Blue

Ninety-four years ago. That’s the last time Kansas sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate. It was 1932, well before they whisked away Dorothy to Oz. In the 1939 movie, the little girl in the red shoes is swept up by a tornado, along with her dog Toto, their house and then dropped in the magical land of Oz. Turns out, after Dorothy wakes up in her bed, it was all a dream. But in the book – L. Frank Baum’s original 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – it wasn’t. It’s all real. As real as the Cowardly Lion’s courage, the Scarecrow’s brain and the Tin Man’s heart. And as real as the unbelievable Wednesday morning our nation woke up to last week. We’re back in Kansas, Toto. Because this is what democracy looks like. It’s times like these that I wish I was still working on a newsroom copy desk writing Election Day headlines. Oh, what fun it would have been. I’m confident some of these gems would have gotten the blessing of my former esteemed slot editor, Miriam Tarver: “Democrats clean House and Senate.” “Republicans get shellacked.” “GOP spanked.” OK, maybe not that last one.

After too many years unseen, I recognize the America I once knew. This midterm election was a rejection of the highest order. A political face-plant.

It showed we cannot be bought. Even by the richest man in the world.

American voters have spoken. Bullies be damned. Affordability matters, and so does common decency.

Isn’t it rich that the administration’s “cruelty is the point” strategy has united our nation? A line that a majority of voters were no longer willing to cross. At last, we found the horror too much to bear.

So, how’d we do? As of November 6:

• Democrats gained (as in flipped!) seven U.S. Senate seats: Kansas, Maine, Ohio, South Carolina, Iowa, North Carolina and Texas. (Alaska and Mississippi races have yet to be called.) Current tally: Democrats 54, Republicans 44.
• In the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats gained (yes, as in flipped!) 40 seats for a total of 253. Republicans hold 162 seats. (Winners in 20 races have yet to be called.) This could be the largest majority since 2008.
• In addition, Democrats flipped five governor’s seats: Nevada, Texas, Georgia, Iowa and Ohio. There are 10 new women governors, including a Native American, African American and Latina.

Put that in your DEI pipe and smoke it, mister.

I’m a firm believer that sometimes you get what you deserve. On merit. Because integrity and character matter.

In Michigan, we hit a state legislative trifecta, with Democratic control across the board, including Gov.-elect Jocelyn Benson and Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed – the only candidate I’ve ever supported who resembles my father and says the Arabic word “habibi.”

Sadly, my biggest disappointment from Tuesday’s results were in Florida, that perplexing red bastion of conservatism. Republicans maintained control of the state’s gubernatorial and Senate offices. Oh well.

Whenever President Jed Bartlet (played by actor Martin Sheen) in the TV drama “The West Wing” finished a task or won an argument, he used this signature catchphrase to move on: “What’s next?”

It was his way to shift focus to the next challenge, sort of a mental and verbal reset button.

What’s next?

Maybe Elon Musk should high-tail it out of the Lone Star State and move to Florida before the 2028 presidential election. Can’t hurt, might help. I’m sure Texas voters would help him pack.

Or, maybe when the dust settles, we’ll discover that younger voters (18- to 34-year-olds) have returned to the Democratic fold after testing the murky Republican waters. I certainly hope so.

Keep the faith.

One thing’s for sure. It’s time for all newly elected Democrats to get to work.

Courage. Brain. Heart.

American voters had it, used it and led with it.

Now it’s their turn. We expect big things from you. Don’t screw it up.

(YouTube audio only: Ella Fitzgerald’s “Blue Skies,” recorded for her 1959 album “Get Happy!” will make you smile and glad to be alive. Written by Irving Berlin in 1926, the song is most often associated with Willie Nelson. But since we’re celebrating a Blue Wave including female firsts, I figured we should pay homage to Lady Ella, an American jazz vocalist, songwriter and composer in her own right, who turned scat singing into an art form. It may sound like a horn, but it’s probably the “First Lady of Song.” Ella Fitzgerald died in 1996. She was 79.)