Post-Election

Everyone can take a deep breath if you haven't done so already. The election is over. Has been over for over a week.

I had a few ideas I'd wanted to post leading up to election night, but I held my tongue typing back until the circus was over. Now all the lights are turned down, most of the chairs are folded up and the elephants and donkeys are asleep in their pens. Now we just fold up the tent until next time. I try very hard to not write about politics all that much, but there were some thoughts I'd wanted to publish even if my intent is not to convince someone of my point of view.

I went in to this election season pretty conflicted. I voted for Obama in 2008, and I'll probably always lean a little more Liberal Democrat. But I just wasn't feeling really excited about the election this time around. As I've mentioned previously, I'm unemployed. I wasn't one of the folks in 2008 who thought Obama had a magic wand and could immediately fix tons of problems on day one. He has been doing a good job and for that at least, I'd be sorta willing to re-elect him. The loudest voices speaking out against him seemed to be saying that he is only making the economic situation in this country worse.

However, the problems we are facing as a nation are big, complex and involve global economics in a way that makes it clear that the President alone cannot effect them in the timely fashion many people might expect. It's not that simple anymore and perhaps never was.

Several months ago, I didn't see any big difference between the two candidates and thought carelessly about staying home on election day. Or at least choosing a third-party candidate or write-in instead of the lesser of two-evils. And let me break here to go on a tangent...

There's another thing! I don't really like that phrase; the lesser of two evils. I've thought about this for a long time. I believe strongly that there aren't a lot of people who get very far in politics with actual evil intentions. Perhaps there are a few selfish warts out there, but I'd bet that all-in-all most of those folks who seek public office have good intentions at heart. None are actually out to commit evil-with-a-capital-E. They may be misguided, misinformed or surrounded by dolts and yes-men. I'm repeating myself a bit, but this topic bears repeating.

But back to my narrative. Several months ago, neither candidate shined out to me as someone who would solve important problems for me or anyone else, so I wasn't real excited. Perhaps I'd understandably lost faith in the system.

Invariably, a few details came out that helped in my decision to vote for Obama again, even if I was perhaps voting AGAINST Romney. Here I go picking that decision apart clumsily in the next post or two or three...