What a relief. The forces of darkness have been beaten back, by oh so barely a margin. "Good", I thought, "we are safe for another four years." And the prospect of looming battles tomorrow and four years hence quickly settled in the psyche. One could not, however, escape the little shiver - "What if the Republicans had not been so inept, so nasty, such obvious liars?" As it was, with all that, they still took home 50% of the country's vote, what if they pretend to be reasonable next time?
But then, reading results and opinion around the web, something hit me, something came together in a single thought:
They can't beat us any more.
They can't beat us any more.
And it won't get any better for them.
They threw everything at Obama they could and it worked - he won only 43% of white women, that's women (and of course even less of the men).
The only ones left voting for him are those who would not be pried away, who actually believe in possibilities, in the liberal project, who are excited by the prospect of justice, of parks, of roads and schools, of generosity, of invention, of dignity.
And they will still be there even if the Republicans decide to lie and play sane the next time, they will remember that they don't need Republicans any more to win an election, to have a positive economic plan, to keep spending under control, to have an innovative business sector, to defend the country, to help people in need. Mayhem is no longer inevitable if we but stick together, and if there is responsible leadership to vote for.
Not an easy proposition by any means. But they can't beat us any more. Think about that.