'Sunshine after A little rain'

Southern California woke-up to a rainy election day, but as Senator Barack Obama reminded his supporters in Cleveland, Ohio, last Sunday, “Sunshine is on the way.''

The public mood is jubilant, with many preparing to watch on television the first East Coast returns, by 4pm in the afternoon. Millions eagerly anticipate an epochal change, with high hopes that a dark chapter in the country's history is about to come to a close.

Like most Western states, where great driving distances affect every decision, Californians traditionally excelled in casting their votes via absentee ballot, a program that was so popular that nearly half of the State was expected to vote by mail in 2008.

Amazingly, millions cast early ballots, though this morning precinct lines were long. Los Angeles County alone expected about 3.4 million citizens to cast a ballot on November 4, even as the Registrar's Office received “about 18,000 telephone calls a day'' during the past few weeks, requesting absentee ballots.

According to the Registrar-Recorder, Dean Logan, “the phone companies are telling us it's equivalent to what happens when there is an earthquake and it jams the phone lines.''

In fact, more than 1 million new Californians—with a surge within the significant Latino community—registered to vote since September 5, raising the state's voter pool to an all-time high of 17.3 million.

Democrats were ensured victory in California with the “Blue'' state's hefty winner-take all 55 Electoral College votes going to Obama. Though public opinion polls averaged 58 to 34 percent in favor of the democrat, Obama's real success here was his innate ability to tap the deep pockets of the entertainment industry ($84 million or 20% of the campaign's itemized contributions).

Still, many agreed with the singer Bruce Springsteen—“the Boss''—who shouted at a recent rally: “I don't' know about you, but I want my country back, I want my dream back, I want my America back!''

Dr. Joseph A. Kechichian is a commentator and author of several books on Gulf affairs