The Day After the day.

Strange morning here in New York – you have the calls of Mizzen from the newly built towers summoning the faithful to prayer – a cry which stills for a moment the hurried conversion of St. Patrick’s cathedral into a mosque – there is a brisk business in veils sold by the sidewalk vendors and all the broadcast Advertising signs are displaying the words of the Internationale.

Well not really but if you’d paid any attention to the right wing as the days dwindled down you’d have thought this was what was coming. I’m not sure what they are thinking today but I suspect at least a number have retreated into their basements or their pillow forts and won’t come out for a while.

We can only hope.

For the rest of us, well I can only really say for me, so for me, this was a transcendent night showing again what Hunter Thompson called “the fantastic possibilities of life in this land” or as I understand Lincoln said “the last best hope for humanity”. The game has shifted, the lights are being put out and the long dark night is ending and we can see a dawn.

I note Obama is under no illusions that this is going to be easy – the GOP especially in the Senate will do everything in their power to toss sand in the gears – and you know to be honest – that’s their fricking job – they are the opposition party and if you can’t stand opposition well then really the democratic process isn’t for you. Yes it can be maddening and slow but most of the damn time we’ve gotten in trouble by being too damn quick to decide things.

Anyway personally, I hope that this brings to an end the faux guided age we’ve been living in since the 80’s – I’ve always regarded America’s embrace of Ronald Reagan was the country going into denial – we don’t have a problem with the poor the poor are lazy – the Homeless are there because it’s their fault, we don’t need to worry about our dependence on oil, the environment, health care, the Jobs leaving this country, the stagnation of the the middle class, the growing gap between the haves and the have nots, we didn’t have to worry about anything USA! USA! USA!

It seems odd to me that the problems we faced back in 1980 are pretty the same ones we face right now – just worse. Oil is still a major issue, taking care of the environment has morphed into dealing with Global Climate change – a nasty irony here is that if the country had tried to reduce their use of imported oil in the 80’s and worked to develop wind, solar, huge hamsters, and whatever other alternate sources of power they could come up with, we’d have made a major impact on climate change pretty much by accident. The great magnet is not without a sense of humor it seems. And the economy is in bad shape – in a way we are not used to.

There will be a lot of reasons or excuses given for this win – I’m beginning to think that everybody’s analysis will eventually leave something important out - although I can say that McCain’s campaign was the most tin eared wrong footed mess I have see. And add the money grubbing hillbilly from Alaska to the mix – well that’s just a mess.
But Obama had to be able to take advantage of McCain’s mistakes and the world events proving luck is the residue of design.

Just a few other notes – I can remember when the election of a president caused dancing in the streets can you?

Or a spontaneous demonstration outside the White House? I think if someone had come along with a bunch of torches and pitchforks W would have been in real trouble.

Palin is going to go away – and probably try guesting on the View or something.

And I can go back to worrying about Band shit.

Yes.

Peace Love and Joy.