A new president!!

President elect Barack Obama!!!!!!

I did finally get out of work tonight, but they tried to kill me before I could leave. Problems with the reports led to problems with the presentation, etc. Sheesh.

When I got home, I put on the election results while I was packing. And packing. I'm taking half the house with me.

By about ten, though, I knew it was all over. I had been nervous (Democrats are so good at pulling defeat from the jaws of victory), but after they called Pennsylvania for Barack Obama, I knew it was pretty much all over. When they called Ohio for him, I knew it was done.

This election for me feels like the end of a long dark tunnel. I am SO glad that we have a new president!! I am thrilled that it was Obama. I actually could have been happy about either one of them, had it not been for Sarah Palin. The celebration of style over substance, and the triumph of the appeal of ignorance she personifies worry me greatly, especially now that she has been hailed as the "future" of the Republican Party. Being smart and knowing the issues doesn't make you part of the hated "elite". It means that you are qualified. Obama had a team of 15 laureates working on his policy positions and plans to put into place. McCain had one economist who served under GW Bush. If Palin is the future, they have precious little to offer.

As I watched John McCain's concession speech tonight, I couldn't help but think that the John McCain I recognized was back. Had he run his campaign as his true self, the moderate statesman that he truly is, I think he would have had a shot at winning. But the torturous process of being warped to fit what the party faithful would accept was a terrible thing to watch. And of course the choice of running mate was part of that.

But now is a time to celebrate!