President Obama!

I had some grandiose plans to work on homework, but who was I kidding? I wanted to stay glued to the Internet (since we don't have TV) to see the returns. It's all over now but the shouting. I can't predict what kind of President that Barack Obama will be, but I am more optimistic now than I have been in a very long time. I'm touched that not only was I able to witness this historic election take place, but so many African-Americans who may have thought they would never see an African-American taking the oath of office. I'm kicking myself for missing Obama's victory speech, but I did get to read the transcript and it was very moving. I'll be scouring the Internet tomorrow to get a full clip of it. John McCain's concession speech was very dignified and gracious.

But this goes far beyond the issue of race. I may be going out on a limb, but I see Barack Obama as slightly similar to JFK. He's a dashing, charismatic man coming in after eight years of Republican majorities, and he's five years older than JFK was when he took office. Obama will be facing much worse struggles than JFK faced. The economy is wobbly, to say the least, we have two wars going on, and there are so many other issues that if I were to write them out, I'd be too depressed to go to sleep. He'll have to step in and immediately wade into the shark tank, I think, and try to get the country back on its feet.

The evening isn't all good news. Gay marriage bans made it into the constitutions of Arizona, Florida, and Arkansas, and I just saw that the LA Times is reporting that with 46% of the polls reporting, Proposition 8 looks like it might very well pass in California. The Prop 8 fight in California turned especially vicious, since the 'Yes for Prop 8' group spent almost $80 million (!!!) in this campaign. The Mormons invested $22 million dollars alone. I just don't get it. How does gay marriage threaten the so-called sanctity of traditional marriage? Aren't divorce rates well over 50%? I'm disappointed, but I'm not defeated. Crazy amendments can be written into Constitutions, but they can be taken out or replaced with something else. It has happened before and it can happen again. It may be 20 or 30 years from now, but I think it will ultimately happen and people will wonder what all the fuss was about. It may be my antidepressants talking, but I think there is still reason to be optimistic about this issue. And on a purely monetary note... how much good could have been done with that $80 million dollars?