first exit polls of the U.S. presidential election show that 62 percent of the voters regard economy as the top issue.

    According to the polls, 10 percent of those surveyed cited the war, 9 percent chose terrorism and 9 percent went with health care. 

Skin color, national interest: U.S. voters say they know which matters

 2008-11-05 06:04:10  

    by Wang Jiangang, Liu Hong

    NEW YORK, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) --

Tens of thousands of Americans left their doorsteps Tuesday to join the long lines outside the polling stations on the U.S. Election Day, to give their verdict and elect the 44th U.S. president.

    The 2008 election is the first time in U.S. history that two sitting senators are running against each other for president and the first time an African American is a presidential nominee for a major party. In addition, the Republican presidential candidate, John MacCain, would be the oldest first-term president if elected.

    "People are excited about the prospect that the presidential election this time will help solve the issue of racism," said David Birenbaund, a firm supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who was helping around at a polling station in Arlington of Virginia Tuesday morning.

    "Like many Americans, what I care most is the national interest of the United States, skin color does matter to very few people, but never to me," he added.

    "In fact, we Americans do not expect a change of policy, what we expect most is a generational change," he said, adding that a lot of people feel that it's time for a new generation of leadership, which "reminds me very much of John F. Kennedy."

    James Hill, a volunteer who was distributing flyers in favor of Obama at a subway station in Virginia the day before the Election Day, told Xinhua that he seldom thinks of the issue of racism unless it is purposely mentioned.

    "Americans don't have much time to waste, we should face the music," said Hill, adding that Americans must choose the best person who could lead this country according to his abilities but not skin color.

    "No matter who is selected, Obama or MacCain, leadership matters the most," he added.

    "If we focus on color sort of thing, we'll be laughed at," he said.

    According to U.S. media reports, MacCain himself said earlier that racism will "play virtually no role" when voters head to the polls because "it will be trumped by the nation's economic problems."

    In a transcript of an interview taped for broadcast on CNN's "Larry King Live," MacCain said people would vote "for the best of reasons, not the worst of reasons."

    "Obama is a man of great vision," Elizabeth Hall, a white lady, told Xinhua shortly after a rousing rally for Obama held Monday night in Manassas, Virginia. "He knows clearly what our problems are and has tons of good ideas to tackle them."

    "Our country is in big trouble and it needs a great leader like him to take us out of the mire in which we are deeply trapped," she said, adding she and many other whites did not care too much about the "skin color" factor.

    Noting that Obama is a highly educated person, she said "whomever is the most suitable to lead the country should be elected to the post."

    Despite signs that things are making a turn for the better, many still fear even if Obama were selected, he could hardly change the legacy of racism in America.

    "America is still one of the most segregated countries by race and by class in the industrialized world," said Dedrick Muhammad, a researcher at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington.

    Muhammad stressed that black Americans remain far behind the rest of the country in terms of economic conditions, with median wealth one-tenth of that in white America, and one in three black children born into poverty.

    Nevertheless, an increasing number of American voters, especially those who are highly educated, believe they have discarded the antiquated concept of racism.

    "Just think about it. The most intelligent people (in northern Virginia) vote for Obama, you can see that racism is not so important when Americans are faced with choices, especially when the national interest is involved," said Robert Blakeman, a resident in northern Virginia.

Editor: Yan

McCain backyard opens up to Obama

 2008-11-04 23:20:47  

    By Jiang Guopeng

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) --

No supporters' screams, only the silence before sunrise. No photographers' glaring flashbulbs, only the bland light of street lamps.

    It was in such a setting that the Key Elementary School polling station near downtown Arlington in the state of Virginia opened to voters at 6:00 a.m EST (1100 GMT).

    The station expects to see some 5,400 voters cast their ballots, station mediator Sarah Schwartz told Xinhua.

    Some 200 people were already waiting to vote in just the first half hour, Schwartz said.

    Local media projects voter turnout rate here for the 2008 general elections could be over 60 percent.

    "I voted for him because of his health care policy," Kastle Cannon told Xinhua outside the polling station, after voting for Democratic hopeful Barack Obama.

    "For Obama," said an Indian American, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that "he can bring change we need."

    "For Obama, because he is the best person for the position," said another voter.

    In fact, all ten voters interviewed by Xinhua had voted for Obama.

    In another polling station in Virginia's Fairfax County, Xu Gang, a senior lawyer at Morrison & Foerster LLP, a well known international law firm, said he had voted for Obama as well.

    "I voted for Obama because he represents the beginning of a 'post-racial' American society, the diversity, tolerance and strength of American people. I agree with his policy positions on health care, education, energy and national security. ... His personal success sets a great example for my children, who are first generation American-born Chinese," Xu said.

    A week ago, some teenage girls were waving banners that said, "Virginia, John McCain Country" in downtown Arlington, close to McCain's national campaign headquarters.

    On Election Day, however, the slogan might just be changed to "Virginia, not John McCain Country."

Editor: Yan