The streets of denver are wild tonight.  People cheering, horns honking.

That rush of uplifting hope you felt at 9pm pst tonight?  That was the collective cheer of hope that rushed through the country when hearing the news.

Barack Obama elected 44th President of the United States of America.

You didnt feel it?  Thats ok. You can watch if you want.

Or you can be a part of the solution.  Its up to you.

Obama will win the election with a larger margin of electoral and popular vote than George Bush ever did.  Does he have a mandate?

I dont think so. I think he will win by 6 or 7 percent after all the vote is counted, but when you talk about mandate, the electoral college is irrelevant.

Obama talks a very good centrist game.  I think hes going to have to govern from closer to the middle.

Is this the end of the culture war?  Is this the end of the republican party as we have known it?  Seriously, think about it:

John McCain was never a hard core righty until 2001 or so.  He knew he had to start sucking up to the right wing scum that Atwater and Rove had so heavily courted.

Today, they realized they created a monster.  We have heard about all the finger pointing, but frankly I think McCain lost it when he picked Palin.  I am sick and tired of listening to Pat Buchanan talking about the 10 point bump in the polls, then the economy hit blah blah blah.  She would have still been interviewed by Gibson and Couric.  They did not vet this woman.  She did not do her homework after she was picked.  She was an absolute disaster for the ticket.

I have never experienced anything like this.  The cheering in the streets of Denver, the happiness in the air and the general feeling of relief.

The end draws nigh.  Not the end of the world.  The relief that the end of having extremist right wing division rammed down our throats.  The relief that a common sense administration and congress was on the way.

Yes people.  It was a mandate.  Not a huge mandate.  not a 500 to 38 mandate.

But it was way bigger than either Bush win and you all know it.  When you go to bed at night and stare at the ceiling, you know that this was a resounding referendum on the last 8 years.   There is even a possibility that the democrats will achieve a filibuster proof majority.  If not now, for sure in 2010.

In retrospect, I laugh at myself for panicking.  For even thinking that after the last 8 years that our country would elect John McCain and that preliterate moron, Sarah Palin.

But I did.

And no.  We are not a center right country.  More on that later.

We live in california, my lovely wife and children and I. California is a blue state. My vote isnt going to help the obama-biden ticket.

California has a number of ballot initiatives that do, in fact, affect my life in one way or another. Several affect my wallet, several affect my spirit.

I was able to gleefully vote my wallet AND my spirit.

Seriosuly, early voting in California has gotten really bad. I had to travel in 2004 as well, so I early voted then. I was able to go to the Jackie Robinson center in pasadena to early vote. THIS year, I was forced to go to the county registrar in Norwalk of all places.

Upon arriving (and parking in the wrong lot which gave me something to worry about all day), i walked all the way around the building before finding the end of the line. By my estimate, the line was about 500 yards long.

I immediately made friends with my “linemates”. They are Keion and His mother, Maegan, Shannon (I mention them by name because they are rather public figures), a pair of sisters, and later 2 more of Maegan and Shannons friends. Maegan has a rather fabulous blog at www.maegancarberry.com. Keion, Maegan, Shannon and her other friend Megan (sounds like a line from the Bob Newhart show) I found to be extremely engaging. More importantly, they were (in my judgement) interesting, interested people.

Most importantly, these people were “movers and shakers”. Maegan is the former chief of staff for Arianna Huffington. These are the young progressives in our world today.

My son is voting up in berkeley tomorrow. His facebook status said “Shane is nervous and excited about what could be one of the most important things he’ll do in his lifetime tomorrow. Remember to vote tomorrow! “

And it was Maegan who said “I have waited all my life to vote for a competent person…I can wait another 3 hours”

Keion is a recruiter for a major university and is clearly interested in making his mark in his field. His mother works 2 jobs and was voting early because she wasnt sure she would have time between jobs.

Maybe im way too hold to be cool now. I feel very good about our future with youth like this. These are positive and motivated people. It was very infectious. And for a few moments in my life, I felt young and cool again.

It turns out I am actually not as unconnected as I thought, as I ran into my old friend, colleague and former comrade, Mike and his gf (wife yet?) Robin. Mike and I actually go back 4 years. He is an ace unix sysadmin, so if you are in need of his services, please let me know!

We all split up when we got to the “tent” and waited our turn in line. I made sure I didnt miss my call. In the back of my mind I wondered if my voter registration had been kicked back. Why hadnt I gotten my card? What the hell was wrong now.

When my number was called, I didnt hestitate to make an ass out of myself, charging up the aisle like I was on the Price is Right. I waved at my new friends as I passed them.

When I was handed my ballot (with my name on it), I actually paused. I felt like I had some serious power. I felt a rush of images pass through my head, of everyone who ever died for this country, of everyone who has ever suffered, for everyone who has been disenfranchised.

Of everyone who was ever enslaved.

I said it.

Im sure Im being overly dramatic. Its one vote. Who gives a fuck?

Im 42 years old. I grew up in a very bigoted blue blood social register southwest bluebook family. I love my mother and my father, but I didnt grow up like them. I learned that black people were PEOPLE, not black, as an adult. I learned that mexican people were just like people like me that spoke a different language that ironically, i became fluent in as I went through school.

I wielded my pen as though it was excalibur. Holy, mighty, doer of only good deeds and I used it to vote for a good man. A highly educated, highly competent black man and his running mate – just as competent and intelligent and good.

I voted for compassion for drug users and livestock and childrens hospitals. I was cruel and unyielding to billionaire businessmen who pretended to give a fuck about our environment.

I thought about my wife and my children. And I saw that Obama logo in my head, and the one word that has signified his campaign:

Hope

I got chills as I marked my circle for Obama. I choked up a little bit.

We are making history.

For your viewing pleasure, I provide a new commercial from progressive future…check out the Paul Simon tune!

John Lyle