Hope

It's been a crazy last couple days. Watching the election results come in last night was a blast. Obama did even better than I thought he would. President Obama! I could totally get used to that. Electing Obama to be our next President was a step in the right direction for several reasons. First:

There are all sorts of reasons to view last night's events as an extremely positive development, including the fact that it was a truly crushing repudiation of the right-wing faction that has dominated the Republican Party for the last two decades. The GOP is very close to being nothing more than a broken regional party, confined almost entirely to the Deep South and a few small, scattered states in the Midwest, and entirely uncompetitive in huge swaths of the country.

If you think that last sentence is an overstatement, check this out. Second:

In this election, Obama proudly stood up for progressive values and the superiority of progressive policies; John McCain, in return, denounced him as a socialist, a redistributor. And the American people rendered their verdict.

Obama's victory marks a major realignment in American politics. His seven point win in the popular vote and amassing of at least 349 electoral votes sends a clear signal that Americans are ready for more responsible government, wiser use of our military, a fairer tax system, a serious investment in clean energy and a green economy, greater attention to growing inequality, equal access to health care, restoration of our standing around the world, and a President that won't ignore the constitution and the civil liberties it promises.

It's exciting, folks.

Finally, from Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of my favorite publication:

Obama's election marks a remarkable moment in our country's history--a milestone in America's scarred racial landscape and a victory for the forces of decency, diversity and tolerance. As our editorial board member Roger Wilkins reminded us on the eve of the election, Obama's win "doesn't turn a switch that eradicates our whole national history and culture." But "win or lose, Obama has already made this a better country, made your children's future better."

After years of playing defense, it is time to unshackle our imaginations, build coalitions and craft creative strategies that will move, persuade and push President Obama and a new Congress to seize the mandate they have been offered.

What a great night.