(Final) Draft Aaron Sorkin

Our nation is at a turning point; economically, socially, politically, environmentally, technologically. From here on out, things are going to be different, and it's up to us to decide whether it is for our betterment or detriment. We've already taken the first political step. Al Gore used to say about the climate change fight that the only resource we lacked was political will. Well, that fight as well as many others has been given the green light by the election of Barack Obama, often times erroneously called the most liberal Senator, as well as a vitally important symbolic figure of change, in addition to the election of an even greater majority of Democrats in the House and Senate. Millions of people have been awoken from complacency, many finding out that they now have a lot of free time because their company has gone under and will no longer be needing their services. This Democratic revolution has been mobilized and now awaits instructions.

Unfortunately, we have too many big problems and almost none of them can be put on the back burner. If we focus on the economy, the environment will suffer even more destruction and inalterable damage. If we focus on the global terrorist threat, millions of Americans will be jobless and American companies will vanish in the turmoil. If we focus on health care, social security will be irreperable.

So, it's a good first step that Barack Obama has created from the most well-oiled campaign in history the most well prepared, organized, and funded transition team in history and that he's assembled a virtual dream team of Democratic executives for his cabinet to each lead a massive charge in each of their respective areas of expertise. Hitting the ground running is an understatement. Like a jet refueling mid-flight, they will be matching speed and altitude long before inauguration day.

Already they've been closing ranks and preparing for an accelerated agenda, even letting Joe Lieberman stay in the clubhouse so he'll keep quiet and not muck things up too much. Bureacracy, willingness, and know-how won't stand in the way, so now really the only thing that could derail these necessary actions is a faltering of the American will and the distractions that play so well on television ("Monica, have you met Joe the Plumber?"). Barack Obama has a lot to accomplish, and though he's already proven his media savvy and political transparancy with his podcasts and new weekly radio/webcast address, he simply doesn't have time to stop what he's doing to convince busy Americans to get on board with every proposal he makes.

So what we need, more than ever, is someone to present the issues to us in context, in easy-to-understand language that also doesn't cut out any of the complexity, and does so in an entertaining way so that we will actually pay attention. We need someone who can present both sides of the issue, much like the news, without feeling a false need to present all arguments as equal for fear of being labeled "biased." What we need, is The West Wing: The Next Generation.

Aaron Sorkin has had his troubles lately. Charlie Wilson's War wasn't as big a hit as he'd probably hoped, and Studio 60 couldn't help but collapse under the post-West Wing expectations and the competition of 30 Rock, not to mention his repeated plagarizing of his own material, a problem that also plagued his stage production of The Farnsworth Invention. Now is just the time to revisit one of his greatest successes and bring us a new West Wing. I think Jimmy Smits would be available to return as President Santos, and Bradley Whitford could probably clear his schedule.

The great thing about The West Wing was that every week it presented issues without making the show ABOUT those issues. In the normal course of their jobs, the characters would discuss and debate issues, taking every side, playing devil's advocate, and generally giving an excellent primer to the underinformed viewer. Now, more than ever, that's what we need on television. We need someone as poetic and persuasive as Aaron Sorkin articulating the debate on both ends of the spectrum with humor and drama and all in an easy-to-swallow capsule. Tell me NBC and Warner Bros. wouldn't be thrilled to have The West Wing back with it's original creator, especially during a time when Democratic values on experiencing a new vogue.

So, fade in, President Santos sits behind the Resolute Desk, awaiting his Chief-of-staff Josh Lyman who at that very moment is in his office talking to his serious, live-in girlfriend Donna Moss, who has just made a passing comment about marriage that has left the two of them in awkward silence. Just then, Sam Seaborn, Deputy Chief-of-staff walks in with Communications Director Louise Thorton in tow. They are in a heated argument...maybe about federal regulation of banking institutions or windfall profits taxes or possible even incentives for green technology producers. Just then, Congressman Will Bailey calls!

See, it practically writes itself, Aaron.

Boy, a Senate Seat Sure Would Come in Handy

I understand why Barack Obama has resigned his seat in the Senate, effective this Sunday. He is our President Elect, and while Congress is technically out of session, the crisis we face at the moment ensure a lame-duck session, and it falls into some dangerous areas if he is legislating his upcoming Presidency, thus bridging two branches in ways they were never meant. It’s rare that this would even come up, since while nearly all Senators hope to be President, only a few have ever gone directly from the Senate to the White House.

Except now Barack Obama is just two short months from having to take the helm, and there are some problems that won’t wait that long. For one, the $700 billion bailout is still being allocated, and some companies are already coming back to the trough for seconds. This week also brought forth more evidence that companies receiving bailout funds were often using that money irresponsibly, such as on executive bonuses, retreats, and over-expensive corporate events. You’d think that when giving out $700 billion dollars, money that you yourself are having to borrow, you might try to look after where that money is going. It’s a big economy, and a lot of people need help, and what sort of justice would it be to reward people who’ve squandered their earnings by giving them more to squander. That, however, is what we are doing, and there has yet to be an oversight committee or czar put in place to make sure that this money is being used wisely.

Also this week, Barack Obama has been pushing for Congress and President Bush to bailout American auto manufacturers, especially GM, who find themselves on the verge of bankruptcy. American auto manufacturers, for all of their problems in the marketplace, still sell half of the cars in the nation, and their collapse could lead to 2 million more Americans joining the unemployment rolls, at a time when unemployment is at a 14 year high. This would, according to Barack Obama, require a $50 billion bailout now to avoid their bankruptcy before he even takes office. Whether this came from the initial bailout package, or was a new package of it’s own, that’s also going to require some oversight, which Barack Obama also recommends.

The problems with the first bailout was that it was 1.) given to some companies who’d caused their own financial trouble and had a proven record of risky financial practices, 2.) their was little to no oversight to protect the taxpayers’ investment, and 3.) in order to get the thing passed, they had to tack on even more unneccessary spending that we can’t afford. This new bailout, however, if done properly, could be valuable in many ways.

With proper oversight, this money can be directed to these companies to not just keep them in operation, but to help them adapt their business to new, more fuel-efficient and green technologies that can compete better both here in the States and globally. In this way, we could help the cause of combatting climate change, get these companies back into the green thus creating more jobs and helping our economy, and we could become a global leader in new technology and alternative energy.

So yes, I’m on board with this bailout, and I think they would probably be able to get Republicans and President Bush on board. I mean, who wouldn’t give money to save the companies that basically invented the car and the American way of life? Still, it would be nice to have that Senate seat to keep an eye on proceedings and make sure this is done right this time. Yup, sure would be nice.

Necessities of the Unwinnable Fight

As the Bush Administration wraps up, and the Obama Administration considers how to best use their political capital, the question remains...what's to be done about George W. Bush and his cronies? Torture, wiretapping, abuse of power... these are just a few of the allegations laid at the feet of this President, and considering the shape he's left our nation in, many are calling for charges to be brought against him, Dick Cheney, and many of the senior members of his White House.

I'm of two minds on the subject. For one, I think he has commited crimes against the United States, it's reputation, and possibly even humanity in general. Like any American, when I see injustice, I want to see punishment. As an avid student of politics, and supporter of Barack Obama, I want him to tackle a broad and comprehensive agenda without being bogged down in partisan politics and the past. In a perfect world, he could both solve our economic problems and investigate the actions of the Bush Administration without having his public support diminished. Though most of the nation likes Barack Obama at the moment and a vast majority disapproves of President Bush, that could change if it looks like a partisan attack. Just ask Ken Starr.

The other problem being that as this term comes to a close, and President Bush clearly sees the writing on the walls, his crafty minions are already finding ways to push through last minute orders, and those could include blanket pardons for the people who perpetrated many of these criminal actions that would come under investigation once GW leaves office. So now the problem becomes that President Obama could be spending valuable time, resources, and political capital investigating crimes that no one would be held legally accountable for. You wouldn't write a traffic ticket for a man who died in a car crash, would you?

The fact is, though, that no matter what the cost in political capital, this is important. Maybe there will be no convictions, and maybe fear of political repercusions will have to mean a less aggressive legal process. Still, while there are many important issues to face in the coming years, it is first important to reaffirm what this country stands for, what is legal, and who is above the law (namely, no one). Even if President Bush is never convicted of a single crime, nor anyone who worked with him, it's important that they be held to a standard in the court of public opinion and in the annals of history. Otherwise, future Presidents will attempt the same abuses of power, secure in the knowledge that their is precedence for those acts and the subsequent evasion of responsiblity.

We the people need to know. We need to know just what the United States has been up to, and what the rest of the world has seen us do. We need to know just what damage was done so that we can repair it and prevent it. We need to know who's to blame of course, and they should be held accountable if only in our own opinions of them. More importantly, though, we need the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but. As we've learend time and again, we can't just ignore the past and hope for a brighter future. Our first step towards the change we need is an understanding of the way that was.

The Myth of a Liberal Media

It is one often mentioned by so-called conservatives, and anyone who disagrees with what is presented on the news. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every television network is owned by a large coporation, some of them being giant multi-national corporations with interests in many different industries and markets. Their number one goal is to make profit, and the best way to do that is to not alienate any of their customers. They usually don’t buy television station’s in order to espouse a particular ideology, but to make a lot of money from it.

Where the tag “liberal media” comes from, oddly enough, is the right-wing media. It’s a term often used by Rush Limbaugh, or Sean Hannity, people who are incredibly popular media personalities with huge audiences. If the media were liberal, how would they find work? Another group who loves to use it is fear-monger Republican politicians. Why do they tell you that the media is liberal? Well, simply because the media reports the facts, and these politicians don’t agree with facts, or the facts prove just how wrong these politicians. So, rather than rethink their ways, they just tell you that the media reports these things not because they are true, but because the media is biased, so they can’t be trusted.

The evidence to the contrary is everywhere. Fox News, the misnamed “Fair and Balanced” network, offers most of it’s airtime to confirmed Conservatives, only offering space for liberals to come on and be berated or pummeled. Most of it’s coverage tends to emphasize the success of conservatives, and the failings of liberals. The man who owns and created Fox News is himself very conservative and owns networks all over the world, as well as 20th Century Fox, Fox Television, radio stations, and the Wall Street Journal. These are often #1 in their respective categories and represent huge market share. How are they not considered “the media.”

Then, look at the other big players. CNN gives airtime to Anderson Cooper and Campbell Brown, liberal leaning if you have to apply labels, but also Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck. MSNBC has both Keith Olbermann and Joe Scarborough. The majority of talk radio networks are devoted to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, while many newspapers have been complicit in support of George W. Bush’s policies. To me, this does not seem like a landscape overwhelming with liberals while conservatives are hidden away. Both viewpoints are represented, often disproportionate to their actual substance.

See, these corporations that own these entities don’t want to alienate their customers, so they often compell these networks/newspapers/stations/etc. to give equal time and equal weight to differing opinions. In this sense, it becomes and ideological affirmative action, causing them to give time and space to people based not on their abilities as journalists or commentators but based entirely on their politics. It also means that otherwise moderate voices then become drowned out by extremist pundits placed among their ranks, and that anytime a story is reported, the opposing party is given a chance to respond with little to no commentary, even when they are lying.

During this election, it was often claimed that the media was “in the tank” for Obama. If that’s true, how come McCain’s coverage was so favorable for much of his campaign, and he often jokingly refered to the press as his “base?” How come most networks official poll estimates placed McCain neck-and-neck with Obama even when the final election results should a tremendous lead for Obama? How come networks regularly ran stories, later proven false, saying that Obama had gone to a Muslim school, didn’t have a birth certificate, or was close friends with Bill Ayers?

What people meant to say when they said the media was “in the tank” for Obama was that the public was in favor of Obama, and the media was reporting it. They meant that Obama was running a mostly positive campaign while the McCain camp was running a mostly negative one, and the media was reporting it. They meant that Barack Obama has agreed to be interviewed while Sarah Palin and John McCain had refused interviews, yet the media still used the Obama interviews.

See, there is no “liberal media.” There is a media, made up of varying people with varying levels of skill, qualification, and objectivity. There are also facts and events and things that are newsworthy to be reported. And on top of all of that, there is a liberal majority of the populace, especially among the under-30 crowd suggest a growing trend. So what people like Rush mean to say is that they’re in the minority, most people don’t agree with them, and the facts don’t support them.

Participation to Anticipation

Every child remembers that interminable period between handing in your Christmas list and the day you actually receive your gifts. It’s a similar, though markedly different experience from when you get in trouble at school at you wait for your parents to arrive home to punish you. There are moments when the decisions have already been made, but when you have to wait before anything can be done. Right now, like that child before Christmas, in theory I have this great present I’ll be getting on January 20th, but I can’t enjoy it until then. After coming down from the high of Tuesday night, it’s difficult for it to feel real because while we’ve elected Barack Obama, he’s still not our President for two more months.

At least during the campaign, their was an energy of optimism propelling us forward, and at all times there were actions we could take to achieve our desired outcome. Now, we have that outcome, and while there’s plenty to be done in the meantime, those of us who elected Obama don’t have much to do except wait until that day when we can see the fruits of our labor in action.

It’s important to remember that there is an army of volunteers out here, people who spent weekends phone-banking, or canvassing their neighbors, or donating their money, all to achieve the historic victory we saw on Tuesday night. We’re all still out here, and ready to be mobilized. The DNC and Obama campaign shouldn’t forget that in all of the planning they have to do before January. In the meantime, we should do what we can to stay engaged and keep things moving in the right direction. Volunteer in your community, write letters to your representatives telling them specifically which issues are most important to you, keep canvassing your friends and acquaintances to get them on board with the new President. Sure, the election is over, but we can still win hearts and minds, and make it that much easier for the new administration.

Oppressed and Oppressor

Here's an upsetting fact: on the same day that one minority group takes a big step forward, another minority group gets knocked back. More upsetting is the fact that the two may even be related.

Due to the historic nature of this election, as well as the effective Get Out the Vote efforts of the Obama campaign, a record number of black people voted nationwide, oftentimes making up a larger percentage of the electorate than they represent in the general population. That wouldn't be a bad thing, except in California. California was one state that had a ballot initiative to define marriage as between between a man and a woman, effectively making gay marriage illegal in the state where it's been legal for the last 4 months. The irony that a lot of the money used to promote this bigoted agenda came from Mormon groups, who themselves are persecuted for their marriage practices, is not lost on me.

So what does this have to do with black voter turnout? In the state of California, white voters opposed this amendment 55% to 44%, while black voters supported it by a margin of 69% to 31%. This measure barely passed with about 52%. Now it's not as simple as saying that one caused the other, because of course that would avoid the other effect of this election. In addition to record black turnout, there was also record youth and first-time voter turnout, and those two groups voted overwhelmingly against Prop 8, including those first-time black voters. Really, black or white, the two groups that are to blame for Prop 8 being passed are older voters (the only age group that also went overwhelmingly for McCain) and religious bigots, which exist in all races. It's not as simple as a cause-and-effect, but it should give us pause that while people were able to overcome one set of prejudices, they were unable to overcome another. While I'm outraged that so many white people supported Prop 8, it's also upsetting that an even greater percentage of an oft-discriminated against group did as well.

So the empowerment of one group results in the disenfranchisement of another. Sadly, there was a time when there were laws on the books preventing people of different races from marrying, but so often we no longer have a sense of history. What is the cause of this? Is it religious? Is it cultural? Or is it simply that strange phenomenon that is fundamentally American? The Pilgrims left Britain to get away from religious persecution, and when they arrived here, they persecuted those who didn't agree with them. When newer immigrants began to arrive in our nation of immigrants, they were persecuted by the immigrants who arrived before them. African-Americans have suffered a long time in this nation, but this learning curve must be improved. If people who've been discriminated against can't see how wrong it is to discriminate against others, what hope do we have?

Not So Fast...

This morning, all over the world, people are celebrating and with good cause. I think we all deserve a day off (like the nation of Kenya...good for them) or maybe even a couple days to rest and collect ourselves while the final counts are done (and the recounts...Go Franken!) However, the election of Barack Obama is not the end, it is the means to the end. This is an historic moment, but it’s just a first step in changing the world for the better. We can’t let our guard down for a moment, because last night while history broke down one wall, it put up a security fence.

You see, while we were electing our first non-white President - finally living up to the full promise of our Declaration of Independence, abolition, and the civil rights movement - 4 states were turning their attention to one of the last socially condoned forms of discrimination.

In Arkansas, they passed a ban on gay adoption. These are many of the same people who also want to ban all abortion, which means more children being born to parents who don’t want them. If they had their way, there’d be even more kids being put up for adoption, but they also want to eliminate a huge pool of people who can’t have children of their own, so want to give all of their love and attention to an adopted child. Anytime someone talks about how children do better with a mother and a father, I just have to roll my eyes. Straight people don’t have to pass any test to become parents, and in my life I’ve met a lot of people and most of their parents were highly flawed in one way or another. Honestly, gay people couldn’t do a worse job than us, and at least they would be specifically choosing to be parents and not just stumbling into it. Also, they would know that every action they made was being scrutinized, and would probably be better parents.

Arizona, Florida, and California went a step farther. As much as I disagree with the people of Arkansas, it’s one thing to want to keep children in a certain environment, and quite another to reach right into people’s homes where they aren’t influencing anyone else and telling them what they can and can’t do. If tomorrow a constitutional amendment was passed banning all marriage, what do you think people would do? Many would riot, certainly. Some wouldn’t care. Overall though, they would continue to live their lives they way they always had. They’d meet, fall in love, move in together, maybe have children and open a joint checking account. The reason is because marriage as an institution is cultural, not merely legal. So gay people are still going to be gay, still going to fall in love, still going to pair up and have lives together. So all this amendment does, and this is the sinister part, is deny them legal rights and protections. Marriage is a legal, binding contract that provides many benefits, and can even provide financial incentives come tax season. These amendments deny those same benefits to people who want to get married, but who aren’t biologically attracted to the opposite sex. They can’t help that, and yet people in three states think they should either lie to themselves and others or forfeit their rights.

Next time someone talks about crazy, liberal California, remind them about this vote. And next time you think about how happy you are that the Presidency has finally broken that racial barrier, remember that in Florida, a state where gay marriage was already illegal, they decided to beat that dead horse with a constitutional amendment. Long ago we abolished discrimination based on race in our laws, but it took a long time for that to change in practice. There are still many barriers to freedom to be broken down. Last night we had one, but we have to keep going. It may be a Sisyphusian struggle, but we can’t stop trying to get that boulder to the top of the hill, because when we stop for even a moment, it rolls back down.

Yes, We Can

And so it goes. We hoped, we dreamed, and we went to work. What we’ve accomplished is a great thing, and not simply for those of us who supported Barack Obama. Tonight, our course has been set in a new direction, and already the eyes of history are upon us.

There will of course be more results to come in, more down-ticket races, and more analysis of just how this happened and what it’ll mean for the near future. But I’ll take John McCain and Barack Obama at their word, that we should all come together now as one nation, and pull together to solve our problems. I, for one, am excited for what’s to come.

All of the anger and hate and maliciousness of the campaign is past. Now is the time to get on board, or get out of the way. The choice is yours, but some of us are getting to work.

Election Day Predictions

What a beautiful day for an election. Birds are singing, the sun is shining (at least in my state). People are opening doors for each other and whistling happy tunes. For me, election day is what I assume Super Bowl Sunday, Christmas, or opening day of a Michael Bay movie are for other people. I was up late and woke up early, and I’m giddy with anticipation for tonight when the results come in. There’s an episode in season 7 of the West Wing that takes place on election day, and Josh can’t stop running around trying to make last minute changes, when really all there is left to do is vote and wait. That’s how I feel.

So now many people are filling the hours between when the polls opened and when they will close by predicting the outcome of the election. I’m not going to do that for two equally ridiculous reasons. First, though I consider myself a person of reason, I’m still not immune to the feeling that I’m going to jinx myself. There’s still a small part of me that blames myself for John Kerry’s defeat, all due to my optimism. Secondly, no matter what my prediction, the only thing that matters is what actually occurs, so I have nothing to gain and any semblance of intelligent analysis to lose.

Instead, let me make a broader prediction. I think that in the coming weeks, people are going to come down off their rhetoric, and start thinking about how we can come together and make things work again. People will once again pay attention to George Bush, so that hopefully he won’t get away with all of the last minute executive shenanigans he’s planning. I think all the hate-mongers will retire to their corners to fester in their racism, but will mostly leave the rest of us alone.

I believe that when historians look back on this election, much of the bitterness and mudslinging will be forgotten, but what will be remembered is that Barack Obama ran one of the most disciplined and effective campaigns in history. Win or lose, he has done the seemingly impossible. He’s shown us that a black man, from a mixed background and non-traditional family, with an unusual name and new ideas can overcome the politics of division and a history of bigotry in this nation to become President. He’s shown us that a good man can succeed in politics without resorting to dirty tricks and outright lies. Win or lose, he’s given hope to people that have given up on the idea that America can live up to the promise of it’s ideals. Inarguably, that hope will be better served if he wins, but no matter what happens, starting tomorrow there will be millions more people involved in their own government again.

I also predict that I am going to have either a very good night, or a very bad one. But either way, much like the end of The West Wing, I will be a little sad that this time is over, but also excited and hopeful for what’s to come. Good day and good luck.

This Just In: Obama Wins in Landslide (in Dixville Notch)!

Perhaps some of you saw that terrific episode of The West Wing (thought aren’t they all) called “Hartsfield Landing” about a small town in New Hampshire in which every citizen of voting age gets together at 12:01 a.m. on election day, votes, and the polls close a minute later. As fantanstic a writer as Aaron Sorking is, he did not invent this concept. There is a real town in New Hampshire which has operated this way since 1960, and it’s known as Dixville Notch. This morning, the first town to vote in the nation chose Obama over McCain in a landslide 15 to 6. That’s a full 71% of the vote for Obama, in a state where he is currently only ahead by a few points.

Why is this, or should it be news? Well, because of a trend it could spell for the rest of the country. See, in this small New Hampshire town, the Republican candidate usually wins...by a lot. Bush beat both Kerry and Gore by a sizable margin. Bush Sr. beat Dukakis 34-3, and Reagan beat Mondale 29-1. The fact that Obama is winning, and by such a large margin, could mean that formerly Republican strongholds may tip in his favor today.

We’ll shall have to wait and see, but I’m liking our chances. And, as Obama has famously said, in the unlikely story that is America, there’s never anything false about Hope.

It's the Final Countdown

So here it is. After an extremely long primary, and a seemingly long general campaign, the election is nearly past. Certainly, we’ll have the week’s of recounts, and complaints, and political post-game coverage on every network, but for all intents and purposes, it will all be over in 36 hours. Oh, but what a long, strange trip it has been.

Where did it start? John McCain was trailing among all of the Republican candidates. When faced with the options of people who don’t believe in evolution, people who don’t believe in global warming, and people who believe in magic underwear, the Republicans said “I’ll take any of them over John McCain.” Unfortunately, as the fell all over each other to vote for the least qualified candidates, John McCain played the slow-but-steady tortoise and inched by to become the nominee. Meanwhile, the Democrats showed people what a real Democracy looks like, by letting every vote count in every state, keeping the race neck and neck between two historic candidates.

But it wasn’t all wine and roses. We were told that black people would only vote for a black candidate, and that women would only vote for a woman. We were told that to criticize a female candidate is sexist, while also being told that when women don’t get their way, they take their toys and go home. Republican tried to sow dissidence in the ranks of Democrats, all while their candidate did litte and said less.

Then, while calling Democrats sexist for choosing the male candidate over the female, they cynicaly chose their VP based almost entirely on her gender. The two conventions stood in stark contrast: The Democratic convention showing tremendous unity, with thousands of people from every corner of the nation, every race, age, ethnicity, lifestyle coming together and giving a platform for everyone to speak their mind; while the Republican convention allowed fewer speakers, and showed less varied views and faces. The Democratic Convention swung open their doors to 80,000 average Americans, while the Republican convention could barely fill it’s hall with it’s elites. The Democrats showed media savvy and showmanship, while the Republicans had a presentation worthy of a middle management convention, with barely the energy of a watch battery.

And then the past few months. As Barack Obama introduced himself to more and more of America, and more and more of America came to know the real John McCain, the numbers shifted. In every one of the last 159 polls, Barack Obama has been in the lead; sometimes by 2 points, often by a dozen. In desperation, John McCain went 100% negative, lobbing accusations of “socialist” and “terrorist-sympathiser” through a bullhorn, while quietly admiting to reporters that he didn’t really believe these things. In interviews, he spoke of denouncing the hate-speech of his supporters, while at his rallies he neither stopped them nor gave any indication that he disapproved. Actually, no, one time he stopped a woman called Barack an Arab by saying that he, John McCain, thought Barack was a decent man. Yes, he didn’t say that Barack wasn’t an Arab, he just said that he wasn’t evil like, he implied, all other arabs are. Barack Obama has praised John McCain for his service both in the Navy and in the Senate, while the best John McCain can muster is to call Barack “decent.”

After all of this, our country is more polarized than it’s even been under George W. Bush, between two camps of people in this country: those that want to keep the ever-worsening status quo, and those striving for the America we want and not simply the America we have. If John McCain were to win tomorrow, what it would tell us is that despite 80 percent of Americans thinking we’re on the wrong track, and despite economic policies that have hurt our nation, and despite a foreign policy that has damaged our reputation and put our country’s security at risk, that we would rather play to the politics of fear and derision than get over our national bigotry. If Barack Obama wins, I’m certain there will be many crazy people awaiting armageddon, much like they did with Y2K or when the first gay couple married in Massachusetts, but when a week or a month or a year passes without the end of the world, they’ll quietly return to their subtle, silent racism. They’ll go home to their cleaner air, their new jobs, their social safety net, and their America that once again stands proudly as a city on a hill. Sure, they’ll decry every decision President Obama makes, they will speak ill of his policies, and look for any opportunity to knock him down a peg, never admiting they were wrong to think he was a spy, a terrorist, a secret muslim, a dangerous fanatic, or a marxist bent on destroying America. And, we won’t ask them too. We will rise above the poltiics of hate, and even if they never come, they’ll be invited to the party we’ll be having. We’ll have the government we chose, and once again they’ll be working for the people and not for the few. 8 years from now, maybe people will again become complacent and forget just how bad things were before the Obama administration, and they’ll be tricked into voting for whoever the Republicans have nominated (and no, it will not be Palin, not if they want to win). For now though, this is our chance to right the many wrongs that have be done to our nation these last 8 years. I, for one, like our odds.