My headline stealing a little bit from Winston Churchill -- it has been quite a ride for the country during this election season, especially since the season seems to have stretched on for about seven years.
Even as a conservative I believe it is appropriate to congratulate President-elect Obama. Not my choice, but the choice of my system, which I respect as flawed but still the best in the world.
A disappointing night in the presidential race, although one I was not completely un-prepared for the experience. I am somewhat surprised that the Democrats did not pick up a couple more seats in the Senate and perhaps five more seats in the House. In the Udall election I must confess to seeing another Tim Wirth, but we shall see.
Locally an extremely gratifying result-- with more or less conservative candidates winning across-the-board and at this writing an increasing lead in a narrow race for the conservative challenger Laura Bradford in House District 55.
The more reckless spending initiatives appear to have been struck down, the ill-advised attempt at growth in county executives jettisoned and the Governor's attempt to layer yet another tax on business in Colorado rejected.
The school district probably is experiencing a tremendous disappointment but while some of the new construction may be useful, the citizenry seems to expect results before a raise in pay.
And our hat goes off to Marcia Neal, the winner of the third congressional district seat on the state Board of Education. A huge amount of traveling while struggling for recognition to be elected to an unpaid position on an extremely important entity. Her devotion to this task and her vision for the children of the state which drove her to literally drive thousands of miles to campaign is impressive.
Laura Bradford's commitment to her principles and her determination are exemplified in her midnight black, dark horse candidacy. In the coming days we will try and calculate how many dollars per vote her opponent spent versus her minute campaign budget.
