Put another one in the win column:

ANNAPOLIS -- Democrat Frank Kratovil has defeated Republican Andy Harris to win a seat that has been held by the GOP for 18 years in Maryland's tight 1st District congressional race.

With the first of two rounds of absentee ballots counted, Kratovil had 49 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Harris and 2 percent for Libertarian Richard Davis.

Kratovil's election-night lead of 915 votes more than doubled to 2,003 after the first absentee ballot count was completed Friday.

About 4,800 provisional ballots will be counted Monday and an unknown number of absentee ballots will arrive by mail for a final count Nov. 14, but it would be nearly impossible for Harris to reverse the trend in which he has been losing nine of the 12 counties in the district.

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...

Late Night Snark: Post Election Edition

"Attention passengers: The Straight Talk Express is no longer in service. ... Barack Obama is our new president. I think I speak for everybody when I say, 'Anybody mind if he starts a little early?' ... At the end of the night, the electoral vote count was 349 for Obama, 148 for McCain. Or as Fox News says: 'too close to call.'"
---David Letterman
-
"People were worried about the Bradley effect. Apparently, it was not nearly as strong as the Bush effect."
---Jay Leno
-
"You know who I blame? The Large Hadron Collider.  It is the world's largest and highest particle accelerator. You may remember we were warned that it could create a black hole and destroy the Earth. Consider this: it launched in mid-September, when John McCain was leading in the polls. I believe it jolted us into a parallel universe that was exactly like our own, only Barack Obama is president and the Phillies are world champions."
---Stephen Colbert
-
"Yesterday, first lady Laura Bush called Michelle Obama and invited her and her young daughters to the White House. Laura Bush told Mrs. Obama, 'While I give you a tour, the girls can watch SpongeBob with the president.'"
---Conan O'Brien
-
"We're all very happy except Sean Hannity, who is too busy in the bathroom crying."
---Fox News's Chris Wallace on The Daily Show
-
"People all over the world are celebrating Obama’s victory. Sarah Palin watched the Russians celebrating from her house. ... Sen. John McCain’s concession speech was beautiful. It was dignified, and it was classy. And I think the reason for that is he didn’t let Palin say anything."
---Craig Ferguson
-
"President Bush called Barack Obama to congratulate him. ... Obama thanked Bush for his call and for all he did to help Obama get elected."
---Jimmy Kimmel

And our favorite, courtesy of Letterman:

"But right about now Joe the plumber is meeting with his transition team. They're going to help ease him from obscurity back to oblivion."

America, you chose...wisely. Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

Late last night Franken face a 236-vote deficit against incumbent Norm Coleman. As county registrars review their math (all of this pre-recount), adjustments continue to be made.

As of this post, the gap is now 221 votes.

According to Minnesota law, the ballots will be examined for voter intent. CW is that most spoiled ballots (not properly marked per instructions) come from inexperienced and first-time voters, or Democratic-leaning voters. We'll know in a few weeks if that's really the case. But the closer the final certified pre-recount tally, the better for Franken's chances of taking this thing.

Update: Good news:

An Associated Press analysis of the nearly 25,000-vote difference in presidential and Senate race tallies shows that most ballots lacking a recorded Minnesota Senate vote were cast in counties won by Democrat Barack Obama.

The finding could have implications for Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken, who are headed for a recount separated by the thinnest of margins — a couple hundred votes, or about 0.01 percent.

Though some voters may have intentionally bypassed the race, others may have mismarked their ballot or optical scanning machines may have misread them. A recount due to begin Nov. 19 will use manual inspection to detect such ballots.

Three counties — Hennepin, Ramsey and St. Louis — account for 10,540 votes in the dropoff between the two races. Each saw Obama win with 63 percent or more.

Larry Jacobs, a University of Minnesota political science professor, said the dropoff analysis creates a "zone of uncertainty" that could become a focal point for the campaigns and election officials.

"These numbers present a roadmap for a Franken challenge," he said. "It suggests there are about 10,000 votes in the largest Democratic counties that are potentially going to tilt in Franken's direction."

Awesome.

Coming up on Sunday Kos ....

• Meteor Blades will write a "Dear President-Elect Obama..." letter.
• Not to be outdone in the advising department, mcjoan will write an open letter to Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi.
• Plutonium Page will discuss President-elect Obama's Department of Defense briefing, and his national security transition team's plans.
• DavidNYC will talk about how spending the day as a poll watcher converted him into a vote-by-mail believer.
• brownsox will play Cassandra and warn against overconfidence.
• Devilstower will discuss how the coal industry can be saved.

Earlier today, I encouraged people to start calling members of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, to ask them to oust Joe Lieberman as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Does this kind of drive stand a chance? Is that really an option on the table for Harry Reid and the Steering Committee?

Yeah, it is, says TPM's Greg Sargent:

Senator Harry Reid's office has just confirmed to me, on the record, that Reid is considering a new step: Asking all the Democratic Senators to vote on Lieberman's fate at their upcoming full caucus meeting if Reid and Lieberman are unable to agree on a way for Lieberman to relinquish his plum chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee.

"If Senator Reid and Lieberman don't reach an agreement, his future chairmanship may be put to a vote by the caucus as a whole on November 18th," Reid spokesperson Jim Manley told me, in response to my questions about the next step being mulled by Reid.

Manley's assertion represents the first public acknowledgment that this possibility is being seriously considered, and is a significant ratcheting up of pressure on Lieberman by Reid's office.

So if you had any doubts about whether this could really happen and were holding back from calling, don't.

Your Steering and Outreach Committee members:

Debbie Stabenow, Michigan - Chairwoman (202) 224-4822
Harry Reid, Nevada (202) 224-3542
John Kerry, Massachusetts (202) 224-2742
Daniel Inouye, Hawaii (202) 224-3934
Robert Byrd, West Virginia (202) 224-3954
Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts (202) 224-4543
Joe Biden, Delaware (202) 224-5042
Patrick Leahy, Vermont (202) 224-4242
Chris Dodd, Connecticut (202) 224-2823
Tom Harkin, Iowa (202) 224-3254
Max Baucus, Montana (202) 224-2651
Richard Durbin, Illinois (202) 224-2152
Kent Conrad, North Dakota (202) 224-2043
Carl Levin, Michigan (202) 224-6221
Herbert Kohl, Wisconsin (202) 224-5653
Barbara Boxer, California (202) 224-3553
Hillary Clinton, New York (202) 224-4451
Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico (202) 224-5521
Mark Pryor, Arkansas (202) 224-2353

But remember, this will ultimately be ratified by the entire Senate Democratic Caucus. So call 'em if you've got 'em. Democratic Senators, that is.

Oh, wait! This just in!

Harry Reid ratchets up the public rhetoric on Joe Lieberman:

"Joe Lieberman has done something that I think was improper, wrong, and I'd like if we weren't on television, I'd use a stronger word of describing what he did," Reid told CNN's John King. "But Joe Lieberman votes with me a lot more than a lot of my senators. He didn't support us on military stuff and he didn't support us on Iraq stuff. You look at his record, it's pretty good."

And by the way, it's looking like the full caucus vote will include the new Democratic Senators-elect. This decision, after all, will be about committee leadership assignments in the 111th Congress, and will be as much their business as anyone else's.

So those of you who've sent us new Senate Dems have some calls to make, too.

Nice!

Barack Obama made history today in Nebraska.

The Democratic presidential candidate claimed an electoral vote in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District — the first time in more than four decades a Democrat won any of Nebraska’s electoral votes.

The Omaha World-Herald is calling the race after Obama won 8,434 out of 15,039 early votes that arrived too late to be included in Tuesday’s results. They were counted today by Douglas County election officials.

Those ballots give Obama a 1,260-vote lead over Republican John McCain in the 2nd District.

It also added one more electoral vote to Obama’s win over McCain in Tuesday’s election. The electoral count now stands: Obama, 365, McCain, 162.

There has been a great deal of hand-wringing over at the RNC in recent weeks. The neocon agenda has been smacked down by the American people and the RNC is floundering, trying desperately to figure out what went wrong and find its soul again.  

As a consequence, current RNC Chairman Mike Duncan is likely to be ousted, opening the door for a number of key players to make their move. Among those rumored to be making a play for the chairmanship include Michael Steele, Mike Huckabee, Chip Saltsman, and several other "rising stars."

One name that keeps creeping up in discussions is Newt Gingrich. Yes, that Newt Gingrich -- the serial adulterer, thrice-married, ethically challenged, petulant, Clinton-obsessed, former Speaker of the House.

Newt is addicted to power. He can't stay away. He has been actively working to raise his profile with the faithful by appearing on Fox News, railing against the bailout, and doing whatever he can to re-insert himself into the national debate. It would seem Newt has future intentions.

With the GOP in disarray, it'll be interesting to see if he makes his move for the RNC chairmanship. If he doesn't make a move now, you can bet it will be a signal that he intends make a run against Obama in 2012.

I've been hearing a lot of stories like this one, from Heather in North Carolina:

Dear Kos. I imagine that this email must join the many others in your inbox, each congratulatory, hopeful, ecstatic, amazed. What a ride, what a journey, what an a-fucking-mazing outcome.

I have been a Kos reader since sometime before the 2004 election, back when I was a comfortable resident of a big blue state (California). I have since moved to a smaller red state (North Carolina), where I nearly died of shock when I realized that Elizabeth Dole was one of my Senators (*was*).

I have never commented, posted, or emailed before. But I am emailing you today to send my thanks. Not only for the absolutely amazing feat of creating something that has allowed millions of people to really look inside he previously obscured political landscape, but also: for kicking my ass into gear.

Without you, I probably would have donated the small chunk that my husband and I could afford. Without you, I would have voted, certainly. But for the first time in my life, I got in my car, drove to my Obama headquarters, and asked what I could do.

At first I said, "I'll do anything that doesn't mean talking to people." So I entered data and prepared packets. But as the election neared, I knew it wasn't enough. Without you, I might have just known it. But with your calls to Leave It All On the Road, for the first time in our lives my husband and I picked up the phone and started calling. And calling. We spent hours calling the rural parts of our state, laughing through the angered hangups, taking heart when someone would throw their support our way. We called throughout the day and evening of the election, calling into timezones where the polls had yet to close, hours after ours was a done deal. That night, savoring (with a certain about of disbelief) that we had pulled this off, I realized how much deeper the satisfaction was, knowing that we had put time and work into this amazing outcome. And yesterday, when North Carolina turned blue on that big map, I rocketed out of my office with the sheer pride of it - I know we didn't need it, but call me greedy: I wanted it.

So.  Thanks.  This community has so much to be proud of, and this is just the beginning.

I am proud.

We've been counting on this one for days, but it is official now: Republican Rep. Thelma Drake has conceded, and Democrat Glenn Nye has won.

Rep. Thelma Drake late Thursday night conceded the election for the 2nd Congressional District to political newcomer Glenn Nye after a bitterly fought race.

With a small number of absentee ballots still being counted, Republican Drake released a statement saying some voters waited in line for hours and many troops serving overseas, including Iraq and Afghanistan, sent absentee ballots.

"Those ballots have been counted and the voters have decided," she said, congratulating Democrat Nye.

...

The Nye victory delivers the district to Democrats for the first time since 2000, and he heads to Washington as part of the growing Democratic majority on Capitol Hill. The 34-year-old former foreign service officer ran a campaign stressing the need for bipartisan cooperation in Washington and an exit strategy for the war in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the following races have not been called, but we're sitting on solid leads with provisional ballots still being counted:

VA-05: Tom Perriello (D) leads Virgil Goode (R) by 647 votes at the moment.

CA-04: Tom McClintock (R) leads Charlie Brown (D) by 709 votes, with tens of thousands of provisional / absentee ballots still to b counted.

Diarist Jeff in CA has a terrific diary on the subject and projects that the race will come down to a 100-vote margin:

According to the California Secretary of State, there are at least 48,000 (perhaps 55,000) uncounted votes remaining in CA CD4 (Charlie Brown vs. Tom McClintock). Here is a pdf that lists the current number of unprocessed votes by county.  It's updated several times a day.

The counties of El Dorado, Nevada and Placer have yet to process 48,000 votes (16%) out of 307,000 votes cast in those counties!  I projected the split of uncounted votes in each county based on the ballots already counted. Under this scenario, Brown can erase McClintock's current 709-vote margin. However, if he does, it will be by the slimmest of margins.  In this spreadsheet scenario, Brown would win by only 44 votes.  

This may take a while.

MD-01: However, Maryland Democrat Frank Kratovil now leads by 2,003 votes, up from 915 yesterday.

Kratovil has a darn good shot at taking this one.

WA-08: Darcy Burner trails 51-49 with 71% of votes counted.

Unfortunately, she currently trails in both King County and Pierce County. While we don't know what part of King County votes are still outstanding from, that's an uncomfortable sign.

Still, she's only down by a few thousand votes, and she could still win this.

CA-44: No news since last night in the remarkable Ken Calvert - Bill Hedrick race.

OH-15: Still a 146-vote margin in OH-15, and it still looks pretty good.

• No rest for the weary.....Al Gore is already pressuring President-Elect Obama to create a unified power grid across the U.S.
• Buck Burnette of the Texas Longhorns gave a whole new meaning to offensive lineman when he updated his Facebook status with hateful and offensive comments directed toward Obama after the big win on Tuesday night. He has since been dismissed from the team and issued an apology.
• GM suffered a $2.5 billion loss and is asking for federal assistance.
• Check out Palin as President, post-Obama landslide.  As Palin herself said, she will always be "Sarah from Alaska." -georgia10
• "What if We Won?" What face did you make when Obama won? -georgia10
• Actor Edward Norton's film company - Class 5 Films - has reached an agreement with HBO to air a documentary about Obama's pursuit of the White House. Norton's film crew sought and were granted access to follow Obama since before his announcement to run for President, all the way through his victory this week.

How did Obama perform compared to 2004? Let's look at Obama's margin gains:

Only four states showed Republican gains, and one of them wouldn't have if their governor hadn't been on the ticket. The Appalachian states, as expected, underperformed the rest of the country. Arkansas was the best gainer for Republicans.

An impressive 26 states -- over half -- sported double-digit gains over 2004. Indiana was the biggest gainer at +22, followed by North Dakota at +20.

Western states were particularly fertile: North Dakota (+20), Montana (+17), Nebraska (+17), Utah (+17), New Mexico (+16), California (+14), Nevada (+14), Colorado (+12), Idaho (+12), Oregon (+11), Washington (+10). Arizona had McCain's "favorite son" status to prop up his numbers. Wyoming (+8), was the only western state not to reach double-digit gains. The Democrats' western strategy is in full force. And sure, Idaho and Utah may be a long way from being truly competitive at the presidential level, but this is how we build a long-term movement -- by making incremental gains year over year. (Hey, that's a chapter in Taking on the System!)

Oh brother.

After suggesting that Barack Obama had anti-American views in an exchange three weeks ago with MSNBC host Chris Matthews, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told Politico Thursday that she was "extremely grateful that we have an African-American who has won this year." She called his victory "a tremendous signal we sent."

We?

"He's with us on everything but the war."

This is it. This is what it all boiled down to for Democratic Senators who were asked why we had to tolerate television's number one go-to guy for Democrat bashing, Senator Joe Lieberman, as a part of the Senate Democratic Caucus and as chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"He's with us on everything but the war."

Of course, that turned out not to be true. Didn't it? It turned out that he was with us on everything but... everything.

Joe Lieberman endorsed and campaigned for John McCain and Sarah Palin for president and vice president.

"Everything but the war?" Really?

Does anyone recall what it was we heard from our strategists every time Hill Democrats backed off, compromised, or otherwise were forced to eat shit during the 110th Congress, even though we held the majority?

Didn't we have to continue to fund the war they were elected to end, so that we could keep a viable shot at the White House in 2008?

Didn't we have to end a 30 year moratorium on offshore drilling, even though we knew it could not only not directly solve the immediate problem of high gas prices, but would only incentivize the continuation of our ass-backward energy "policies," so that we could keep a viable shot at the White House in 2008?

Didn't we have to agree to go along with the ridiculous retroactive immunity plan for the telecom giants who sold us out to the government and allowed the Bush/Cheney "administration" to conduct unchecked, warrantless domestic surveillance (that ultimately resulted in NSA technicians swapping recordings of hot phone sex chats between American soldiers, diplomats and business people and their spouses at home), so that we could keep a viable shot at the White House in 2008?

And didn't we have to plod through two years worth of oversight over a panoply of some of the most egregious violations of law and civil liberties in recent memory, step by torturous step, always reining ourselves in from doing what we all knew was really warranted, so that we could keep a viable shot at the White House in 2008?

Why, yes we did.

And Joe Lieberman worked his hardest to deny us that shot at the White House in 2008. He actually worked for the other side.

That's not "with us on everything but the war." That's against us on everything there is. The whole enchilada.

"Elections have consequences," as they say. Joe Lieberman bet it all on the wrong horse, and there should be no margin for that.

The chairmanship of a Senate committee is a leadership position, and leadership positions entail responsibility. Lieberman has not only flamboyantly bucked the leadership and refused that responsibility, but has tried his damnedest to destroy everything for which the leadership has been working, sacrificing and yes, bearing our searing criticism for over the last two years. Purely as a matter of self-respect, no Democratic Senator ought to allow him to keep the gavel.

But the decision falls first and foremost to the members of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee. These are the Democratic Senators who guide the decision-making on committee assignments and chairmanships. And let me tell you, serving on the steering committee is itself a matter of leadership and responsibility to the caucus, and to Democrats government-wide. These Senators know that they have to make the tough votes that no one wants to make, but are their responsibility as Democratic leaders. And they know the consequences -- or what are supposed to be the consequences, anyway -- of not holding up their end of the bargain. A member of the steering committee who regularly bucked the leadership, not to mention worked actively against the interests of the leadership, would find themselves being shown rather briskly to the door, to say the least.

Each of the members of the steering committee, in other words, is keenly aware of their responsibilities as a member of the leadership team. They should be equally aware, then, of the iniquity of their pulling their own weight in order to remain in leadership, while Lieberman freelances in direct opposition to their work, and is coddled for his defiance.

In all likelihood, the decision on Lieberman will be made during the upcoming lame duck Congressional session, scheduled to begin on November 17th.

These are the members of the Steering and Outreach Committee who will be on the front lines of that decision making process:

Debbie Stabenow, Michigan - Chairwoman (202) 224-4822
Harry Reid, Nevada (202) 224-3542
John Kerry, Massachusetts (202) 224-2742
Daniel Inouye, Hawaii (202) 224-3934
Robert Byrd, West Virginia (202) 224-3954
Edward Kennedy, Massachusetts (202) 224-4543
Joe Biden, Delaware (202) 224-5042
Patrick Leahy, Vermont (202) 224-4242
Chris Dodd, Connecticut (202) 224-2823
Tom Harkin, Iowa (202) 224-3254
Max Baucus, Montana (202) 224-2651
Richard Durbin, Illinois (202) 224-2152
Kent Conrad, North Dakota (202) 224-2043
Carl Levin, Michigan (202) 224-6221
Herbert Kohl, Wisconsin (202) 224-5653
Barbara Boxer, California (202) 224-3553
Hillary Clinton, New York (202) 224-4451
Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico (202) 224-5521
Mark Pryor, Arkansas (202) 224-2353

Please let them know how you feel about letting Lieberman work so hard and so actively to oppose Democratic initiatives, but still getting to keep his leadership position.

Then let us know what you hear back. We'll keep a running tally of which Democratic Senators think it's fair for Lieberman to destroy everything they've been working for, and all the sacrifices they've made and still keep his position of power.

Mitch McConnell wants Joe Lieberman to make it official:

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has reached out to Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) about the prospect of joining the Republican conference, but Lieberman is still bargaining with Democratic leaders to keep his chairmanship, according to Senate aides in both parties.

"Senator Lieberman's preference is to stay in the caucus, but he's going to keep all his options open," a Lieberman aide said. "McConnell has reached out to him and at this stage his position is he wants to remain in the caucus but losing the chairmanship is unacceptable."

A Republican Senate aide said Friday morning that there was little McConnell could offer in terms of high ranking committee slots, which is why Lieberman is resisting overtures from the Republican side.

The only unacceptable thing here is that there is even the possibility that Lieberman will keep his chairmanship. Lieberman has spent years trashing the Party, spends his free time on Fox News questioning the patriotism of Democrats, constantly gives the Bush White House and the Republican Party a stick to use to beat up on Democrats, out Zell'ed Zell Miller with his speech at the Republican National Convention, and spent the past two months campaigning for John McCain, trashing Barack Obama every step of the way.

We don't want him and we don't need him.

The blogosphere is abuzz with rumors of potential cabinet and staffing choices as the new administration prepares to assume the reins of power. One of those unsubstantiated rumors, now being reported by the Wall Street Journal and Politico, has science bloggers deeply concerned:

I join my fellow SciBlings Orac, PalMD, Blake and Coturnix (and Wired's Keim) in a big thumbs down on RFK, Jr. He may be the favorite of some in the environmental movement but he is not a favorite of scientists for a simple reason: his uninformed championing of the vaccination/autism case speaks poorly for his commitment to relying on scientific evidence ... read the rest.

For more information, this is your Obligatory Reading of the Day. RFK Jr as a head of a Federal Agency (either Interior or Environment) would be equivalent to Michael Crichton advising Bush on climate change, or McCain choosing Sarah Palin for VP ... read the rest.

There are now several reports that RFK, Jr is being considered for an even worse position, a position where he could do incalculable mischief and at the same time provide credible ammunition to Republicans that the complaints of Democratics that science was politicized under the Bush Administration were hypocritical ...  read the rest.

Feeling a little bit queasy all of a sudden? I am. Then "be the change we want to see" or "the change we can believe in" (whichever you choose) and head on over to Change.gov to register your objections and make your suggestions for rational, competent science advisors, administrators, secretaries, etc. Let's keep this ball rolling in the right direction. ... read the rest.

If you're wondering what all the fuss ia about, make no mistake, this issue can be bitterly divisive (Watch what happens in comments below if you doubt this). On one side is a consensus of scientists and researchers from every political corner who calmly point out that the science and methodology supporting a connection between thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) and autism is just not there, at least not now. On the other is a group of parents motivated by the presence of an autistic child or relative. Add in claims of massive, global conspiracies and celebrity demagoguery, and that mix might tip over from divisive to explosive. And if it does blow up, you better believe unfriendly political opportunists, including the usual suspects that don't give a hoot in hell about the welfare of middle-class autistic kids, will move in swiftly and without mercy to first amplify and then exploit that division for their own shady political ends.

We have no way to determine if this is a real possibility for the EPA, one of many trial balloons, or simply hearsay echoing harmlessly around the cyberscape. But in the remote event there is something to it, bear in mind that, after eight years of Bushism, cleaning up our science policy will be challenging enough. A nascent administration adverse to drama, focused on creating unity, and committed to restoring scientific credibility, would be well advised to choose the most credible, qualified person they can find.

In the wake of Barack Obama's election as president, there are a number of debates about what it means and where we go -- what does this victory say about race and racism in the US, what kind of mandate does it amount to, what kind of change will we see, what happens to the Obama voters and volunteers. In an extraordinary essay, Tim Wise speaks to a number of them. You should just read the whole thing. But for a taste, here's Wise on one of the ways Obama's win, despite not in any form or fashion signaling an end to racism, holds promise for forward movement on racism:

Tonight was also a victory for the possibility of greater cross-racial alliance building. Although Obama failed to win most white votes, and although it is no doubt true that many of the whites who did vote for him nonetheless hold to any number of negative and racist stereotypes about the larger black and brown communities of this nation, it it still the case that black, brown and white worked together in this effort as they have rarely done before. And many whites who worked for Obama, precisely because they got to see, and hear, and feel the racist vitriol still animating far too many of our nation's people, will now be wiser for the experience when it comes to understanding how much more work remains to be done on the racial justice front. Let us build on that newfound knowledge, and that newfound energy, and create real white allyship with community-based leaders of color as we move forward in the years to come.

Most of all, though, read the piece for its view of the way forward, of what we must do and must build:

First and foremost, please know that none of these victories will amount to much unless we do that which needs to be done so as to turn a singular event about one man, into a true social movement (which, despite what some claim, it is not yet and has never been).

And so it is back to work. Oh yes, we can savor the moment for a while, for a few days, perhaps a week. But well before inauguration day we will need to be back on the job, in the community, in the streets, where democracy is made, demanding equity and justice in places where it hasn't been seen in decades, if ever. Because for all the talk of hope and change, there is nothing--absolutely, positively nothing--about real change that is inevitable. And hope, absent real pressure and forward motion to actualize one's dreams, is sterile and even dangerous. Hope, absent commitment is the enemy of change, capable of translating to a giving away of one's agency, to a relinquishing of the need to do more than just show up every few years and push a button or pull a lever.

This means hooking up now with the grass roots organizations in the communities where we live, prioritizing their struggles, joining and serving with their constituents, following leaders grounded in the community who are accountable not to Barack Obama, but the people who helped elect him. Let Obama follow, while the people lead, in other words.

On a day when we learn the unemployment rate is at a 15-year-high, the president-elect will hold a press conference at 2:30 PM EST in Chicago after meeting with his Transition Economic Advisory Board.

According to a press release, "The Transition Economic Advisory Board will help guide the work of the Obama-Biden transition team in developing a strong set of policies to respond to the economic crisis."

Members of the board include:

• David Bonior (Member House of Representatives 1977-2003
• Warren Buffett (Chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway)-will participate via speakerphone
• Roel Campos (former SEC Commissioner
• William Daley (Chairman of the Midwest, JP Morgan Chase; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Commerce, 1997-2000)
• William Donaldson (Former Chairman of the SEC 2003-2005
• Roger Ferguson (President and CEO, TIAA-CREF and former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve
• Jennifer Granholm (Governor, State of Michigan
• Anne Mulcahy (Chairman and CEO, Xerox)
• Richard Parsons (Chairman of the Board, Time Warner)
• Penny Pritzker (CEO, Classic Residence by Hyatt
• Robert Reich (University of California, Berkeley; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Labor, 1993-1997)
• Robert Rubin (Chairman and Director of the Executive Committee, Citigroup; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Treasury, 1995-1999)
• Eric Schmidt (Chairman and CEO, Google)
• Lawrence Summers (Harvard University; Managing Director, D.E. Shaw; Former Secretary, U.S. Dept of Treasury, 1999-2001)
• Laura Tyson (Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Former Chairman, National Economic Council, 1995-1996; Former Chairman, President’s Council of Economic Advisors, 1993-1995)
• Antonio Villaraigosa (Mayor, City of Los Angeles)
• Paul Volcker (Former Chairman, U.S. Federal Reserve 1979-1987

No other personnel announcements are planned for the day.