Before we all start high fiving each other over one poll in January, let's remember a few things: elections aren't won based on your best poll numbers of the day, the economy is still tough for a good many people, we are still fighting two wars and the health care long slog still isn't over. Anger is a passion that can be used by the minority party to displace incumbants (cue the 2006 election), and we still have four years of Joseph I. Lieberman before we can hand him the comeuppance at the ballot box that he so justly deserves.
Depressed yet? You shouldn't be.
Why? Because this is still the best chance we've had to right the wrongs of the past eight years and then some. The GOP is still in such disarray it would be surprising if they could find their way to agreeing on what type of elephant they should use for their logo and what shade of red their website should incorporate, much less resolve their internecine dispute between Those Who Think Obama Is Hitler and Those Who Think Obama Just Needs To Fail At All Costs (even if he's a really nice guy in person).
We should rightly be proud of what the President and our Dems in Congress have accomplished so far. We should rightly criticize the President for not going far enough on things like LGBT rights and ending the pernicious use of mercenaries in military engagements. We should be able to take advantage of opportunities to push for more progressive legislation, and we should be able to see when the inevitable compromise must be accepted.
In short, we really should attempt to be reality based.
That means understanding the frustration that some folks feel - rightly so - that progress hasn't come as much or as quickly as they expected it would after that inspiring day in November 2008 when President Obama won. That also means understanding other folks who saw the Clinton administration - and its agenda - get buried under the endless Whitewater investigation and who vowed to never let that happen again under another Democratic President. It means understanding the anger of our LGBT brothers and sisters at symbolic gestures like Rick Warren speaking at the inauguration, and understanding the pride of our African American brothers and sisters at seeing - finally - the first African American President and First Family.
We need to keep in mind that we have much more in common with each other than we have differences.
And we need to always - always - assume that we are ten points behind the opposition, and work that much harder for our common, shared goals.
Peace.
UPDATE: Angie in WA State pointed out that we only have two - not four - years of Lieberman to go. So that's a bit of fresher air.