Rusty silver linings
 

(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.

Honestly the Republican party needs to step away from the social issues a bit and focus on fiscal conservatism. That's the way back.

And tarnished, the term you were looking for is tarnished.

Exactly.

That's the hope, but don't hold your breath. These people have a death-grip on the party.

How will that work when many Americans want something for nothing and have someone else pay for their 'something'?

Isn't it "your people"? And by "your people", I mean all Christians who aren't Mormon, and go to mega-Churches with guitar-wielding pastors and cookies in the foyer.

Racist.

Donuts.

I actually think (hope) this election will turn some heads of those in control of the party. It's truly unbelievable that conservatives rejected someone like Romney because he believes that Jesus was Lucifer's brother.

Donuts? Whole ones? What kind of tithing do you guys pay???