Im going to say something that I understand will be largely unpopular. But Im strangely glad the Republicans won last night. Not because I believe theyre better leaders. Not because I think they have better ideas. Im glad because, while theyve proven that in elections fears trump hope, race-baiting trumps unification, and running against beats running for something, theyre now going to have to govern. Politics for both parties and, in particular, the modern Republican party is sport. Its a war that uses dividing districts, preying on fears, and a media barrage that eats away at ones psyche. This isnt new. Its been going on for decades. Lets remember that. And they won the war of the modern political battlefield. So, now the GOP has gotten what it wants -- a mandate so to speak. Of course, now the election turns to the Presidency. But theyre going to have to govern. Theyre going to have to have ideas. But lets remember, this is a party that embraces small government (not in an of itself a bad idea), so dont expect lots of programs. Expect roll-backs. Those are ideas. Lets see how they play. The beautiful thing about American democracy is that the people do have the right to speak, and transitions happen peacefully. Its amazing, really. If you are upset about the results last night, its better to recognize that the electorate spoke, not the politicians. This is where were at right now in America. Were a 50/50 country that leans a little right of center. Its who we are. Up here in lil ol Minnesota, in the land of Humphrey and Wellstone, its hard to understand. Were a little righteous too. We rank near the top in most good things, and near the bottom in all the bad stuff. Were damn lucky. We are like Scandinavia, actually. When was the last time you heard about some big kerfuffle in the EU where Sweden was at the center of it? See? So, lets see if this newly elected batch can govern. Lets see if they can do anything but run and win elections. Im honestly curious.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 13:22:59 +0000