More Election Stuff

As liberals, progressives, African-Americans, and anyone else who celebrated the Obama victory Tuesday night continue to bask in the glow of that event (I still get misty whenever TV shows interview black people and they can't get over how thrilled they are) there are some other items to pick over from the returns. The Democratic party had a good night, no doubt about that. They picked up several house seats, won seven of the eleven contested governor's races, and have picked at least six senate seats (early today the Oregonian has called Oregon's senate seat for the Democrat, Jeff Merkley, defeating the incumbent Gordon Smith).

But there are a few question marks. In Georgia, it's nip and tuck as to whether incumbent Saxby Chambliss got fifty percent of the vote. If he didn't that means there will be a run-off on December 2 between him and his Democratic challenger, Jim Martin. Both are preparing for a run-off. The problem is another election is not likely to get the huge turnout, particularly from the African-American community. I would bet that Barack Obama will make several appearances on behalf of Martin.

In Minnesota, there will be a recount. The incumbent Republican, Norm Coleman, has a razor-thin lead against Democrat Al Franken--fewer than a thousand votes out of over three million cast. Minnesota law automatically calls for a recount in that event, but Coleman is suggesting that it's a waste of taxpayer money. This is why I hate most Republican politicians--would he be cheerfully ceding the election to Franken if the shoe was on the other foot? How about getting it right?

It would be so great for Franken to win. It seems like he's been around for years, and I guess that's because he has. It's hard to believe that his bit, the "Me, Al Franken decade" goes back to 1980. Beyond his skills as a comedian (and the Senate could probably use some levity), he's a very knowledgeable man who can run rings around most politicians when it comes to policy. He's the Wonk/Comic. And his election would engender apoplexy among right-wing troglodytes like Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh.

Then there's Alaska. Perhaps Todd Palin had it right--they should be their own country. Do we want a state where a convicted felon can be re-elected to office? What is wrong with them up there--the cold has frozen their brains? It's not official for Stevens, a lot of votes still need to be counted, but if he does win it will make Alaska the new embarrassing state, when Louisiana used to hold that position. Stevens may go back to Washington, but the Senate may boot him (it takes 67 votes to do that, but a lot of Republicans are justifiably ticked that he didn't resign). in that event, there would be a special election to replace him. Talk about wasting taxpayer money. And would Sarah Palin run? If she does, here's hoping she cracks open an atlas and learns that Africa is not a country.

Finally, there's the disturbing news that ballot initiatives to outlaw same-sex marriages passed in California and Florida. I will never understand the opposition to gay marriage except as some deep-rooted hatred of homosexuals (perhaps not of them as people, but their "lifestyle"). Constitutions should be about preserving rights, not denying them based on hostility that grows from fundamentalist religious dogma. I just don't get how gay marriage hurts anything. After all, if two men live together as a couple, they are legally entitled to have sex with each other, and that's nobody's business but their own. Why not be able to celebrate their love for each other as heterosexual couples do? Using dictionary definitions is not a sound way of making laws. My only comfort is the feeling that this is a battle that is not over, and that eventually gays will have all the rights they should have, much as blacks do. Remember, interracial marriage was once illegal, too.