I am a progressive, politically. I’m fine with the label, “radical,” also. There’s a tie-in to the late historian, Howard Zinn on the latter point. Zinn was a man who I admired and I’m glad Mark and got to hear him speak at Bates College one year during his Wheaton years, when he was home for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday’s election results are being interpreted in a myriad manner of ways. Much of the parsing of the final tallies of voter’s choices land along a narrow ideological divide. While certainly someone who can be called a “partisan,” Ari Melber’s trenchant analysis on MSNBC nailed it, IMHO. Spin it however you want: it was a historic night!

Tuesday was a historic night for Democrats.

For those deniers of “blue waves” or believers who thought Beto might win in Texas, a state redder than a ripe tomato, Wednesday morning delivered disappointment. If you were hoping for something less—simply restoring some check on the Orange-Menace-in-Chief—then you might be okay with the outcome. Of course, being the narcissist that he is, The Trumpinator made his push for Republicans what some were calling “a referendum.” As he told one reporter, “In a sense, I am on the ticket,” said The Donald following one of his rallies.

Sharice Davids, left, celebrates with mother, Tuesday night. (Jim Lo Scalzo photo)

Looking at some of these results and catching today’s Democracy Now broadcast with Amy Goodman, I’m quite pleased that there was a definite hue of diversity coloring Tuesday’s Democratic victories in the House of Representatives. Here’s a snapshot of some key elements and significant changes inherent in Tuesday’s results:

• At least 100 women will be serving in the U.S. House for the first time in U.S. history.
• Two Native American women (Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland) were elected for the first time.
• Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress.
• With their net gain of 30 House seats, Democrats now have veto power, again.
• A majority of House committees and subcommittees will now be controlled by progressives: The Progressive Caucus will have about 90 members.

These results are not insignificant given Republican gerrymandering. Oh, and don’t forget that the party of Trump are masters of voter suppression.

President Trump wasted no time on Wednesday, firing embattle Attorney General, Jeff Sessions. He replaced him with a party loyalist and someone who surely is there to protect the president, rather than the rule of law.

The Senate remains firmly in Republican hands. Those of us who despise this club for geriatric white males, nothing significant has changed. We’ll still have to stomach Mitch McConnell and his partisan diatribes that get passed off by right-wingers as leadership.

“How Dare You Challenge Me,” says The Orange Demagogue to Jim Acosta, continuing his assault on the media. (The Guardian video)

The president also continued to wage war on the media. This time, it was CNN’s Jim Acosta, who was the target. The lesson continues to be, if you don’t flatter the pathological liar occupying the presidency, you’ll certainly be singled out for a tirade of some sort.

Sycophants who follow him might want to seek out a copy of Orwell’s 1984. I realize I’m engaging in fantasy, because nothing will deter their blind loyalty to the worst sort of demagogue.