A few (mercifully few) thoughts on the election:
I’m not a political animal. Rather I tend to observe from a distance. Except for yesterday. I wanted to be a part of something momentous. So I voted.
That’s not something I’m keen on doing since I have a hard time getting past the way most politicians and their minions twist and sprain our language in the rush to promulgate their half-truths and non-truths. And what some of them think they need to do to attain the office they’re seeking. But yesterday was different.
I take some modest credit for the massive turnout. In the Tip Jar section of my newsletter, which came out on election day, I wrote only one word. Guess what it was. (Four letters, starts with V.) And one of my friends on Facebook changed her middle name to Hussein. Between the two of us, I’m sure we lit a fire under all those non-participators.
Television news played its part in the festivities, as usual. Don’t get me wrong, I like the media. They’re a large part of my entertainment diet. But they weren’t as entertaining last night because they had such an easy time of it. When you can call the winner of a national election with certainty minutes after the polls close out west, well that’s like shooting carp in a coffee can.
During the day, local news had to scramble to find something dire to report. They told of long lines at the polls, but that was during the early morning hours when people stopped to vote on their way to work.
I was able to go to my polling place, a school gym, at a few minutes after 11:00. A number of people were standing around and talking, but only one person was in front of me in line. There was even time to chat with a neighbor of mine who was working the desk. My machine worked perfectly, and I could even have bought baked goods on my way out.
Even the live broadcast of a combined Daily Show/ Colbert Report was off its stride. The jokes struck me as both lame and too earnest. I see a difficult future for those shows, and for the temporarily rejuvenated Saturday Night Live. I hope they can find a way to make fun of a president they like.
This just in: Cabbage Patch Dolls are available in the image of all four candidates. Make up your own comment.
The one downside to this election: the loser wants a recount.
Ralph Nader doesn’t think 1% can possibly be right.
Legacy Road 