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These are just a few unorganized reflections on the past election before we dive into talking about the president-elect's preparations to take office for the next couple of months:
There is no understating the historical significance of the election of a black president of the United States. As John McCain noted in his gracious concession speech, it was just a century ago that the invitation of Booker T. Washington to have dinner at the White House with President Teddy Roosevelt was a scandal. Now an black man is about to make the White House his home.
But some have taken Sen. Barack Obama's election as the starting point of racial reconciliation. That reconciliation must have already taken place, if Obama was to be elected at all. This is not to say that racism is dead. But we can take heart in knowing that much has already been accomplished. America is not just ready, we've been ready.
But the historical significance of Obama's victory should not overshadow the political significance of the election. His election was really about capping off the Democratic Party's efforts to retake the government in its entirety. But how should we interpret this victory? Some believe it signals a permanent shift to the left in U.S. politics. Yet Republicans declared the opposite was true when they solidified their control of the House and Senate in the 2002 election, and six years later they are out of power.
There are other reasons to doubt what we witnessed on Tuesday was a major realignment in U.S. politics. There is the simple fact that people become restless when any party rules too long, and this may explain the Republican defeat more than anything. There is the explanation that the unique unpopularity of George W. Bush doesn't extend to the whole party. There is the fact that ballot initiatives banning same-sex marriage passed in several states, indicating the continuing appeal of social conservatism.
Finally, there is the argument that the economic crisis proved a winning issue for the Democrats; a crisis in foreign policy might have turned the tide in McCain's favor. What Obama and the Democrat's victory means is not evident from the results of the election, in other words. It remains to be seen how Obama will govern, how he will get along with Congress and what will be the future of the Republican Party.
Which brings us to the last point: where did the Republicans go wrong? There are the usual excuses: John McCain was the wrong nominee or Sarah Palin brought him down. But the selection of the GOP nominees belongs to the past. The question is the future. Conservatives may reassert their dominance, interpreting the loss as the result of the party straying from its principles. Or the opposite may happen, and the party may turn moderate in an attempt to out-Obama in the next election. As one commentator wryly noted, they'll have a long time to think about it.
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