November 9th

The election was emotionally exhausting. Yesterday I was in a daze. Up too late Tuesday night. I had not realized the psychic energy I had invested in the election.

The MPR election party was interesting and it was fun being able to share it with my wife and son and his girl friend. But I was anxious. I wanted to follow the national election, hear the pundits, keep tabs on the national scene. The big 12 ft. screen alternating between CNN and the MPR computer had no sound. The only electronic sound was the live show in front of us being broadcast on 89.3, The Current.

The food and drink held out till after we left around 10:30 P.M. It was supposed to be nonpartisan, but applause broke out when the Democrats captured its 15th seat and control of the house.. I would have loved to have bumped into all my fellow bloggers.

It was pretty much a given that the House would change, but I was almost shocked when I awoke yesterday. The phone rang and my sister in law said the Democrats had picked up four senate seats and two were still in play. Later Montana fell to the opposition party and that left only George (Macaca) Allen left, trailing by 6,000 votes to Democrat James Webb. Later today Allen conceded thereby sparing the country a lengthy two or three weeks recount and an expensive bill on his part.

The poetry, the irony in all this is that the tipping point of power in America indeed the world hinged on an off handed comment Allen made in August, "Macaca" said to 20 year old S.R. Siddharth a South Asian-American whom he saw as different because of his dark skin. There are more than 75,000 Desi in Virginia. They are from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

George Allen was a darling of the Religious Right who was preparing to run for president in 2008 in the party of family values, the party of higher-than-thou morals. In front of a rally of supporters and TV cameras, Allen's long history of racial bigotry was glimpsed and magnified like Kerry's joke about being stuck in Iraq. Only this time the Republican got caught, drawn-and-quartered.

It was just as likely that Hatch's hack/whore comment cost him the few thousand votes he needed in the Governor's race as this became the final "issue" addressed before election day.

Amen, Bro. You stole my next blog.