The Angry American Electorate

I am so glad that the election will bring the end to these silly, offensive, unfair, and just plain ornery political ads on TV and radio. Many say this is the worst it has ever been. Maybe so, because it feels like it, but in my brief foray into political history going back to Lincoln, there have always been nasty people who cannot stop themselves from hurtling invectives; the truth be damned.

America is angry. Not just the vocal Tea Partyers, but far more if the polls are correct. The people wanted immediate fixes to long-term problems, and the Democrats, mostly the President charged into the storm only to find that it was tougher than expected.

This election, it seems, is going to be near historic for Congressional seats lost to the party in power. The polls differ somewhat but it is clear that the GOP will claim at least the 39 seats it needs in the House. The Senate is debatable.

But I have to say that Republicans and Tea Partyers should tread lightly in their rejoicing what they might see as a win. The American people of all stripes are angry and it ain’t just at the Dems. They are smart enough to know that President Obama did not create all of this mess. He may just have underestimated what it would take to fix. Well heck, he DID underestimate, no doubt.

So I am cautiously hopeful for the future. Not that I will enjoy Republican domination (remember that power corrupts), but if this is about change, then let’s hope they use this change to move forward and not get stuck in constant partisan gridlock. Say a prayer for America.

And Then There Were Two...or Three, or Four

Romney's denouement was a surprise to me. I took him at his word that he was marching on despite a poor showing on Super Tuesday. This changes the complexion of the campaign for the Republicans. McCain had started his meager attempt to bring every one into the tent. He saw this as necessary to combat the flogging he was taking not only from Romney, but from the radio right.

Now it seems that he has a choice. To continue the catering if he wishes, or to be true to his more moderate ways. He appears to not need the far right, unless there is an ABMc (Anyone But McCain) movement that Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh seem willing to join.

McCain was lambasted this past week with constant references to "McCain-Feingold, McCain-Kennedy, and McCain-Lieberman" legislation. This was an attempt to "liberalize" the Senator, but I always saw McCain's efforts as a way to bridge that awful partisan gap that hamstrings our government. It looks like no good deed continues to go unpunished.