The Day After

• I went to bed last night and woke up this morning listening to NPR's election coverage. What a wonderful feeling to hear election news that isn't totally depressing! Deval Patrick as governor! Democrats take the House, and make gains in the Senate! Bernie Sanders elected to the Senate! Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House!
• I am totally psyched about the change in power in Congress but it is also too bad that moderate Republicans like Lincoln Chaffee are among those who got booted. Chaffee sounds more Democratic than some of the Democrats (I am a bit alarmed by the reports of pro-life and pro-gun Democrats being elected). I wonder at his allegiance to a party whose positions he is clearly out of sync with.
  
• And then to hear that Rumsfeld is out! WOW. Wasn't it just a few days ago that Bush was saying that he wanted Rumsfeld and Rove to stay for the rest of his term. If only we could get rid of Rove and Cheney, too...
• I intentionally avoid listening to Bush and his gang in press conferences, speeches, etc. I just can't stand it. But just a little while ago NPR played some clips of Rumsfeld talking to the press. I'm sure they were chosen to make this point, but jeez, he sounds like as much of an idiot as Bush. (Why am I surprised by this?)
• Now we need a viable presidential candidate for 2008. I am surprisingly lukewarm about Hillary Clinton. I say surprisingly because I used to be one of her biggest fans. But frankly, she's become more conservative than I'm comfortable with. Is it too soon for Barack Obama?
• There is a fairly well documented trend of people becoming more conservative as they grow older, but I am living proof that it's only a trend. I was raised a liberal and the older I get, the lefter I get. In many ways I'm a socialist at heart. Which may explain why I'm a fan of Bernie Sanders and not so much of Hillary Clinton.
  
• Voters in Massachusetts defeated a proposition that would allow grocery stores to sell wine. I don't get the uproar over this. Everywhere else I've lived you could buy beer and wine at the grocery store....but in Massachusetts you have to go to the "packie." Of course the packies funded a major campaign against this proposition because they don't want to lose business, but I am still surprised that it is controversial.