To quote the best lyricist of all time, Oscar Hammerstein II: “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ ”
That’s how I felt after waking up, turning on the radio and hearing that the Rev. Ralph Warnock had won and Jon Ossoff was on the way to winning in Georgia.
Shortly after getting that great news, I began assembling election-related quotes that I picked up from a variety of places, including MSNBC, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Here are some of the best I came up with…
Michael Steele
Michael Steele, former Republican Party chairman and a senior advisor on the Lincoln Project: “Today will be the day, in my view, if this goes forward as planned, where Republican senators — I don’t care if it’s 13 or just one — stands up and objects to the duly confirmed election of Joe Biden, it will be sealing the Republican Party inside the tomb that Donald Trump has created for them. And that’s, at the end of the day, their truth.”
Astead W. Herndon, The New York Times: “…Mr. Warnock’s journey from Black pastor to Black senator is an exercise…of faith: It’s a belief that American politics can change from the inside, that the Democratic Party’s most loyal voters can see themselves represented in Congress. That there is room to push the country forward within its institutions, rather than diagnosing its problems from outside.”
Karen Tumulty
Karen Tumulty, The Washington Post: “To Trump, the party of Lincoln was a rental vehicle, one that he took for a joyride and is getting ready to turn back in, with trash jammed under the seats and stains covering the upholstery. Also, the tank is empty, and there’s a crack in the windshield.”
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, Georgia state Democratic Party chairwoman, who was sworn into Congress this week: “This election was not about Donald Trump. This was about people on the ground realizing that if they show up en masse they can overcome the voter suppression and we can win Georgia.”
Lisa Lerer and Richard Fausset, The New York Times: “The victory on Wednesday morning by the Rev. Raphael Warnock, who becomes the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from the South, confirmed that Georgia’s metamorphosis from conservative bastion to battleground state was complete. The changing demographics are likely to reshape the political dynamics of this Deep South state for a generation.”
Timothy Bella and Tim Elfrink, The Washington Post: “Black voters…delivered in a big way on Tuesday, both in urban and rural districts. In Fulton County, the state’s most populous county and where a substantial share of voters are Black, more in-person voters showed up on Tuesday than on Election Day in November.”
Josh Billinson
Josh Billinson, Twitter habitue: “Jon Ossoff winning a Senate seat at 33 would set an impossible standard for nice Jewish boys everywhere and the mothers who ask what they’re going to do with their lives.”
Jon Ossoff: “Georgia, thank you so much for the confidence that you’ve placed in me. I am honored, honored, by your support, by your confidence, by your trust…and I will look forward to serving you in the United States Senate with integrity, with humility, with honor and getting things done for the people of Georgia. Thank you so much.”
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York: “It feels like a brand new day.”
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Love Karen Tumulty’s line – so true a metaphor, and so sad ….
These comments that Ralph Warnock is the first Black Senator from the South is inaccurate. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina was the first Black man elected in the South. If they want to say the first black man elected from Georgia that’s fine. But be accurate in the hyperbole or statements, I say to them.
Take a closer look at what Lisa Lerer and Richard Fausset wrote, Bill:
“Warnock…becomes the first Black Democrat to be elected to the Senate from the South.”
Tim Scott is a Republican.
Ooops! But I have heard tv and radio newscasts saying he’s the first Black Senator from the South. But perhaps I did not hear the Democrat portion of the description. Thanks Jim for correcting my reply to your post.
Yes, I like the Karen Tumulty comment of Trump highjacking the Republican party. He was a candidate in 2016 in search of a party and unfortunately chose the Republican Party and has done severe damage to the party. Also, his die-hard senators and representatives are asserting his delusion that he won.
So how is all that shaming working for ya, Fitz.
Did I see you on TV in Washington today, Tracy, on the Capitol steps? If it wasn’t you, sure looked like you…