Rusty silver linings

[Tex]

(Yes I know silver doesn't technically rust. It's a metaphor, get over it.)

First off, congrats to Obama. He won, and took a few traditional red states with him. I'll post more about that some other time.

For now, time to find the positive. In no particular order:

1. I'll never have to say "President McCain." This truly was a "lesser of two evils" election for me, and now I can set my cognitive dissonance aside and go back to really disliking John McCain.

2. Joe Biden. This man will be endless entertainment for the next 4 years. Late night comics will shy away from Obama jokes, so he'll be the proxy.

3. Hillary Clinton. Odds of another Clinton presidency just got a whole lot longer.

4. I now have a great comeback line for everyone who keeps telling me what a racist country we are.*

5. Pro-marriage passes in AZ and FL, and probably CA, two of which went blue. That suggests we are still very much a socially conservative country.

6. Four senate races still unresolved, with the R's ahead in all of them. There's a decent outside chance that those idiots in Minnesota may not have elected the worst Senate candidate in a century.

*Caveat: every opposition to Obama will now be labeled racism. Prepare for the new race wars.

So what's next for Republicans?

It's obvious a return to conservative roots is in order. The question is, who will take us there? Palin? Romney? Jindal? Kyl? Boehner? After the country gets a taste of full Obama-style liberalism, it's going to be thirsty to wash it's mouth out with some fresh conservatism, but someone needs to articulate it.

Romney seems best positioned. I know some here don't like him, but if he takes measures to solidify his conservative credentials, he could make another strong case. I don't think Palin goes far. The jury is still out on Jindal for me. It's good he's got some time to govern, and to run for re-election.

All is not lost. It's just another day in American politics. The Democrats will have "scoreboard" for a while, but sooner or later the pendulum swings back.

It's a great country we live in.