Calling for change

I'm just gazing over CNN's and TIME's sites the morning after the election. There are natural, important questions being asked in headlines, like "Who'll Fill Obama's Senate Seat?" But there are three things I would like to see more of.

1. A to-do list

I'm well aware that President-Elect Barack Obama has not even been sworn in yet, but I think he made clear in his acceptance speech that there is much work to be done. Now is the time to act, as Obama has said himself and voters nationwide have shown they're prepared for by coming out in massive numbers. There's been talk about the Cabinet and political teams he's assembling and the importance of starting immediately. But what does he need to DO immediately? Which policies that he's promised to initiate need to happen first? This leads me to my next point.

2. What we journalists call a "nut graf"

We need a so-what story. A story that says what this means. We all know the race issue, and how big of a step it is to elect the nation's first black president. But what does this decisive victory mean for the country? That so many voters came out for THIS election to elect OBAMA. How valuable is that during one of the worst economic period's in the nation's history. Leading into No. 3.

3. Reaction

I walked outside around the Ithaca College campus after the networks called Obama, part-journalist, part-Obama supporter, part-student. The joy around me was unreal. Let's not even get into Oprah's tears. I called a friend, and he was beside himself, hardly able to find the words to express his happiness. Another called Obama the "JFK of our generation." I think it might be too early to say that, but the impact Obama has had already is a truly incredible thing.

This is the kind of story I'm looking for.