From corrupt and unethical behavior by elected officials to the war in Iraq, and the failure of government to act effectively before or since Hurricane Katrina, those who voted cast their ballots against the status quo in Washington, D.C. Not surprisingly, though, in most cases it's clearer what the electorate voted against than what they voted for.

According to the Pew Research Center, 57 percent of political independents voted for Democrats, while 39 percent voted for Republicans, and the war in Iraq was the most important issue in this election. Sixty-nine percent of voters dissatisfied with President George W. Bush supported the Democratic candidate in their House district.

The question now is, will the new Democratic majority have the guts, savvy, and courage to deliver? It's two months before these newly elected Democrats take office, and already, columnists, pundits, former government officials, and much of the corporate-owned media have begun advising moderation and centrism, even going so far as to caution that hearings on administration misbehavior would be counterproductive and divisive. This is a complete misreading of the message that the voters sent on November 7. On this point, at least, we were clear: Not only do we want the bums out, but we want the mess they've made cleaned up.

That said, last week's vote did send mixed messages about exactly how much change Americans are ready for when it comes to social issues. Sure, we all want the big, bad stuff--the Iraq debacle, the squeezing of the middle class, unethical elected officials--to go away. But on issues that involve minority-group members, women, and gay people, the messages are more complex.

Although Arizona rejected a ban on same-sex marriage, seven states approved such a ban. Increases to the minimum wage were approved by the six states where they were on the ballot. Michigan voters passed a ban on affirmative action programs that offer preferences to women and ethnic minorities. And a Missouri initiative supporting stem cell research passed, while an effort to ban almost all abortions, including in cases of rape and incest, in South Dakota was defeated.

What these votes indicate is that too many Americans are still unable to understand and accept that our society continues to put at a disadvantage those who are not White, male, and straight. We reject initiatives that seek to rectify the resulting discrimination, because we persist in denying that race, gender, or sexual orientation matters, as if the playing field becomes level simply because we say it is.

As for African-American Democrats who ran for office, in addition to running smart, issue-oriented campaigns that appealed to working- and middle-class Americans across a broad spectrum, they benefited from the prevailing disgust with the Republican Party. Former Justice Department official Deval Patrick, a Democrat, was elected governor of Massachusetts, no small victory in a state known as much for its vicious resistance to school integration as for its intellectual liberalism.

It was heartening to see the election of Keith Ellison--an African-American, a progressive, and a Muslim--to Congress from Minnesota's Fifth District. Ellison will become the first Muslim to serve in the House of Representatives. Ellison's victory demonstrates how a smart candidate with a message that delivers for everyone--get the troops out of Iraq, and support universal health insurance--was able to overcome being marginalized or demonized because of religion or race.

Still, it's not yet time for a national "We Are the World" sing-along. In Tennessee, Democratic Congressman Harold Ford lost his bid for the Senate to Bob Corker, whose campaign was right out of Birth of a Nation, using images that blatantly--and apparently effectively--invoked racist notions of Black male sexual rapaciousness in pursuit of White womanhood. Still, significantly, in a Southern state with more registered Republicans than Democrats, Ford, who is only 36 and has a long political life ahead of him, lost by only 3 percentage points.

Perhaps it is progress that racism cuts both ways, and it was certainly decisive in the defeat in Virginia of Republican incumbent senator George Allen, who so recently had been touted as the Republicans' fair-haired boy and as presidential material. Allen was defeated by Jim Webb, in no small part because of the negative media attention Allen received after his racist characterization of a brown-skinned Webb campaign worker as "macaca, or whatever his name is," was widely disseminated on youtube.com and opened the door to accounts of Allen's past racist behavior.

Black Republicans didn't fare so well, either: Michael Steele failed to win in his senatorial campaign in Maryland, and Ken Blackwell in Ohio and Lynn Swann in Pennsylvania lost out on their gubernatorial bids. ("A black snake will bite you as fast as a white one" paraphrases Justice Thurgood Marshall's response when asked about the possibility of his being replaced by Clarence Thomas on the U.S. Supreme Court.) In these races it seems that any appeals to racial solidarity were trumped by the overwhelming negatives of the candidates' affiliation with the Republican Party and the current administration.

Ironically, the biggest winner on November 7 wasn't even on the ballot.

He is nationally known and seems able to appeal to Americans across race, class, and geography. He can be an inspiring speaker, manifests many characteristics of leadership, has plenty of charisma, and is a coveted guest on the Sunday political talk shows and Oprah.

He is contemplating a run for president in 2008 and is second only to Hillary Clinton among Democrats' choice of presidential candidates. His second book, The Audacity of Hope, is number one on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best seller list, and he's got a brilliant wife, two charming children, and, as far as we know, no devastating skeletons in his closet.

In January, he'll return to the Senate as a member of this new Democratic majority. At 45, Barack Obama has more political capital than most of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. It'll be fascinating to see how he spends it.

What do you think of the results of the November 7 election? Do the Democrats have a mandate to make broad changes, or were the events of Election Day basically a response to the situation in Iraq? Were you rooting for a particular Black candidate? Were you surprised by how the Black candidates fared? Share your political point of view in the comments section below.

On the Verge columnist Jill Nelson's latest book, Finding Martha's Vineyard: African Americans at Home on an Island (Doubleday; $27.50), is in stores now

Published on: 11/14/2006







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