Rediscovering Hope

The election of has 2008 ended.

I spent the election night with my wife and two friends at the one of the official California Democratic Party sponsored events here in town.  I haven't felt so much energy at a political event ever.  At exactly 8 PM our time, 11 PM Eastern, when CNN and others called the election for Obama, the ROAR in the ballroom -- no words can capture that.  

The party in DC seemed off the hook.  As much fun as it has been this evening in SF, I kind of wish I spent the night in DC.  Four years ago -- there was no dancing in the streets on election night.  Even the Republicans held off till the next day -- and it didn't quite have that element of spontaneous joy that the Democrats are feeling tonight.

Seeing Ohio and Florida go to Obama -- there is definitely poetic justice in that, the source of so much pain for Kerry and Gore.   

After voting for Clinton in 1992 I got lulled into complacency for 8 years.  Maybe that was the genius of Clinton -- when the ship of state is so damn stable you can ignore the presidential elections. THAT, more so than anything else, says the President is doing a good job.  

These past eight years  - with the Bastard Child of a Noxious Weed in office - it made this election and the 2004 election more important than any of the elections that came before.

I will say this.  I always liked John McCain -- I just wish he wasn't representing the Republican Party.  That concession speech showed a ton of class.  His campaign abused that whole idea of "Country First."  But honestly --- McCain does put the country first sometimes.  Maybe I'm an idiot -- but I do think he was genuinely happy for Obama, and genuinely wants to see all of us (the pansey ass Liberals of the Coast and the gun-loving wingnuts of the heartland) at peace, and the country whole again.  

Now comes the hard part.  

Whatever happens, the time spent watching this election unfold, and my own little contributions to the Obama campaign (a few bucks in donations, some phone banking) were definitely worth it.  This night -- like the night Clinton won in 1992 -- will stay with me for a very long time.