AUGUSTA – Gov. John Baldacci says President-elect Obama started off on a strong note by extending a hand of friendship across the political aisle and setting the tone for a new political compact in the United States.

In his weekly radio address, the Democratic governor also said that after Tuesday’s historic election, it felt “like the walls that have separated us as a country began to fall down.”

But Baldacci says that while the Democratic Party won a great victory, it should do so with great humility because the United States and Maine face huge challenges. In Maine, for instance, revenues could fall short of projections by $150 million through June.

The governor says Maine will have a new partner in the White House who understands the pressures facing states, and the need to work in a partnership to turn our economy and our country around.