t is fair to say, as so many have before me, that the outcome of this election is momentous. The president elect has won a commanding majority with an impressive margin of support. A new chapter in America's story has begun. It is far too early to know, but one can conjecture and hope. Is the victor another F.D.R. in the making? Is he possibly poised to embark on a radical reconstruction of the country's social and political fabric?
He had to fight a couple of formidable foes during this campaign; Sen. Hillary Clinton, to get the nomination, and Sen. John McCain in order to win the presidency.
Democrats will enjoy significantly increased majorities in both houses of Congress, even if they fell short of achieving the needed 60 seats in the Senate in order to stave off a filibuster. His sweep in both houses is a mandate for change.
There will be so much on his plate every moment of the four year first term. His most important domestic policy proposal must be his comprehensive reform of this country's health care system.
The president elect ran a campaign which appealed to the center. He has a mandate for change. One of the major challenges, for the man and for congress,is to constantly remember that his task will be to represent all the people of the nation.
James Carville, writing for the international press put it succinctly, "American voters have emphatically slammed the door on eight long years of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney's divisive politics and disastrous policies".
What happened is a new generation of voters has transformed American politics. Young voters, between 18 and 29, turned out to campaign and then to vote. Democrats made history in large measure because of the support of the youthful voters, dispelling past apathy on their part.
At a time of so many great problems besetting this country, we might well have the right person as our President.
May God be with him.