Reconciliation

Those who gain from reconciliation - the losers - will be extending their hands. Business interests, thought to be predictably Republican, actually work very well with whoever is running things. But don't expect the winners to offer the handshake of reconciliation that easily. They won, after all, and you know who gets the spoils. I have scant hope for a new era of good feeling. Listening to the talkback commentary on news radio this morning, we're still divided, and the invigorated Democrats in Congress won't give a damn about bipartisanship. They don't need to.

Special interests. The labor unions and trial lawyers backed their money wagons up to the Obama camp, as they do for most Democrats. Don't tell me they're not "special interests," or that the O-campaign was entirely funded by small contributions. For all the small dollar internet contributors, there were plenty of folks who gave $70,000 each, and who will be looking for more than a hearty handshake in return. An AP article in Sunday's Washington Post reported that "individuals have been credited with giving tens of thousands of dollars to the Obama campaign, far more than the $2,300 limit. Obama has reported more than $17,000 in contributions from a donor identified as "Doodad Pro" and more than $11,000 from one identified as "Good Will." Hmmm...

But I was impressed that the Obama campaign seemed relatively free of the obvious pandering to all "progressive" groups that I think characterized the last few Democrat national campaigns. Of course, he knew he was going to have their support anyway.

Are we blue?

More than yesterday, certainly. Looking at the map, there are blue states that were red four years ago. But check out this one, that shows more subtle coloration based on the strength of party support. Or this one from the Washington Post. Be patient and let it load. Check out the blue spikes in the cities, and the sea of red across more sparsely populated areas. This suggests that we're not close to reconciliation. And despite Oprah's pronouncement, there's no purple there.

Back again

OK. Clearly I didn't know what I was doing. I started this blog but only used it for my editorials (and occasional family postings). Started with a bang after the 2004 election, but didn't add anything after Katrina and discovered today that the Web host had shut me down. Got that straightened out (it's Total Choice Hosting, and they were quick and responsive in getting me back on line) so here I am again.

Ready to start some more post-election blah blah.