Sour grapes

I'm just realizing today that I've been lowering my sights for politics in this country for years. Fiscal responsibility, a more progressive tax system, and getting the hell out of Iraq all seem possible and desireable now, where yesterday they would have been unthinkable. But more important to me than anything else is that the tone of the political debate will have to change. Bush is already having to say things he doesn't want to say to people he doesn't want to talk to. He hasn't had to do that for four years.
Moreover, the Republican machine has lost its inertia. The really demoralizing thing about the past few years has been that it seemed that the republicans were not only in power at the time, but that they would be forever. That's done. With victories in the states, some of the gerrymandering the Republicans instituted can be reversed. The Democratic base will be energized by this election, and more liberal issues will be on the table, meaning that those who care about these issues and stand to benefit from them will get off their asses.
Yay!