Election Results: Good News, Bad News, and... it's Complicated

This election was truly historic, and everyone has their own spin on the issues. Well, here's mine:

Presidential Race: Barack Obama's slam dunk victory! OMG, indeed. Obama's election represents a victory over racism and xenophobia, the extreme conservatism and failed policies of the last 8 years, and a vindication of the power of the people to rise up and demand change. Walking around Minneapolis last night, I've never felt anything so powerful. The hope and excitement in the air was tangible. People who woke up during this election season, people who got involved, who voted for the first time or volunteered for a political campaign for the first time, this victory will embolden them to continue to be involved and demand their enfranchisement in the future. As long as we continue to see voter turnout rates at 80% and this level of involvement among young people, I doubt we'll ever see an administration like the W. Bush regime ever again.

But. There's a but. I have serious doubts that this victory would have been possible without the current severe economic recession. Certainly, the Bush administration's policies have, to some extent, precipitated this crisis, but there is realistically only so much a president's policies can do to affect the economy. Had, by some strange twist of fate, the economy been stable these past few months, I don't think we would have seen an Obama victory. That said, there continues to be a powerful contingency in this country who will stop at nothing to oppose the kind of progressive politics that Obama stands for. We will have to remain vigilant if and when the economy rebounds to ensure that our gains are not lost as Americans return to their apathetic and consumption-driven ways. An Obama presidency is an opportunity to make change, it is not in and of itself the change that we have sought.

Strong Schools Strong City Referendum: Oh, yes! Minneapolitans once again proved that they are prepared to make sacrifices and do whatever is necessary to ensure that all our children have the best education to prepare them to be excellent neighbors and citizens, and that even in difficult times we are willing to pay whatever price to ensure our future. We also showed that we cannot be intimidated by outsiders who will use dirty, illegal tactics to try to destroy our public school system. Minneapolis residents have shown that they are proud of their schools, proud of their communities, and proud of their commitment to the future, and they are ready to stand together to defend what they value. Huzzah!

On the other hand, now I'm unemployed! (Or, as Zoe likes to say, "funemployed.") No worries, friends, I'm lining up jobs and should be gainfully employed soon!

Senate Race: Ugh. This race has been brutal, and it's far from over. It saddens me, and sort of befuddles me, too, to see Minnesotans join together to elect Obama, and then launch into the nastiest, dirtiest, most cutthroat competition over this senate seat that Coleman should never have held in the first place. (I still contend that, had Wellstone not been killed in 2002, Coleman would never have seen the inside of the U.S. Senate.) But, I'm not blaming Coleman -- I blame everyone. Franken has run a terrible campaign which has only heightened the negativity and frustrated Minnesotans who universally prefer never to speak a harsh utterance against anyone. Barkley's campaign wasn't any better, but was likely a protest vote candidate for folks who were sick of the back and forth between Franken and Coleman. This was the worst instance of nose-holding whilst voting I've ever witnessed in my (albeit short) time as an eligible voter. My one hope is that this experience will convince more Minnesotans that Instant Runoff Voting is a necessary reform.

At this point, my principal lingering frustration is that people -- the politicians, their campaigns, and even the pundits -- seem not to realize that it doesn't really matter who got the most votes. When the election is this close, nobody is getting a mandate, and whoever actually takes that senate seat is going to have a hard road ahead to convince the majority of Minnesotans that they legitimately represent them. I believe it is necessary to go through with the recount because I think there cannot be any doubt in anyone's mind that one of the candidates did not actually receive a majority of the votes legitimately cast, and I think it's utterly disgusting that Coleman has suggested that this recount is not only unnecessary but is a waste of the state's resources. He's probably correct in assuming that a recount will not change the outcome, but the legitimacy and transparency of this and every election is a cornerstone of the democratic process. Coleman's assertion is symptomatic of his entire world view and persona. For Coleman, the only rules that apply to him are the ones he chooses to follow. Still, Franken will need to give a concession speech not unlike the one given by McCain -- he will need to convince Minnesotans that Coleman is and will be their senator, and we will all have to work harder to ensure that Coleman does, in fact, do his duty to represent Minnesotans in the senate (and not just continue to do what is politically convenient). Coleman also needs to acknowledge that this has not been a victory for him, and he will have to work hard to get back into our good graces or be prepared to find a new job in 6 years (or less if we catch him or his wife with their hands in the cookie jar).

Constitutional Amendment: Surprise! When I went to bed last night I assumed that the amendment had failed, so when I woke up and heard the news I thought maybe I was still a little hammered from the night before. The good news is that Minnesotans have demonstrated their commitment to invest in the arts and our natural resources, and I think this victory represents both a tangible financial investment in our future as well as a signal to lawmakers that Minnesotans really do support policies that support good stewardship of the environment.

But. Yes, another but. Some people feel this was a misuse of the constitution. I'm not so sure I agree, but I do think that the use of the sales tax was wrong. The sales tax will now go up from 6.5% to 6.8ish%. Because a sales tax is not graduated based on income it disproportionately negatively impacts low and middle income folks. From an environmental justice perspective, this is actually a step backward. Environmental problems tend to affect low and middle income people to a greater degree for a variety of reasons -- if you're rich, you can move to a neighborhood with cleaner water, less pollution, or purchase water filtration systems or organic foods, etc. Now, with this constitutional amendment, poor and middle income people will be forced to bear a larger proportion of the costs of cleaning up the environment. Why did it have to be a tax applied to consumer products? Why not a business tax? Or, estate tax? Property tax? Any number of other funding mechanism could have been applied. This, to me, seems like a huge mistake.

Proposition 8: Oh dear. True, this is California, but it is said that how California goes, the rest of the nation follows, so I think it's worth a mention. The passage of Proposition 8 (in case you haven't heard) changes the definition of marriage in CA to be a union between "one man and one woman," and hence has made gay marriage illegal and possibly will delegitimize recent marriages of same-sex couples (something the courts will have to determine). While Obama's election was a blow against racism, Americans clearly still struggle with bigotry. I continue to hold out hope for a day when we can look back on our treatment of homosexuals as barbaric and ignorant, but that day is not this day.

All in all, I'm so full of hope and joy that I can hardly contain myself! I don't know how to be, I don't know what it's like to live under a political regime that I actually whole-heartedly support! Let's congratulate ourselves for a job well done, and get ready to work even harder to make the changes that this presidency will make possible. This is a revolution, and I think all revolutions need certain semantic changes, changes in the discourse among the citizenry. Like, I noticed Wonkette was calling Obama-philes "Hopeys." I sort of like that. I also think we could incorporate "yes" and "yes we can" into a lot more of our regular discourse. I think it would make a nice greeting to say "yes we can!" Or, imagine ordering at a coffee shop: "Yes we can! have a grande latte!" (Maybe the first person plural is a bit much, not sure.) Anyway, think about it.