They better not screw it up

Top five moments from Election Day

1) Democrats win everything except the World Cup (and the Governorship)
2) First Muslim congressman in U.S. History
3) First female speaker of the house in U.S. History
4) First female U.S. senator in Minnesota history
5) First black U.S. representative in Minnesota history

Last night I stopped at the liquor store before the election night fiesta. I bought two bottles of champagne (one for spraying in the yard, which never happened). I didn’t dare to be optimistic before then – it was once I’d already heard about half the races called that I even spent the money on the champagne.

I’ve spent the last six years of my life – ever since I could vote, really — living under this repressed feeling that our government really doesn’t represent me. All the conservatives are totally crazy – i.e. Michelle Bachman – and the Democrats have been powerless to do anything.

The conservatives advocated for the gay marriage amendment. Or the flag burning amendment. Or the giant fence on the border. Or kicking out all the immigrants. Or making a mess out of Medicare and Social Security.

I didn’t realize how truly sad I was about all of this until I was reading the newspaper this morning and started to think about all the cool things could happen now that the Democrats have a say. Already, Bush had lunch with Nancy Pelosi today and Donald Rumsfeld quit.

I’m an optimist about politics and I tend to believe (perhaps naively) that our government will work, and eventually life in this country will change for the better.

Ever since I’ve been able to vote, I’ve put all my faith in the Democrats. I would guess that 85 percent of the votes I have cast in the last six years have been for Democrats. In retrospect, they have done very little to earn these votes on my part. The votes have been cast with the sheer faith that whatever Democrats do would be better than the status quo. They would protect millions of Americans from racism and sexism and bigotry and hatred.

Now that they’re in power, if they screw it up, it will break my heart.