As results continue to come in on an admittedly stressful election night full of close races in several key battleground states, President Obama is thankfully here to offer you a comforting message via an Election Night YouTube clip filmed for BuzzFeed News.
In the clip, Obama acknowledges the uniqueness and particular stresses of this election cycle, but assures Americans that everything is going to be alright, regardless of who wins the election—Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. He also extolls the virtues of American democracy and kinship, encouraging Americans to respect and empathize with each other. To use his own words, Obama says,
"Let’s face it: This has been an exhausting, stressful, and sometimes downright weird election for all of us. While we’ve certainly seen some new things this time around, what isn’t new is that our democracy has always been rowdy and raucous. We’ve been through tough and divisive elections before and we’ve always come out stronger for it...No matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning and America will still be the greatest nation on Earth."
Obama's words are much-needed and particularly comforting following a lengthy and arduous election cycle and what is turning out to be a very close election night, with incredibly tight races in important swing states. Indeed, it is readily apparent via Twitter that awaiting the outcome of this election is causing users exceeding amounts of stress. Through the hashtags #ElectionAnxiety and #ElectionNight, users are expressing a variety of concerns, partially around the closeness of the race in battleground states, which is making declaring the winner in these states a long, drawn-out process that only adds to people's anxiety.
While people are understandably stressed out due to all of the uncertainties that this election cycle and election night have brought, it is nonetheless comforting to know that, as we await the final election results, our current president has unwavering faith in the American democratic system and its historic ideals, no matter what the election's outcome is tonight. While Obama clearly has partisan preferences in this election (e.g. he has been actively campaigning for Hillary Clinton), it is soothing to know that he fundamentally believes in America's strength, unity, and uniqueness, regardless of who is running the country.
Hopefully Americans can find some solace in Obama's words, no matter who their preferred candidate is, and remember them throughout this evening and as they navigate though life post-Election Day.
