Four more years

We have another presidential election in our rear view mirrors. Whew. I had no intention of staying up to watch election results but you know how it is with good intentions. James and I got caught up in the drama and excitement, and watched all evening; Aidan even watched for about an hour before his bedtime. And although the polls out west closed long after he went to sleep, the next morning Aidan told me how he thought the states voted and managed to get all the states but one correct - look out, Nate Silver - and deemed Florida too close to call.

Speaking of Florida, I told James on Wednesday that is is crazy that every four years, so much hangs on the outcome of a state that is 98% whackadoodles. Our friends who live there are, of course, part of the 2% rational people in the state. I saw a tweet that said "Why do we even allow Florida to vote?", which made me laugh. Thank goodness it didn't come down to Florida this election or it would have been 2000 all over again, with possibly another stolen election. Whew.

Anyway, Tuesday night was like the Super Bowl of politics minus wardrobe malfunctions and expensive commercials. We toggled between CNN (I adore John King and his smart board) and MSNBC, but jumped over to ABC briefly when a Facebook posting alerted us that Diane Sawyer was apparently participating in our election night drinking game (every time they say "battleground", drink!). We, of course, missed Karl Rove's hissy fit on Fox. The whole event was nerve-wracking, it was fun, it exhilarating. And, if you don't know me well, it ended the way that I wanted it to end, with Barack Obama being reelected president.

Here are some random thoughts about politics and the election:

• I am absolutely in awe of the voters in Florida who finally cast their ballots well after 1 a.m. the next day. They were in line when the polls closed and were therefore eligible to vote, but what fortitude, what passion, what patriotism they displayed by staying in line until they could vote. Mazel to you and you are NOT part of the 98% whackadoodles in your state. 

• I am appalled by the new low levels of nastiness displayed by people of all political persuasions. Yes, I voted for Barack Obama, but that does not mean that I say rude, untrue or bigoted comments about Mitt Romney. All in all, I think Mitt Romney is a fine person with some good ideas and talents, and I simply disagree with enough of his positions to make me not vote for him. That's all. I don't need to post vile cartoons on Facebook or circulate email messages full of lies. Disagree with a candidate? Vote against her/him.

• Speaking of nastiness, I am flabbergasted by people who lash out at those who did not vote the way they did by questioning their intelligence or their loyalty to our country. In three words: how dare you. I lived in Raleigh, North Carolina for sixteen years and had a "Defeat Helms" bumper sticker on my car for most of those years. Never did anyone accost me for expressing that opinion, but I have a writer friend in Raleigh who was recently cursed and called ignorant because another person did not like her Obama-Biden 2012 bumper sticker. How dare you. 

• Yay for Maine, Maryland, Minnestoa and Washington, and yay for marriage equality!

• I sincerely hope that Mitch McConnell finds something worthwhile to put on his "to do" list for the next few years. Any elected official that says "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president" should be ashamed of his/herself. The single most important thing that Mitch McConnell or anyone else in Congress should want to achieve is to make this country healthier, smarter, stronger.