They attacked and vilified him for his middle name Hussein, expecting to tap the racism and xenophobia in voters. Thousands on facebook and twitter changed their user names to include the middle name. His election has instantly changed the way that minorities view themselves, their future. They are a bit prouder, a bit more confident and hopeful. Their vision of their possibilities is further and higher. Let's use that middle name Hussein with pride now-- Barack Hussein Obama-- when we discuss our president elect. Throw it in the haters faces. He won in spite of their bigotry.

They called him the most liberal member of congress. Most people who voted for him and certainly, most liberals disagreed, but he was elected in spite of their characterizations. That sort of makes it a mandate. He was elected as a liberal. May he lean a lot more that way than his senate history has manifested.

They called his policies socialist. Silly, really, but that's what they called him. Now, he inherits a banking industry already socialized and taken over by the government by the conservatives in power. He should take on the mantle and make health care universal single payer-- what the right has always labeled as socialist. Hey. He was elected as a socialist. He follows a predecessor who socialized finance and banking. Health care is the next disaster threatening to happen.

So let's call him Liberal, Socialist Barack Hussein Obama proudly, and hope that he continues to reap names from attackers that we will be proud to call him.