Election Day!!

Today we make history.

I'm on pins and needles for the Presidential election as well as the Washington state gubernatorial contest and, duh, Proposition 8 in CA. The plan is to avoid any election coverage after 7pm PST, go to yoga, and emerge at 9pm with a new president. All will be right with the world, angels will trumpet on high, and the Dow will gain 2,000 points in the morning -- and manage to hold on to them. The world will breathe a collective sigh of relief, and there will be such astonishing international goodwill that everyone will manage to overcome their differences and we'll see an end to violence in Africa and the Middle East; North Korea will open it's borders, and Cuba will hold open democratic elections.

Nonsense, of course, but just last night I was discussing with friends the likelihood of a "rubber band effect" if we do indeed see an Obama presidency. Is it possible that the harm done over the past eight years can be overcome by the US dramatically changing course, electing our first mixed race president, and dropping the arrogant and contemptuous attitude that has defined American politics for far too close to a decade now? I think that it is possible. I don't believe that it will be immediate, but I do believe that we can show that we are making a good faith effort to be a good global citizen. We know that we made some pretty big mistakes, but hey, we want to do better, and we're trying.

Pins and needles people, pins and needles.