After the dust has settled, and the window to the future is again clear, permit your
humble servant a few observations about the election just completed.
It was first and foremost an admonishment to the sizable majority who had the temerity to administer a defeat to the ultimate establishment candidate, John McCain
and elect a totally non-establishment figure as President.
The Republicans vowed from the moment the election results were official that they
would destroy the Obama presidency. That such a goal might also inflict almost
irremediable damage on the nation was considered an acceptable risk in the drive to
regain power. "We will fix it once we are back in control" was the mantra. So began their "just say no" agenda, and sure enough the damage occurred. That then gave them
the perfect second ploy. Everyone should know that economic catastrophes can occur
in the blink of an eye, but to repair a broken economy, particularly one damaged in
such massive areas as the financial and real estate segments, will take years. After
about 18 months into the new administration, the laboriously slow recovery
gives the obstructive opposition the opportunity to blame the catastrophe on the administration.
The anger and fear that accompanies unemployment, loss of homes and security can then be exploited to oust the party in control at the next mid-term election. The victors are usually demagogues who were elected on a tide of anger and
extremism and usually have no viable governing philosophy or agenda. The nation becomes starkly polarized and the parties incapable of the necessary compromises.
The nation loses more of its economic vitality and continues its decline.
Only statesmanship at the top of both parties can avert that decline. I have
not observed such statesmanlike conduct in the past two years. I don't expect to see it in our present perilous state. I would be delighted to be proven wrong.
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The voters reacted to billions of Dollars in stimulus, a continuing recession, rampant unemployment, billions in bailouts to undeserving banks, billions lost in a real estate crash, billions squandered in Wall Stree debacle, golden parachutes to the profiteers, a sluggish economy, billions for a protracted war, ruinous billion dollars health care; they lost their trust in the telepromper tirades of their energetic but ineffective President.
maxxjacques makes very salient remarks however, where is the hope treatise?
Of course it is human nature to blame things we fear (don't understand) but our goal should always be to point to more suitable objectives for things we don't or refuse to accept.
I submit that the greatest objective and experiential advise is "give it time".
We are not robots. We have emotions and are easily pushed into our egoistic shells when confronted with things we don't understand but the ancient adage "time heals" is as true today as it was centuries ago. Given time to investigate, explore and discuss humankind has always tended to formulate suitable or palatable solutions that bring us back into what we can safely feel is "the mainstream".
As of this past Wednesday morning nearly all of us felt great distress because the election results were everywhere except where we had thought they should be.
None of us needs to feel dejected by the situation. The results indicated chaotic thinking but that is also appropriate in our lenient culture. Rather, it is our new challenge to explore and define a better path for whomever might now hold political offices we felt most important.
We are still a democratic state even if that is not so obvious today. I feel certain our culture will, again, find purpose and inspiration within only a few more months.
Yet another option is to allow the new office holders tie their own nooses and solve our problems on their own.
Time is our friend.
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