Senator Stevens a Senator no more

The close of a long Governmental career has been foretold by the voters in Alaska. Senator Ted Stevens, who has been at the forefrontof Alaskan political machine since the time before Alaska’s statehood has lost his reelection bid. In the end the longest serving Republican Senator in history lost his seat as voters lost confidence in him and question his moral character over his conviction on several federal felony counts. Senator Stevens has held office since the time of Lyndon Johnson’s administration and that may also have played into Stevens loss, as many Alaskans have joined with the majority of its lower 48 counterparts in looking for a change in direction and governmental approach.

Senator Ted Stevens defeat puts the Democrat President-Elect that much closer to a broad Democrat control. The Senate now sits with in two seats of the possible 60 seat filibuster proof majority. The 58 controlling seats do count two Independents that generally vote Democrat.

Democrat Mark Begich, who has claimed a narrow victory Tuesday after the tally of remaining ballots showed him holding a 3,724-vote edge over Senator Stevens. “Alaska has been in the midst of a generational shift — you could see it,” said Begich, the current Anchorage mayor and now Senator Elect.

Just what is in store for whomever wins the Election?

Just what is in store for whomever wins the Presidential Election?

Who ever wins the Election when the dust settles tomorrownight will be the single heir to an inheritance of one huge mess. They will face challenges on a monolithic scale. They will be faced with restoring growth to a faltering economy the likes of which our country has not seen since the dark days before World War II. They will inherit a military fighting wars on two battle fields. One in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. They will be faced with a budget deficit running close to $500 billion and growing daily. They will be forced by the American people to bring our country back to the figure head status we once held and to move forward as the world’s lone true superpower.

Determining a successor to the highly unpopular President George W. Bush was a high priority with many of the citizens of the United States. Millions of Americans have already voted in the early voting rounds. Election officials are looking forward to Tuesdays long lines at polling stations. The nation is expecting a record turnout which should easily eclipse the 2004 vote total of more than 121 million.

The thing which has divided our nation now for 2 long years is finally at hand. Over the next few days and weeks we will undoubtedly hear complaints the likes of which we have heard many times before. “Not my candidate”, “Not my party” but I suspect that those will be few and far between by December. We as a country can become just that once more and forget for another few years about who is in the Red State and who is in the Blue State, who is against who, because we are all after all Americans.

At the end of the day, no matter who wins you can find some satisfaction in the idea that, it can only get better from here. Look at who’s shoes the winner will have to fill after all.