Post-election thoughts

Two years ago I wrote a post called post-election thoughts, just after Obama was elected.  I have been remiss in not commenting on this most recent election.

Every two years we have a midterm election, which makes it sound like an exam.  Democracy is not academics, although it’s nice to have an educated electorate.  So, in this election that happens midway between one election and the next one, it’s a normal state of affairs – 2002 was an exception – for the House of Representatives to switch party control.  Although Democrats would like to run around after this most recent election complaining about loss of an agenda, and politics-not-policy of their opposition, this was to be expected and normal.

I did not stand in front of my television, excessively glad that we had an intelligent president-elect as I did two years ago.  However, I would like to be just as glad that we have the same president.   Van Jones reminded us recently that “the slogan was not ‘Yes He Can’,” about Obama.  I did, however, watch as House and Senate races came in across the country.  I was watching with Jefferson County Democrats at a very nice underground coffee house, since my own Clallam County was not organized to host any gathering.  As we watched Clallam’s election results on the Secretary of State website the the results were mostly anti-incumbent rage – but what was true for Clallam County was not true to Jefferson County or Grays Harbor County.

The media as it calls itself – that glorious box that squawks 24/7 and adds in extra noise when it can – will continue to tell us, I’m sure, that we’re a center-right nation.  That doesn’t seem correct.  It is not necessary to be right-of-center to reject the status quo, which will be what the media means this time it says we are center-right.  When we elected Obama perhaps we were center-left; when we finished this election perhaps we were center-right.  Back and forth and back and forth.  That’s what they tell us.  We’re certainly still where I said we were two years ago; to the right of a left world.

So what did I think of the election?  It was as expected.  In California it was good to see a man who has a chance to rebuild the state elected governor.  In Washington state a Democrat, Patty Murray, beat Dino Rossi (really now, who names their kid Dino?), by a much larger margin than perpetual candidate lost in his two bids for governorship, including a 2004 election decided by less than 250 votes.  Contrary to the notion of a ‘permanent majority,’ though, politics is cyclical and one party doesn’t maintain control forever, despite redistricting that will be happening soon.  So, regardless of party, you can have hope.  Or hate.   Whichever suits your current political needs.