Obama is the next POTUS

To start off, I would like to say - HELL YES. Please take this moment to take your shirt off and run around your house cheering.

Now that you've calmed down, what is there left to say? I encourage you to spend Wednesday, November 5 sleeping off your hangover and avoiding MSNBC.

But if you find yourself so addicted to political punditry that you aren't satisfied just to gloat over the Obama landslide, here are a few thoughts.

Why Obama won: Obama's very appealing and very inclusive brand of politics (including his refusal to attack his opponents personal life) combined with his demonstrated ability to lead (the contrast between Obama and McCain during the financial crisis was telling).

Why McCain lost: The Republican Party was counting on a significant portion of the American electorate to be so racist that they would consistently lie to pollsters about voting for a black man. Turns out this is not the case.

McCain's concession speech: Gracious. It sounded like he was more relieved than disappointed. McCain is a very experienced politician and he seemed to be expecting the loss. Palin, on the other hand, looked like she was about to cry. Seems like she might have actually believed the polls were tightening.

Obama's acceptance speech: Inspiring. He said all the right things, affirming the themes of his campaign. He emphasized compromise, sacrifice, humility and a desire to move beyond our existing notions of American politics. I cried.

Still to watch in the Senate
- Alaska. Ted Stevens (R) may make history as the first convicted felon to be elected to the Senate. However, there are many early votes and absentee ballots to count, so this one may unfold over the next few weeks. If Stevens wins, he will likely resign or be expelled from the Senate, although a two-thirds majority is required to expell. In his place, will Governor Palin become Senator Palin?

- Minnesota. Norm Coleman (R) leads Al Franken (D) by 500 votes. We're headed to a recount.

- Oregon. Leaning towards to Democrat Jeff Merkley over Republican Gordon Smith, but still too close to call. (Update: The Oregonian has called the race for Merkley.)

- Georgia. Saxby Chambliss (R - and quite the name!) failed to win at least 50% of the vote, due to LIbertarian Allen Buckley's 126,328 votes. Expect a runoff election between Saxby and Democrat Jim Martin. Runoffs have a notoriously low turnout, but this one seems likely to go Republican with many Libertarians leaning right and with the Presidential election to win over independent support for Martin.

Ballot initiatives
California, Florida and Arizona passed gay marriage bans, and Arkansas passed a ban on unmarried couples adopting. Do the same people really want to ban abortion while limiting options for adoption?

On the bright side, South Dakota and Colorado rejected limitations on abortion.

And....... Massachusetts has decriminalized marijuana! Possesion of less than an ounce is now considered a civil violation - equivalent to a traffic ticket. So Americans still hate gays, but they don't mind pot heads.

YES WE DID!