It's got a nice ring to it. And it's something that many of us never believed that we'd see in our lifetime.
While the campaign has been contentious, I hope that as we move towards transition in the coming weeks, that animosity will die down. There's no doubt that this is a historic election. And by electing a biracial President, America has done something it can be proud of, setting a standard that many other countries could not match. Deep down, even supporters of Senator McCain must feel a sense of pride.
My daughter, at age nine, doesn't understand why it's such a big deal to elect an African American. And that's something that gives me a sense of hope that her generation really will be the first to judge people solely by the content of their character.
While Barack Obama has won the election, governing will not be easy. With two wars, a failing economy and new challenges on the horizon, the next four years won't be a lot of fun. He's bound to disappoint some of his greatest supporters (he's human, not a deity) but I think that he'll pleasantly surprise those who opposed him.
I expect Obama to govern from the center. While the Democrats will enjoy large majorities in both chambers, those new members who won formerly red seats tend to be moderate to conservative Democrats. Kay Hagan and the Udall cousins won their races with positions that are to the right of many of their colleagues and not that different from those whom they defeated. At the same time, I think Obama will be fortunate that the Senate did not reach the 60 Democratic seat filibuster-proof majority. Having the Republicans hold the right to filibuster will keep them a meaningful minority party. I fully expect that Obama will reach out to Republicans, both in his cabinet appointments and in his dealings with Congress. I think that one factor in Bush's downfall was the Republicans winning both houses in 2000 leaving him to think he could ignore congressional Democrats. The problems we face are too vast for us to solve them along party line votes.
So, I'm optimistic today that we have taken a step in the right direction. The coming years will be difficult, but if Obama navigates these issues well, he will be in position to win reelection and at that time may be able to move forward with some of his bigger plans for health care and energy.
