It's over!!!

It's Over!!!!

Or, is it? Good luck folks. I hope all the change and hope you get hopes the change you need to hope for the future of the changing hope.

I hung around with a lot of people tonight yelling "we won!!!!" It went so far as to the playing of Queen's "We are the Champions"... and it makes me wonder whether the quotes should go around "we" or "won"... "We"? Well, Obama, for sure, won. "won"? Well, something happened to this "we," or else they wouldn't be partying.

I live near Seattle, and hung out downtown tonight, moving from bar to bar. Everywhere I went, I heard the same thing... exhuberation. I was at one bar holding a Obama congratulations party where the Queen song came on. One man stood up in front of the screen during the McCain conceeding speech, thumbs down, trying to shut down John's last moments of the campaign. He was ushered away, but not out, and not exactly booed. At another bar, a couple were gloating over the victory. Driving from place to place, I heard honks and screams and howls... saw signs and dancing.

I voted for Bush twice. I think it's safe, at this point, to admit that. The first time was an understandably subdued reaction, bled out over a month, relief that the Clinton administration was over. The second time was merely a feeling of relief tht John Kerry wouldn't be taking over at a critical time. Never fist-pumping, high-fiving, horn-honking, party-throwing excitement. It's new to me to see people so personally vested in the success of a candidate.

I think what made the evening fun (aside from the amazing company I held) was the schadenfreude thought of the disillusionment they're going to be feeling someday soon. I can't seperate the feeling from that of your favorite sports team winning the BIG game. But your team leaves the field and goes to Disney World. This isn't a contest, it's an interview and a hiring. This matters.

I want to think that America will be a better place over the next 2 years. The natural business cycle should be swinging back during this time. And, I don't want to be in the position the liberals have been in for the last 8 years, where bad news for America meant good news for the party (though, it seems to have worked). But, I'm fully expecting some really bad policy decisions down the line here and I expect some scratched heads. Even Vice President Elect Biden agrees that we'll be left wondering.

Congrats, Obama. I truly hope your change is for the good, not for the change.