Mars

Left-wing melancholics like myself don't do political elation very well. This morning I woke up thinking gloomily about how dangerous the situation remains in this country, and how much hard work it’ll take to set things right.

That said, I’m pretty goddamn elated. Richard Pombo is gone, for one thing. As I mentioned before, this was a race I felt very strongly about. Unseating that repellent waste of skin was not just a political victory, but an aesthetic one. When I say that I hope the remainder of his dreams go unfulfilled, I'm really just saying that I hope humanity has a future.

I’m also very happy about the failure of California’s Proposition 90, which was a catastrophically corrupt attempt to elevate property rights over…well, pretty much everything. It’ll be back, in one form or another, but I tend to think the political climate will be even more hostile next time to this sort of addled extremism.

Speaking of extremism, Arizona’s refusal to ban gay marriage, the overturn of South Dakota’s abortion ban, and the ousting of the reptilian Phill Kline are astonishing defeats for misogyny, bigotry, and cynicism in places where many of us didn’t expect to see them. (California’santi- abortion bill lost handily as well, though that outcome was never really in doubt.)

Plus, the election coincided with Echidne’s three-year anniversary. She’s one of my favorite bloggers and people, and a daily inspiration to me.

So all in all, I’m happy. We made it to the foot of the mountain. Now, we just have to start climbing.