It was a terrific day for democracy wasn’t it? When I look out and about on the web and in the media however, I find some real nasty spinning, everyone pointing fingers and claiming it was some slice of the populace that made a difference. Counting upon who you read it’s the progressives, the liberals, the middle class, the independents, the disgruntled Republicans who didn’t vote, the evangelicals who went back to the Democratic party, even Lou Dobbs Democrats.

I think a few things are clear:

1. The Neo-Cons are ummm… toast. Rummy resigning yesterday and Dubya’s ever growing ties with earlier Republican administration officials (in particular his father’s – an old fashioned conservative if there ever was one) are sure signs that Neo-Con ideology is being ejected from this Administration, just as its proponents distance themselves from it. Can the damage they’ve wrought be repaired anytime soon?

2. Karl Rove isn’t the genius everyone makes him out to be. Wedge issues suddenly were being thrown as election day approached, and it wasn’t enough to turn the tide of public sentiment. This time.

3. If the margin is wide enough – the vote can’t be stolen.

4. With enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow. The web empowered thousands of people to become watchdogs, that had to have some kind of effect. That isn’t to say that folks shouldn’t take the eye off the ball when it comes to voting machines and the voting infrastructure. There were troubling signs across election day.

5. The web is now established as an environment you MUST campaign in. It has empowered both politicians to get their message to audiences before not reached, routing around news media filters (via YouTube and other participatory media), and it has empowered citizens to organize, fundraise, and be heard as never before (via the same).

6. TV commercials got nuts this year, didn’t they? I was waiting for a candidate to accuse their opponent of eating children. When the analysis comes in, I bet there will be a realization it was money spent that had little to no effect.

7. A diverse coalition of people came together for a moment to say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH – and the American people spoke.

All and all, it was a sunny day in Philadelphia.