Along with millions of people I watched Barak Obama give his nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention in Denver. Talk about spectacles. Perfectly produced down to fireworks over Mile High Stadium, red, white and blue confetti and a Brookes and Dunn song, only great oration could triumph over such unnecessary pageantry.

Not only did Barak Obama triumph, he did so in such a way John Mc Cain was forced into a Hail Mary pass with the his V.P pick, Alaska's gun-toting Governor Sarah Palin.

It's clear change is stirring, the candidacy of Barak Obama is proof American voters are actively seeking new voices and new choices in a rapidly changing world.

Listening to Barak, I followed along with a transcript of his speech. It was a great speech, he hit all his talking points. Calm, composed and just clever enough Barak spoke of hope help and the need to shift priorities away for the us against them mentality of the George W. Bush.

As I watched the Democratic nominee give his acceptance speech, the historic implications did not escape me. With every utterance Senator Obama was saying the White House is no longer lily white. With every word spoken by the native born Hawaiian of mixed race parentage I could imagine a Mexican or Asian American candidate standing there.

Seems hope is contagious.

Change is non partisan. A Barak Obama presidency bodes well for a Piyush Jindal presidency. The Republican governor of Louisiana, Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is of Indian American, his leadership in response to Hurricane Gustav was impressive to say the least. Makes me wonder why Gov. Jindal was passed over by John McCain for vice president.

Hardly a maverick, John McCain is not the candidate of change.

Change involves new ideas and new leadership, it also requires the will to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. Senator Obama was spot on when he said "The greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result."

Southern California is at a fork in the road where status quo and quality of life part company, and progress is reevaluated in the face of populations pressures and changing economic conditions. The change we need wont come from Washington. Change happens, because we the people make it happen on the local level, one coastal community at a time.

Politics have always been the art of the possible. Democracy for all it's pomp and circumstance should always be about wise governance, not partisan pandering and political posturing. On the local level change will come with a commitment to open and honest dialogue that allows for fresh perspectives and evolving priorities to be acknowledged in the spirit of the greater good.

Barak Obama is proof 2008 is a year of change. Change is good in the face of failure.

Catch the change.