Way to go, America!

Sort of says it all, doesn't it?

We did it! The largest voter turnout in ninety years stormed the polls and, in a clear and thunderous voice, demanded the change that this country so desperately needed. Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States of America and, in case you hadn't heard, the first African American to get the job. Pretty neat, right?

No, it's not pretty neat! It's FREAKING INCREDIBLE! After multiple elections where young voters expressed their outrage and indignation at a country being stolen out from under them by greedy, rich, old white men, and then failed to show up at the polls to do anything about it, the youngest voters finally showed up. I feel proud beyond measure that I was part of this, and that my generation - my friends and classmates, and their friends and classmates, and so on and so on - delivered this election for Barack Obama. After grappling for so long with the apathy of which our generation has been justly accused, we got off our asses and we made a difference. And everyone who voted in this election, including those who may have never voted before, saw beyond any shred of doubt that when we get involved, when we make the effort, when we stand up for what we believe in, we truly can change the world. For those who made history with their votes yesterday, they will never again question whether it is worth it to take the time out of their day to make it to the polls. A generation just woke up.

This is also a victory for women, who voted in record numbers to put Barack Obama in the White House. In an election where Democrats were forced to choose between a highly qualified black man and a highly qualified white woman as their candidate - a choice that was unquestionably groundbreaking, but also painfully difficult for many voters caught in the middle - the Right sought to draw in disillusioned female voters by dangling Sarah Palin in their faces. By overwhelmingly voting for Obama, women all across America sent a strong message to any politician who would dare to belittle the intelligence and integrity of female voters, telling them, "You cannot simply stick some trophy woman on your ticket and instantly become the party of women's rights. You cannot tell us that you are the pro-women party while simultaneously fighting to limit the rights of women."

It is a victory for the Internet, and for grassroots organizations. It's a victory for community organizers, who are the backbone of our nation and yet were somehow made to feel like what they were doing was trivial by a vicious and desperate Republican campaign. It's a victory for common sense and basic human kindness. For all those who trembled in fear of Obama "redistributing the wealth" like some sort of crazed Marxist, there were far more people who recognized Obama's tax plan for what it is - a means to give help to people who need it, which is the very definition of compassion.

Watching the coverage last night was a harrowing experience, even as the numbers came in in Obama's favor. I couldn't shake visions of things going horribly wrong. A number of websites freely declared Obama the victor up to ninety minutes before any network was willing to do the same, which is a testament to the initiative and vigor of the Internet revolution, but is also perhaps a testament to the fact that websites (like this one, I might add) do not feel the same pressure to be right 100% of the time that more traditional news sources do. The Internet has not had a Heidi moment - referring to NBC's big mistake in 1968 when they cut away from the end of a football game that seemed absolutely certain in order to show Heidi, only for the Raiders to mount one of the all-time greatest comebacks in the last minute of the game, pissing off millions of fans who didn't get to see it - and even if they did, expectations are simply not the same for the Web.

Me, I was feeling much more cautious. I was watching Comedy Central's election special when they made the announcement that Obama won. Okay, but that was Comedy Central. I wasn't ready to celebrate. I switched back over to CNN, and sure enough, they were calling it for Obama. I was still hesitant. Sure, at that point, Obama had the 270 electoral votes he needed, but did he really? In many states, he led by a slim margin, and huge percentages of the votes still needed to be counted. The last count of the popular vote that I had seen placed Obama only a mere one percent ahead of McCain. I trusted CNN to understand the exit polls and have a sense of how the remaining districts in every state would likely shake out, but you never know. Especially in an election as unusual as this one, you just never know. It wasn't until reports came in of McCain calling Obama to concede that the floodgates finally opened and I could actually admit to myself that it was all real, that we actually got this one right.

McCain's concession put to rest my greatest fear - not that McCain/Palin would win, although I think we all know I wasn't exactly pleased with that prospect - but that we would have a repeat of 2000. After running a bitter campaign filled with all the dirty tricks and invective that has characterized the Right in recent memory, I didn't think it was that much of a stretch to imagine McCain fighting for this with every last tool in his arsenal. Particularly since Obama's margin of victory in many states was not a large one and, again, his overall victory in the popular vote was slim (later reports soon showed that Obama's lead was actually not that small at all, but I'm trying to recapture my thought process, here, stick with me), a demand for recounts didn't seem all that impossible. But by conceding when he did, John McCain sent a clear message of his own, that the venom that has characterized his public appearances over the last two years is no longer necessary.

Frankly, I thought John McCain's concession speech was wonderful. And not just wonderful in the "Woo! John McCain is conceding!" sense, but also in the "Hey, that's a nice-ass speech" sense. Despite a tough loss, he seemed more in control of himself than we've seen him in two years, if not more. He spoke without a hint of bitterness and with genuine admiration for the amazing accomplishments that took place. The burning desire to win this election had turned John McCain into the polar opposite of the eminently respectable and thoughtful public servant that he used to be. In order to secure the support of the vocal and powerful neocon wing of his party, McCain had to sacrifice one ideal after another. He reversed so many positions, it's hard to remember where he started. He took on a woefully unqualified and untested running mate that he never would have considered in a hundred years without party pressure to do so. He fought mean and he fought dirty, using the very tricks that destroyed his chances in 2000. The John McCain we've seen throughout this long and arduous process was not the John McCain we once knew, and I was very afraid that it would permanently tarnish both his reputation and his demeanor. His concession speech gave me hope that he may have simply washed his hands of the man he was forced to become. As much as we all know he wanted the Presidency, part of me wonders if he isn't a little glad to be done with it, so that he can return to being himself without his party trying to make him into a lumpier George W. Bush.

Obama's speech, well... Jesus, what did he even say? I don't know. It was great, I remember that much, but if you want specifics, you should scoot on over to a website that has some sort of sense of journalistic integrity. This is a blog written by a man who represents himself as a picture of Homer Simpson with freaky anime eyes. And for my part, I listened to every word that Obama said last night, but even as I did, I knew I wouldn't remember it. What I would remember is how he looked, and how Michelle and the girls looked. How the crowd roared for him. How Jesse Jackson stood amongst the thousands upon thousands of people, not saying a word, just silently crying. How it felt to be standing there at that moment, with my arm around my fiancee, who is a person of color herself and has so often felt marginalized by this nation, watching President Elect Barack Hussein Obama speak to the world for the first time. Obama - I'm guessing - talked about moving forward, about overcoming great odds and tremendous obstacles, and about working together with people who did not support him in order to progress as a country. But although I was listening, I barely heard it. I was swept up in the knowledge that - even if Obama were to have a hugely disappointing presidency, even if he were to spend four years cleaning up Bush's messes and never accomplished anything of his own - nothing would ever be the same again. There will never again be a color barrier in Presidential politics. We will still talk about the first Latino President and the first Asian American President and whatever else as they occur, but we'll only mention it in passing. The color of a Presidential candidate's skin will never be newsworthy again. Hallelujah.

Time will tell, of course, but I think we took a big step toward fixing our reputation in the eyes of the world last night. The international community laughed at us when we elected George W. Bush the first time. They gave us their support again after 9/11, but when Bush squandered that support in the blink of an eye, they turned away from us again. And when we reelected him, they simply shook their heads and wondered just how dumb we were intent on becoming. But now, after eight years of dismantled treaties, sweeping deregulation, callousness, arrogance, deception, incompetence, and hatred, we finally said to the world, "We screwed up before. We're sorry. We were going through a rough patch. But we're back now. Look what we just did. Watch what we can do next." We still have a long way to go, of course, but just like that, I think the world gave us another chance.

Of course, Obama was not the only winner last night. This Joe Biden guy also had a pretty good time of it. He's going to be an awesome Vice President. Although the Democrats didn't pick up the filibuster-proof 60 seats in the Senate, we did increase our majority in both the Senate and the House. Those races are much more prone to changes after election day, so I'm not going to say too much about them right now, aside from saying that a Democratic President with a Democratic Congress... wow. Things could actually get done! Holy shit!

Speaking of holy shit moments, last night was also a big night for common sense in regards to marijuana policy. Michigan joined the ranks of those few, but awesome states in approving the growth and possession of medical marijuana. Way to go, Michigan! Massachusetts overwhelmingly passed a proposition to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, meaning that any caught with an ounce or less would simply have the pot taken away and be slapped with a $100 fine, which can be paid through the mail like any other minor ticket. Amazing. I grew up in Massachusetts, and I'm proud to say that my hometown passed this one by a two-to-one margin. Nothing is set in stone with these propositions just yet. Just being passed doesn't automatically make them laws. The legislative bodies in Michigan and Massachusetts could overturn the decisions. But will they? I don't think so. If John McCain, who fought as hard a race as any in recent memory, can hear the will of the people and concede the election to Barack Obama, then Michigan and Massachusetts lawmakers can hear the will of their own people and make these sensible propositions into law. Let's hope other states follow suit and our jails are soon no longer choked with nonviolent offenders whose only crime was loving Doritos.

There were many reasons to celebrate last night, but unfortunately, there were also some disappointments. Neo-McCarthyist Michelle Bachman scored another two-year term in the House, despite revealing herself to be batshit insane on national television. In Minnesota, Al Franken is currently trailing incumbent Norm Coleman by less than six hundred votes. A third party candidate with largely liberal views took nearly sixteen percent of the votes, meaning Franken likely could have won by a large margin. A recount in a certainty, but my heart goes out to Mr. Franken, whose thorough research and top-notch humor I have so often stolen.

Arizona and Florida passed their propositions banning same-sex marriage. Although nothing is final yet, at the time of this writing, California's Prop 8 looks like it will pass with a narrow margin, reducing the number of states that support same-sex marriage from three to two, and striking a massive blow against the gay rights movement. I don't get it. It astounds me that California and Florida, and even Arizona, which unsurprisingly went to McCain but still delivered quite a large number of votes for Obama, could be so dead set against gay marriage. These states are (finally!) willing to have a black man lead this country at one of its most pivotal moments, but they can't stomach the thought of two women getting married. It is honestly beyond me. I defy anyone to watch this video made by two women who got married this summer and tell me that they are a threat to our country.

Disappointments like these go to show that we may have made a colossal step forward last night - and we absolutely did - but we have a long way to go until we genuinely fulfill our nation's promise of freedom and equality to all.

Okay, so it may not have been perfect, but let's not dwell on the bad aspects of this election. At least not so soon. Today, we should be celebrating! I'm absolutely blown away by the huge turnout and the phenomenal support for Obama/Biden. It's a historical moment for African Americans, for all minorities in this country, and for all Americans in general. It's also a damn good thing. Black or white, male or female, we needed something different from what we've had for the last eight years. We needed a big change. And we got it, not by luck or complacency, but by going out and getting it. This is a huge moment for us all.

Thank you to everyone who hit the polls yesterday. You rock. You have changed the country, and by extension, the world. Forever. Kinda cool, isn't it?