Despite the best efforts of “Joe the Plumber,” Sen. Barack Obama will be our next president–a fact that says a lot about this country, and all for the good. Frankly, I was afraid we didn't have it in us to rise above the nonsensical fear mongering and trash talking of the Republican ticket–to discard any lingering, petty prejudices hamstringing this great country, and vote on the merits of each candidate's case. I've never been prouder to be an American.

Sen. Obama's election sends an inspiring message to the country and the world. We have voted our hopes rather than our fears. We endorsed intelligence and eloquence, instead of embracing ignorance and mediocrity. We rejected guilt by association, and judged the candidates by the character they showed during the campaign, as well as the content of their agendas.

I don't envy President-elect Obama and his team the daunting challenges ahead. We are stuck in two wars with an overstretched volunteer military, and face serious threats from Iran and North Korea, among other rogue nations. We are unimaginably in debt, and getting in deeper over our heads every day. Our economy is mired in recession, while our financial system is in shambles.

Some 47 million lack health insurance, and our public infrastructure is falling apart from neglect. We are addicted to foreign oil, and our planetary environment is deteriorating due at least in part to our own self-destructive habits.

But the worst problem is that people have lost faith in the ability of government to have any positive effect on their lives. When you have an administration that thinks government is the cause of all of our problems, and can never be the solution–one which brazenly defies the rule of law, shamelessly indulges in crony capitalism and arrogantly shrugs off incompetence–such cynicism is inevitable.

That attitude will change after Obama takes office. We will once again have a president who respects civil rights, and while readily admitting that Washington cannot solve all problems, insists that government can and must intervene to provide a safety net for its citizens–whether through sensible, effective regulation, or via programs to provide for those who fall through the cracks.

Regulation remains a dirty word to many, but the lack of oversight–with the blame shared by both parties–is what precipitated our financial debacle. Even Sen. John McCain, ever the maverick, recognized this and joined Sen. Obama in calling for far closer supervision of the financial sector. Whether that extends to federal regulation of insurance remains to be seen.

In any case, insurance will play a key role in Sen. Obama's presidency. There almost certainly will be an historic health care reform bill passed, and perhaps even the establishment of a national catastrophe fund. I'll talk more about these issues in the days ahead.

For now, let's celebrate the historic event that has taken place, and agree to work together to rebuild this country after a bitter campaign that exposed deep splits in the body politic.

As another presidential candidate from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, once said: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” That Lincoln was speaking about slavery only adds to the enormous impact his words still carry, the day after America elected its first black president.