Rep. Gabrielle Giffords thanked her volunteers this morning after declaring victory in her congressional race — no, the delusional contest — with Tea Party incompetent Jesse Kelly.

“You all set an example for the entire country, you really did,” Gabby told the crowd. I so respect her. She spoke of the more than $20 million poured into Arizona to defeat her and Rep. Raul Grijalva, who also won his election after a close call with another Tea Partier.

“We saw a negative, angry electorate, and those signs with out-and-out lies,” Gabby said. Thankfully, that’s about as negative as she gets.

A swath of blue held out in Arizona, and I’m proud of it. I love living under the bluest sky in the nation.

But I do have some questions. After voting down Prop. 400 to raise the city sales tax by a half-cent, why would the Tucson City Council consider raising bus fares? People who can’t afford cars and the ecologically minded are the ones who most often ride buses. Why penalize them? I don’t get it.

MSNBC political talk show host Keith Olberman was suspended for making campaign contributions to Giffords and Grijalva, due to the policy at MSNBC’s more conservative parent network, NBC.

Everybody knows that Olberman’s a liberal. Give him a break. He’s also a U.S. citizen. At Fox “News” it’s OK to pander for right-wing dollars anytime.

I don’t get the illusion of objectivity required of journalists, history teachers, and government employees. Having worked in two of these professions, the best we can do is consciously strive for  self-awareness, inviting into the discussion all views in our attempt to achieve some balance.

I’m always hoping for more balance. After yoga class this morning, I chatted with another woman in the parking lot. Like me, she divorced after being married for some 20 years (folks may wonder, how do you get into these conversations after just meeting someone?).

She asked, who wouldn’t help a seriously ill ex-spouse after being married for 20 years? I’ll admit that I don’t feel overly gracious toward Dan’s ex, but I like to think I’d be willing to help if she needed it, and certainly try to understand if Dan assisted her. Hey, I’m far from perfect.

And who wouldn’t help any sick person reduce their suffering, if given the opportunity? Looks like Proposition 203 allowing the medicinal use of marijuana has faded in Arizona. I don’t get it. Prior to Tuesday’s election I heard someone say she had seen a photo of the “type of people” supporting Prop 203, so she wasn’t going to vote for it.

After the divisive 2004 presidential election, Ethan gave me a canvas bag with a U.S. map of “Purple America” on the front. Our country is even further from that melding, but at least here in Arizona, we have a swath of blue in a deluge of red.