What an amazing turnaround for America's fortunes this week has been. After three increasingly depressing elections over the last six years, where time and again the status quo was chosen and then worsened, the people have spoken: what we've had with the Republicans in power is simply not good enough, and it's time for a change. And change is coming--Democrats will now have control of both houses of Congress, and a majority of state legislatures and governorships. According to the DailyKos political blog, Democrats "didn't lose a single senate seat, didn't lose any House seats, didn't lose any governorships, didn't lose any state legislatures." In other words, Dems didn't lose any power they already had--they only gained.

Of course, unlike the misguided Republicans in '94, sensible liberals won't call this a 'revolution'. I see it as more of a returning to a sensible center. It was the worst, most extreme, least tolerant Republicans who were thrown out, for the most part, and those most consistently supportive of the President's harmful agenda here and abroad. The Democrats who were elected to take their places were of all stripes--young, old, liberal, conservative, urban, rural. This election wasn't the result of one distinct American voice choosing one unified path--it was the combined harmony of many different voices, asking for many different things, all adding up to a chorus of "we are better than what we've been." In the process, the religious right's fantasy of one homogeneous nation under a narrowly-defined Republican war-god is done. Over.

But rather than wax on and on about the possible themes behind this election, I'll just be happy for the feeling that change is still possible--that this nation hasn't been taken over by intolerant zealots--that it's possible to feel good about an election sometimes.

And for the notable changes which have suddenly swept in, including:

• The first woman Speaker of the House in history, and thus the highest-ranking woman ever in our government--third in the line of power behind the President and Vice-President.
• The first Socialist ever elected to the Senate--Bernie Sanders of Vermont (who, for the benefit of any unsympathetic readers, is no 'commie pinko' but a believer in democracy and the rights of the people over the rights of corporate money powers) (More on Sanders: site, writings)
• The first Muslim ever elected to higher office in the U.S., who's also the first person of color elected to national office from Minnesota. (Imagine, for a moment, that every single member of Congress is of a different color, culture, and religion than you. Now imagine that, for the very first time, someone of your religion, culture, and color is elected. That's how important that is.)
• Some of the worst offenders in the Republican party have been swept out of office--people like Richard Pombo in California, the son of a bitch who was making it his life's work to destroy the environment. Even better, he's been beaten by a wind-power consultant. And awful, two-faced creeps like Rick Santorum, a pandering fascist if ever there was one, and George Allen, a racist bully of the worst kind. Not to mention all the awful toadies like Dennis Hastert who will no longer be in positions of power.
• Representatives like Henry Waxman and John Conyers, long-time champions of ethics and proper conduct, will now be in positions of power to run ethics investigations which have long been blocked and swept aside by Republicans with things to hide.
• And last, but not least, the final, deciding race in the Senate, the Virginia result that finally put the Democrats over the top, was won by a redhead. (Our plans for world domination are coming along nicely.)

These are just a few of the great things which have happened this week. Now, with this change looming, we have a great chance for people of all political and cultural leanings, Democrats and Republicans alike, to recognize that no one voice can dominate everything--that the whole of the American people will never be pulled over to one narrow extreme. The only way anything of lasting value is going to be built here is for everyone to realize that it's only in the harmony of diversity that we find our unified voice. Anything else is doomed, like the antagonistic and heartless 'Republican Revolution', to failure.

Labels: Politics