Happy, Though Wary

I got out of class at 10pm last night and (glad to be on west-coast time, at least) proceeded to stay up far too late, riveted to CNN and sharing the experience over the phone with a few like-minded friends.

I'm very excited to be living in San Francisco today, as the city rejoices in its own widely-respected Pelosi's impending ascendancy to the vital role of House Speaker. We're stuck with Schwarzenegger, but I did not believe things would change much if his opponent were elected, so I resign myself to accepting Mr. Austria.

While I am--quite obviously--thrilled with the election results overall, I harbor no delusions that the state of this country is going to drastically change overnight. I know that, for most of us, life moves along in very much the same manner regardless of who is in power (although I do hope our new Congress will pay more reverence to the Constitution and, frankly, the law).

Pelosi promises the Democrats intend to lead "the most honest, the most open and the most ethical Congress in history." Nobody knows if that idyllic vision will come to pass. But those of us who've been paying attention know that the current bastion of duplicity and deceit could not sink much deeper, making any change to its membership a likely improvement.

What thrills me the most is that Americans seem to have woken up from the fog of fear and false patriotism that spread over us like a blanket after September 11. I am happy that those tainted politicians who were, in the simplest terms, doing their constituents wrong have been essentially fired from their jobs. (Perhaps those who have been skirting the law will be reprimanded, though I'm not holding out hope.) I am elated that the majority of Americans resolved to no longer stomach the bullshit and they made their voices heard. As Pelosi said, "The American people voted for change." Quite simple, really. We want change in our country; we need change in our leadership.

Last night, the oft-derided but indisputably bright Hillary Clinton said, "... [T]he vice president said regardless of the outcome, the administration would go full speed ahead in the same direction. I think the American people have said, 'Not so fast!'"

Well-put, Senator. I, for one, have a renewed faith in many of my fellow Americans this morning, which is far more valuable to me than what happens in Washington any day. This morning, I'm proud once again to call myself an American. Let's hope our new leadership can move forward in a way that makes it possible for all Americans to say the same.

Posted by ayelet at November 8, 2006 10:07 AM