President Obama.

I went into Election Day fairly sure that it was going to be a victory for the Democrats, but it was still odd to see the results come in. I'm glad, though. If a Democrat had to win (and, after the last eight years, a Democrat pretty much had to win), I'm glad it was someone who represents people who have never seen someone who looks like them hold such a position of power. I still remember my black classmate Michael's presentation on Colin Powell in second grade. He said that though Powell had been asked to run for president, he had declined. I wondered, why would he say no? Why haven't we had a black president? It's about time. I'm fairly confident that the economic crisis will stymie any grand plans on Obama's part. The economy will gain traction slowly, and in four years, we'll most likely see another Republican in office.

I was still really excited to vote.



I rode my bike a couple of streets over in the rain (perfect timing, of course). I really enjoyed the propositions and local measures. Voting gives me a sense of voice and connection. I don't care how miniscule my vote is—something is infinitely better than nothing.

I'm not the only one who's sanguine about the national results. William Kristol, in the New York Times two days ago, predicted that "we conservatives will greet the news with our usual resolute stoicism or cheerful fatalism. Being conservative means never being too surprised by disappointment."

And yesterday, the Times ran a piece on how conservatives and liberals perceive humor. It included this excellent aside:

“Conservatives tend to be happier than liberals in general,” said Dr. Martin, a psychologist at the University of Western Ontario. “A conservative outlook rationalizes social inequality, accepting the world as it is, and making it less of a threat to one’s well-being, whereas a liberal outlook leads to dissatisfaction with the world as it is, and a sense that things need to change before one can be really happy.”