The Election Is Over. Now Comes the Hard Part.

As they say, it's all over but the shoutin'. The Election of 2008 is over. We have elected a new President. He happens to be black. If that bothers you, get over it. Let's move forward together.

I arrived at my assigned polling place, the gymnasium of the local elementary school, at 6:05 yesterday morning. The sight was daunting: the line began in the gym, snaked through the school hallways, came out the front door, crossed the parking lot, went to the main street, turned left, and continued on for almost four blocks. I wasn't sure if it was the line to vote or the line to pick up Honeybaked Hams for Christmas Eve. But although the line was long, the organization was superb - the line moved steadily, the monitors constantly prowled the line to make sure that people were in the right line for their precinct (we have two precincts voting in different rooms at the school), and as we got closer to the actual voting area, the monitors carefully watched the various registration tables and kept up steady announcements of which name letters could move forward (I was quite a way back in the line when they announced that "A through G" voters should move up, as no one was waiting at that table.

I presented my driver's license and voter's registration card to the registrar, who asked me to formally state my name and address. The Republican and Democratic poll monitors each scrutinized my documents (the Republican lady complimented me on my wardrobe, not that it helped), my name was crossed off the list, and I was given my voting authorization card. I took this card to the next table, where I was offered the choice of an optically-scannable paper ballot or the electronic voting machine...I opted for the machine, and was directed to the final line, from which I was guided to the next available device. When it was my turn, the poll worker activated the machine and stepped away, and I did my duty. The most important vote I may ever cast took less than a minute.

I was back at my car and on my way to work at 6:55, which I thought was pretty amazing considering the size of the crowd.

And this morning comes the news that we have elected the first black president. If this doesn't represent a clear break with the past, I'm not sure what does.

So what have we learned from the Election of 2008?

1. Americans will vote for the person they believe to be the better candidate, regardless of race. President-elect Obama couldn't have won without the support of voters of all races, creeds, and colors. Yes, there are die-hards out there who think the world is coming to an end because we've elected a black man. But their voices didn't carry the day, and are getting weaker all the time.

2. The amount of money spent on political campaigns is obscene. The money spent on hundreds of thousands of roadside signs alone would probably fund new books and supplies for a school district for a year.

3. Bumper sticker slogans still trump detailed discussion of policies. It's easy to stand in a crowd and shout "Yes we can!" It's a lot harder to stand in that crowd and ask "How do we?"

4. People can and do reject the politics of hate.

5. The cynical adage tells us to "be careful what you wish for, because you might get it." The American people have, for many reasons, decisively rejected the economic and political philosophies of the Republicans. Now the Democrats have an historic opportunity: they can either imitate the arrogance and slavish doctrinal adherence of the Republicans, or they can work with them to craft policies that will use the best of both liberal and conservative ideas to fix our many problems, rather than make them worse.

On this historic day, I wish President-elect Obama well. I think he is a good man with an opportunity to show that he can be a great man. It is up to him to rise to the occasion. It is up to the rest of us to support him.

I'm ready. Let's move confidently forward into a better future.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo