Dear editor, Barack Obama’s victory offers much food for thought and commentary. The airwaves, TV stations, newspapers and blogs will slice and dice the election results and provide a host of theories as to why he won and what his triumph portends, but I offer here a few ideas of my own.

First, as with so many elections, this was in great measure a rejection of a serving president; the Bush administration was judged a failure in so many areas by so many Americans that any Republican faced an uphill battle. Second, the financial meltdown pushed every other issue to the rear. The cliché, “It’s the economy, stupid,” has rarely been truer. Third, Obama proved to be an inspiring figure for many voters, obviously for African-Americans and the young, but also for a surprising number of older Americans, like myself, who were turned onto politics again by his messages of hope, change, civility and inclusiveness. And fourth, despite John McCain’s effort to present himself as a maverick and to usurp the mantle of “change agent,” he was seen by too many voters as out of touch (“the economy is in good shape”), too old, too negative and too tied to the failed Bush administration.

The election is also, of course, an historic step in our country’s effort to overcome its tragic history of slavery, segregation and racial prejudice. While racism has not been expunged from our midst by Obama’s victory, our nation has demonstrated — most importantly to ourselves, but also to the world — that our commitment to the principles of equality and true democracy is more than just words. We should savor this momentous step, even as we recognize that there are many more steps on this path.

As for the future, we must all hope — even those who did not vote for Obama — that he can fulfill the promise of uniting a sorely divided country, of gathering around himself a professional, bipartisan team of advisors to deal with the truly frightening world financial crisis, of reducing the poisonous atmosphere in Washington so that we can tackle our many other domestic problems, and of restoring our alliances abroad so that we can work together with other countries to confront the global challenges of war, terrorism, fanaticism, global warming and poverty. A tremendous challenge, to be sure, but new beginnings offer new hope and new possibilities.

Sam Fromowitz / Yountville