Quick Hits

THEN IT BEGINS - Harry Reid's recent threat to remove Joe Lieberman, who votes the vast majority of the time with the Senate Democrats, from his chairmanship of the (ridiculously named) Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee is a small reminder of what the "healing of America" and "working together to get things done" is going to look like under his tutelage. Brace yourselves.

"BRIDGE TO THE LATE 20TH CENTURY" - Barack Obama, in the spirit of "changing the tone in Washington" and "doing away with the partisianship of the past" has chosen for his chief of staff and his principal confidant for the transition team... wait for it... Emanuel and Podesta? Wow. That sure is turning the beltway insiders on their head, eh?

VOTER TURNOUT? - Repeating the "Obama has inspired historic voter turnout" mantra over and over apparently doesn't make it so. Preliminary data show that turnout is up only slightly over 2004, mostly due to a general increase in US voter population numbers. And the great youth movement of 2008 looks like it was a victim of the same apathy that it has succumbed to in the past.

DID MCCAIN EVER REALLY HAVE A CHANCE? - Byron York perfectly illuminates the fact that a McCain win would have been a truly remarkable accomplishment, considering everything he was up against.

INSPIRED ELECTORATE? - Raw voter numbers indicate that Obama's victory this election was less about an electorate inspired by a change candidate, and more that McCain failed to inspire his base. Consider- Bush got 62 million votes in 2004, and McCain got 56 million this year. We've been told over and over that in 2004 Bush won because the "Republican Machine" was able to get out the right-wing evangelical Christian vote. If true, then there were very few crossover voters in that election. So, what happened to the 6 million Bush voters in 2008? Obama may have inspired a hundred thousand new voters, but if McCain gets his base out this year, this election is a whole new game. His collosal risk with no return of Sarah Palin didn't get it done. Thanks to Seth of Morning in America for triggering this thought.

WHO AM I ? - I am the multi-racial son of a black man, raised in a middle class household. I have reached the highest pinnacle of my profession, where only white men of distinguished family pedigree and great family wealth have ever reached. While some African Americans had small successes, the thought of a black man dominating my highly competitive profession as I have was virtually impossible only a few years ago, and the speed at which I have climbed to the very top has been a complete shock to even the most optimistic of my proponents. My arrival triggered great resentment among the old guard, but my single-minded focus, work ethic, and refusal to accept defeat have. I've been referred to as "the savior" and "the chosen one" and I have inspired a whole new generation of followers and supporters with backgrounds as varied as that of the people of America, and even beyond. Who am I?