11/4    Regardless of the outcome, I'm very proud of all the Americans
        who voted today. We've come a long way and it's amazing that
        women & black men actually have a chance of winning. Something
        like this was unthinkable in the 60s. We've come a long way.
        \_ not really.  they all suported the bailout which continues to come
           pouring out of our pockets.  maybe it was necessary to win the
           election, but it's still fucked up.
        \_ Considering that we voted for a black president even though the
           population is 80% white and 13% black, yes we've come a long way.
           Or, Bush has come a long way to screw up his party that even a
           black candidate could beat the Republican nominee.
           black candidate (let alone the first major one in US history) could
           beat the Republican nominee.
        \_ You're proud of all who voted?  That's incredibly vacuous.
        \- in 2004 when bush was re-elected, i was really demoralized that
           this wasnt just "four more years" but said something bigger and
           something awful about america and intolerance and parochialism and
           appeals to the "worse angels of out nature". now on the other
           hand i am amazed the first black president isnt a 65yrs old
           black man raised in a affulent suburb of new york city with a
           long moderate legislative history who only made it to the top
           after being tapped as VP or Secy State or other national
           office by "the establishment" or a distinguished military career
           [sort of a colin powell senario ... except it would be the yr 2052].
           it is so amazing the man to took us here was is a young man, without
           any political connections and exceeding modest family background,
           a father from "exotic kenya", a mother with an odd lifestyle,
           who grew up in indonesia and hawaii, has the middle name "hussein",
           was a professor at an elite college ... pointinheaded, academically
           inclined university of chicago for crying out loud ... built a
           campaign apparatus against a consciousless, highly resourced
           heir apparent ... it is amazing epic story. with a sad and poignant
           "literary" turn at the very end with the death of the grandmother
           [the details of his relationship with her have their own amazing
           almost "literary" quality ... like thier greyhound trip across
           the country]. just amazing. --psb
           \_ Yes, except California is still full of biggots. Prop 8 passed.
                                                      \_ And illiterates,
                                                         apparently.
           \_ Yes, except California is still full of bigots. Prop 8 passed.
              \_ MORMON POWER!!!
           \_ Yes, except that the winner is still the one with X times (I
              think it's 8) campaign spending over the loser.
              think it's 7) campaign spending over the loser.
              \- this is not like corzine in new jersey. they fact that so
                 much of the money came from people giving a continual
                 stream of small donations suggested they were engaged rather
                 than "throwing money at the problem". one reason for the
                 strength of conversative causes like pro-lifers is they
                 are willing to make ssacrifices for their beliefs, such as
                 spending a afternoon agitating about their cause rather than
                 drinking beers and playing pool. a better criticism might
                 be "well all he had to do was beat Hilary (the extreme liar)
                 and then coast to victory ... it doesnt say that much about
                 america" but i dont agree with that either. although he does
                 get more propers for beating a cockroach like her who would
                 not go gently into the night and felt differnt rules applied
                 to her.