Yeah, I know this is a music blog, but really, how do you not talk about what happened last night? I skipped Malkmus at Slowdown because I didn’t want to miss O’s speech, which I assumed would take place right in the middle of a set. Maybe Malkmus would have let them cut in or even wait to start, but I didn’t want to take the chance.

Though it won’t make a difference to the outcome, Nebraska’s Second District (Omaha, me) is still up in the air (http://tinyurl.com/57jqll). McCain is a few hundred votes ahead, but there are thousands of provisional ballads yet to be counted. Could there be enough last-minute mailed-in early votes to push Obama over the top? Like I said, ultimately it doesn’t matter to anyone but me and everyone else who pinned their hopes on this guy. We want the rest of the country to see a blue dot amidst the sea of Nebraska red.

Now comes the business of reinventing a country and repairing its reputation among the world’s nations. I fear that too much hope has been placed on Obama, that no one can live up to the demands that have been placed on his shoulders. We’re all aware of his list of “honey-do’s” — end a couple wars, fix the economy, figure out healthcare. It ain’t gonna get done in one term. It took eight years of neglect by an absentee landlord to get where we are today. Slapping on a coat of paint isn’t going to cut it. Will this country have the patience to let him do his job (and finish it)?

Tomorrow, back to music with this week’s column: A look back at the Omaha World-Herald‘s music reporter lineage, and a look ahead.

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