So this country finally shook off 8 years of neo-conservative stupid last night. I watched the whole thing on both the computer and TV until after 1am. Something I never do on election night.
I don't know if this result is a good thing or not. Nobody can really know that, at least not for a few years. But I know it is a different thing.
I was born in 1971, and in the span of my short life, we have gone from a country where a black person had zero chance of becoming President, to having it come to pass. America is a crazy animal, unlike anything else in the world, really. We have the most diverse population on earth...racially, religiously, economically speaking. We have been (at least until the neo-conservatives took over) the most innovative and hard working nation on earth. And yet, with all that diversity and creativity, we're also maddeningly resistant to change. And when you get down to it, we kind of hate each other at times (especially every 4 years).
But last night we sobered up a bit. I am not convinced that it was an endorsement of Obama's message (though that is certainly a possibility) as it was a repudiation against the Republican party for going so far astray over the last 8 years. The Republican party of today resembles little of the party it was under Goldwater, who's conservative principles have all but been abandoned by the party. The party's problems didn't start in the last 8 years, however. The seeds were sewn by the patron saint of the GOP, Ronald Reagan, when he courted the religious right. He - and they - signed a deal with the devil and only now are paying the price, having gained so very little for either of their causes along the way.
So now we have largely cast off the big spending, big government, imperialist Republicans and are left with the Democrats...a party that is no stranger to any of those same faults. The question now is, can Barack Obama demonstrate the strength of character and conviction to be able to not only fend off a Republican minority sure to try to sabotage his every move, but also to stand up to his own party when they inevitably try to bring their own brand of stupid to the dinner table?
My only hope going forward is that the answer to that question is, 'yes he can.'
