Over the Top … And What's Next

These two Reuters images were tweeted out moments after Ohio put Obama over the top. Random, I know, but  how much red there is in the Chicago crowd speaks to Team Obama’s bigger tent.

The larger question, however, is the tone going forward, and how much the top photo simply depicts an understandable disappointment or the seeds of acrimony. Of course, this moment offers the country still another opportunity for a national reset. But how big is the window? If it’s indicative at all (and I hope it isn’t), I had a startle earlier tonight after I heard a commentator say the word “healing.”

The photos are in this order, by the way, because celebration is easy. On the other hand, Republicans have some decisions to make.

(photo 1: Eric Thayer/Reuters caption: Supporters look on as they watch results at the U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney election night rally in Boston, Massachusetts November 6, 2012. photo 2: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters caption: Supporters of U.S. President Barack Obama cheer during his election night rally in Chicago, November 6, 2012.)