Obama Wins!!!!!!!

I don't know why, but CNN has not called it but MSNBC has. Obama is reelected!!! He is projected to win Ohio and that puts him over the top. Fox has not called it yet, but appears resigned to the fact. Not sure what is wrong with CNN. Fox just called it as well. The story of the victory appears to be the changing demographics of the country. Exit polls show Republicans winning 61 percent of the white vote but getting crushed among Latinos (80 to 20) and blacks (don't know the exact figures). CNN finally called it. The Democrats also will retain control of the Senate according to MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow is now saying, a progressive approach to policy in some areas (though I have critiqued Obama below) has actually been legitimated by his reelection. The politics of cynicism, racism and lies loses. Yes it was close, but money alone cannot usher in a one percenter proclaiming tired old discourses about business and government. 

Do most people in America support healthcare reform? Maybe not. Do they support tax increases to increase government support for the poor? Maybe not. But they reelected an African American president who supported gays by repealing don't ask, don't tell and putting his support behind gay marriage. They voted for a president who passed major healthcare reform. A president who pretended to take on Wall Street, who saved the auto industry and who tried to be bipartisan with the most obstructionist Senate since the Civil War. At some level, they seemed to reaffirm a belief that government can do some good and that there is no place in politics any longer for hard right ideologues. Yes the south is still firmly in Republican hands. Yes some right wingers will still rule the roost in the House. But this may be an important moment in American history when we turned a corner. The GOP will have to look hard in the mirror and maybe run on sensible policies rather than negativity, God and lies. A boy can dream ...