Dan Rather, eloquent as ever:
“An earthquake has shook the nation and out of the land of the Crimson Tide comes a wave of Blue.
We will likely find out it was powered by women, minorities, and the young. Yes it was a perfect storm, with allegations against Roy Moore of child molestation. Yes, there are a lot of caveats. And yes the Democrats had a strong candidate in Doug Jones.
But let's repeat. A year after Alabama gave their vote to President Donald Trump by nearly 30 percentage points, they have elected a Democrat to the United States Senate. If you had suggested such a development a few months ago, you would have been accused of smoking something pretty expensive.
As long as we have free elections, this country has a chance. As long as the tide of decency swells in our electorate, we have a chance. As long as people organize, and people believe, this country has a chance.
Steady, I have cautioned. Steady, is a chapter in my book. Steady is the word of the day. The great pendulum of our nation is maybe swinging its way back to normalcy.
I have been thinking that the last time I felt this way on a day to day basis might very well have been when I was a child following the daily desperate news reports on the momentous battles of the Second World War. There was a deep sense that the fate of the world hung in the balance and there were tides of optimism and despair.
But after early defeats and dark days, the great tide swung towards freedom. There were pitched battles ahead back then, but liberty emerged victorious. There is that feeling once again tonight.”