For the first time since 1994, the United States will be an undivided government. The House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Presidency will all be in Democratic control.
This is not a good thing. I say that as a Democrat - this is a terrible, risky thing. I don't believe in "bipartisanship" as a goal unto itself, but I realize that bipartisanship forces different regions to listen to one another. And that's an important part of the American system. With so much power vested in the hands of one party (even one so dysfunctional as the Democratic party), we risk losing critical voices within the political process. Given that parties seem incapable of self-critique, this loss hurts us a great deal.
The celebration surrounding last night's election results bothers me a great deal, as well. Granted, supporters always celebrate their candidate's victory, but this seems like actual devotion to Obama. That's dangerous. Nobody should be devoted to a politician - devote yourself to ideals, not people.
Obama can make a fine president. But I fear that the Democratic party has abandoned the sort of militant liberalism that Clinton - for all of his faults - pursued overseas. I worry that the Obama administration will be unwilling to engage in another Yugoslavia if the situation presented itself. How will he address Darfur? How will he deal with a militantly theocratic Iran? How will he help the Iraqi and Afghani peoples? If Obama (and, more specifically, the Democratic party) is unwilling to use military force, then we will face a long four years.
On another note, I was surprised to see that some 44% of Texans voted for Obama. Cool.
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