My five year-old daughter has known Africa is a continent for 2 years. Obviously, Mrs. Palin didn’t attend pre-school….

To be fair, I don’t think McCain was going to win anyway, but her selection was the final nail in his campaign coffin.

While the news was good at the top and middle of tickets for Obama and the Congressional makeup, down ballot on state initiatives, things could have been much better.

It now appears that Proposition 8, the amendment to the California State Constitution to eliminate rights for a group of citizens will pass in large part due to tens of millions of dollars from the Mormon and Catholic Churches pouring into the state. Under the influence of this hoard of advertising the majority chose wrongly. In fifty years, this amendment will be viewed the way Jim Crow laws are viewed now. It’s very disappointing.

However, there is a silver lining in the result: the major support comes from older voters. That means, it’s just a matter of time before the State Constitution is returned to a posture of equality for all people as these bigots shuffle off this mortal coil.

Secondarily, that the churches were this active in a secular issue only adds fuel to the fire that churches are, in fact, entities of interest and power. We have a name for these entities, corporations. It is now time for any church with gross annual collections in excess of $250,000 to lose their tax exempt status. Since propositions are so easy to get on the ballot, I’ll leave organized religion to consider that for a little while as a proposition advocating that position may well appear on a future ballot…..

Finally, in the euphoria of the good outcome of the elections, let’s not lose perspective. Our economy is still very fragile and very wounded. Our public consumption and generation of funds is fundamentally broken. Our standing in the international community and indeed, our behavior still needs major rehabilitation. In the back drop of all this, we have crumbling infrastructure, nearly 50 million people without health care, 70% dependence on foreign oil, increasing unemployment, and two failing wars abroad to conclude in such a way as to protect the US and provide the local people with a chance at self-determination. I believe that President-Elect Obama gives us a chance to address the myriad issues at hand, but it is not going to be easy, it is not going to be cheap, and it will not happen overnight.

Don’t give up, don’t surrender to cynicism, while the road ahead will be difficult, we will prevail.

Here’s to those who wish Barack well, and those who don’t, can go to hell. Our long national nightmare has an end, we can wake up and start to rebuild our great democracy. This is a happy and hopeful day. Thanks to all voters who could overcome prejudice and programming to look past the color of his skin and see the content of his character.

I am especially proud to be an American right now. A place where there is hope, where intelligence and hard work triumphs over prejudice and lies, where peaceful transition of leadership is expected and delivered. Hail to the Chief! Congratulations President-Elect Obama!

If you live in the US and you’re entitled to vote, today is your day. Go out and do your civic duty (if you haven’t done so already.)

As you consider your choices today, rather than making that choice from a place of fear or doubt or being against something or someone, I encourage you to take a different tack. Consider the future, consider what you stand for, consider your choices and what they stand for, vote on that basis. How can we make this a better a place?

Don’t vote Democrat or Republican, vote for the people involved. Select the best person in your judgment. Good luck, I’ll write something more for post-election and then I’m laying off politics for some time. I cannot tell a lie, I’m entirely sick of this election.

Who is Jerry Sanders? He is the Republican mayor of San Diego. And today, he made a very courageous, very moral, and very moving decision that showed his humanity and his judgment. There aren’t many public figures, particularly in politics, particularly Republicans I admire. But in this, I salute you Mayor Sanders for putting equality and rule of law above ideology.

Sanders campaigned for office two years ago on a platform that opposed gay marriage, although he was in favor of civil unions as a legal guarantor of rights. The San Diego City Council just passed a resolution instructing the city to join Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Jose and Santa Cruz in a legal fight to challenge a recent ban on same sex marriage working its way to the California Supreme Court. Mayor Sanders had vowed, as recently as earlier this week, to keep his campaign pledge and veto the resolution. Today, he changed his mind.

Mayor Sanders, it’s clear from the footage below that this was a difficult decision for you, but you did the right thing and you did it for the right reasons. It’s so easy to criticize for bad behavior, I want to make sure to praise good behavior too. You, sir, are a Real American.