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Samoa witnesses hope and pride in U.S. elections

In his re-election last week, Barack Obama made history for at least two reasons.He is the 2nd Democratic representative to be re-elected for a 2nd term after Bill Clinton in 1996 and of course he is the first African-American to be elected president.As various guests gathered at the U.S. Embassy in Vailima to witness Obama’s victory, it was nothing but hope and well wishes from both the Obama and Romney supporters.Americans living in Samoa such as Rosie Wiggins, one of the many Obama supporters was ecstatic to see Obama gain the votes from Ohio to put him in the lead.Wiggins is studying in Samoa along with her fellow classmates from the School for International Training (SIT) and is originally from the state of Connecticut, which was a firm Obama-supporting state.“I voted for Obama so I’m very happy he won. I voted for him because I believe in a lot of what he stands for and I hope the majority of my country believe and share in his views as well.”Experiencing this year’s U.S. election has been a great experience as Wiggins is away from home to share in the excitement with her family and friends.“It’s interesting being abroad during the elections, but surreal and exciting none the less to be with my other fellow Americans to witness this moment.”Grace Wildermuth from Pennsylvania was one of the many excited supporters as well as she was delighted to see her voted count with Obama’s re-election.“It was such a very good outcome and I was very hopeful. It was a really close race and a lot of us were nervous, but I’m happy with the outcome.”“I voted for Obama because I agree with more of his policies than Romney’s , but both are not perfect candidates. I was much more excited to see what the Senate race was going to be like, but I’m glad he got another year to push through with what he has planned for America.”Some commenters took to their Facebook status as they too began to worry about Romney becoming the 54th President, such as Joshua La-Fall Brown saying, “The state Romney governed voted for Obama. Take a Hint America!”Dignitaries such as Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi of the Tautua Party and Hon. Le Tagaloa Dr. Pita who has been a well-respected Member of Parliament and former Minister for 27 years were amongst the many firm and supportive believers in Obama.Hon. Le Tagaloa Dr. Pita quoted what America stands for “life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness” and says Obama is the embodiment of everything that represents the American Dream and what America is about, freedom.