In Victory United, We Must SHARE The Credit

So many of our conservative and Republican friends are still savoring Tuesdya's victory.

And that's fine because these types of political waves don't come along every year. In fact, this one is the biggest one of its type for the GOP since 1946 or maybe even the 1920s depending on which report you're reading.

Anyway, here's what we all need to remember: This was everybody's victory. It wasn't just a victory for the Washington GOP establishment or the Tea Party or GOP moderates or hard right loyalalists or the country club set or working class people or independents who crossed over to join us or evangelicals or even disenchanted Democrats who have had it with Obama, Pelosi and Reid. 

It was everybody's victory. 

This triumph belongs to every group and every segment and every person who joined in it. 

It belongs to African-Americans and Hispanics who maybe broke ranks to stand with the GOP. It belongs to women (particularly single women) who may have done the same thing. It belongs to Catholics who switched to join other members of their faith in a growing GOP coalition. It belongs to Jewish voters who helped to increase the number of those from their community who have placed trust in out party. It belongs to the suprising number of young voters and new voters who embraced our cause this time. And it belongs to an increasing number of gay Republicans, another one of whom was elected in San Diego. All of these people basically said: "This isn't about my gender or my race or my religious affliation or my ethnicity or my age or my sexual orientation. This is about America. This is about the future. The is about the type of country that I want to live in and the world I want to inhabit. This is about all of us."

We would have never made it this far -- indeed, we wouldn't be the Grand Old Party -- if our tent was not this big and our heart was not as welcoming as we know it is. 

So, let's avoid the temptation to pin a medal on any one segment or any one group. Let's not Balkanize this great victory. Let's not diminish it by engaging in dreaded identity politics. That's the destructive practice of the other party and we know that practice has failed.

Just as there is room in our party for everyone who shares in the willingness to nurture the American Dream, this victory is so big, so important and so grounbreaking that it naturally must be shared by and with all.

This is the message that our party's leaders must send now and going forward.

And this what we must remember as we begin to lead our nation into the post-Obama era.