During the previous two presidential elections, the local Democratic headquarters was across the street from me, and I have to tell you the morning after the election was a pretty mournful moment. In 2004 they didn’t even come in that day to start moving out because they were just too depressed – we’d given it our maximum effort, won Michigan, but it didn’t seem to make a difference because of a single state, Ohio, and a few votes that may or may not have been stolen and/or suppressed. It’s probably a good thing that the HQ moved a few streets west where it is today because the parking is so much better there (a lot fewer tickets, I’m sure) but, damn, I sure would have liked to see the faces over there right now. They probably have silly grins on them like mine.

The narrative the media has settled on for the moment is, wow, an African American has achieved the presidency, ain’t this really the country of opportunity. Don’t get me wrong, it a beautiful thing, but it won’t heal our racial problems in a stroke and it turns out the whole question wasn’t such a big deal after all, either for or against Obama. My eighty year old aunt, a staunch Democrat was for Hillary because she didn’t believe a black man could ever be elected. To me, a fifty year old, it seemed obvious race would be a major factor, both negative with the Bradley effect and positive with new, enthusiastic black voters. To my fifteen and seventeen year old kids however it was no big deal. This 21^st century, although still riddled with racial inequality, is also graced with a color blind generation.

You can tell how nervous I was yesterday by looking at the blog, and I think we all were. At around eight I was still anxious — the electoral map looked a lot like 2004 – I mean taking Pennsylvania was a given for me. It wasn’t until Ohio went blue that the skies turned blue, too. Ohio! The gremlin of 2004, the place where McCain and Palin had been making so much noise fell into the Obama basket with very swift ripeness. Although it wasn’t declared until after Obama won, to see the other great bone of contention, Florida, go for Obama too was extremely satisfying. By that point it was clear that this wasn’t a squeaker or a stolen election but a serious beat down, dwarfing the tiny victories Bush took as a mandate for his imperial, king sized disaster of a presidency.

But this wasn’t just the end of the Bush fiasco, it sounded to me like the death knell of the Republican divisiveness, the culture war replaying of the 60’s tune that the right has been reprising since Reagan. They tried all the old riffs about socialism, lack of patriotism, effete snobs, etc, but this time only the deep south was dancing. I guess we’re all real Americans again.

And what about the Republicans? Are they going to give up on their cherished Lee Atwater/Karl Rove legacy of slander, swift boating and baloney? Does Elizabeth Dole’s loss despite the most reprehensible ad of the season mean they’ll turn their back on such base tactics? Will their insistence the last eight years that any disagreement with executive policy shows a lack of respect for the presidency and therefore America itself remain constant even with a Democrat in the White House? Will Darth Vader turn his back on the dark side of the force? In other words, don’t bet on it. The culture of hate, fear and loathing that has been so lovingly cultivated by the conservatives isn’t going to fade away in the face of a fragile little thing like hope. John McCain gave the best speech I’ve ever heard from him when he conceded, but the ugly booing and shouting and the gargoyle leer of Palin as she strutted the stage like a first runner up rather than a rejected loser are what we have to expect from the right in the future. My prediction – a Sarah Palin/Joe the Plumber ticket in 2012. Now that’s a concession speech I’d love to hear.