In following the primary season the past couple months and finally arriving at the momentous occasion this evening, I've thought about a metaphor that seems to fit where we've been and were we're going quite well.
Right now, if you're an Obama supporter, you're at base camp...
For those not familiar with the term, it's usually used to define the spot in mountaineering just before the real summit where a person would gather their bearings and get ready for the more difficult climb ahead. For example, the base camp at Mount Everest is at 5,380 meters above sea level and most climbers have to spend a week or longer there to acclimate their bodies to the higher altitudes before making the even more arduous trek to the ultimate summit (at 8,848 meters above sea level).
See where I'm going with this?
If you're an Obama supporter, now is the time to celebrate this momentous occasion (after all, a lot of climbers don't even make it to base camp, and it's a lot of work just to get there in the first place), but also to relax a bit and acclimate yourself for the even-more-difficult upcoming journey.
As huge as the voter registration and GOTV campaigns were for the primaries were, they're going to have to be even larger in the upcoming general election campaign. As respectful as McCain says his campaign will be, we already know what sort of slime will be thrown repeatedly in our direction. The next five months are going to be a lot of work, but as tonight has illustrated, reaching a historical milestone is worth it all.
Democrats: Enjoy your time at Base Camp. Recharge your batteries and remember the ultimate summit ahead. Reaching it certainly won't be easy, but you'll feel on top of the world once you do.