Election Election Election

I'm more worried about this election cycle than any other I've been through, because I've seen the devastation that can come from a president who doesn't have a firm grasp of consequences.  And it's not just that there's still a small possibility that the US might elect a president that sends us off the rails.

It's the high level of rancor over the election campaign.  How do we get past the divisive rhetoric that we're seeing today?  I want my candidate to win, but I want them also then be able to govern, to rally the people of the US to do better, to be better people.

I think of it this way--the election on November 8 is the gateway to a new beginning.  I'll take what happens, whatever it is, whatever my worries.  But I want a functional government.  My worry is that politicians will see opportunity in the vast divide to rally a portion of the populace to their side and demonize the rest, leaving us at odds with each other, prey to forces that loom.

Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand."  Today's rancor seems to me to be a crisis similar to the one Lincoln faced, a country divided by an issue that still hasn't healed.

It isn't one issue that divides our country today; it's many.  The multiple challenges our country faces--mounting and crippling debt, threats from abroad, political gridlock, and environmental devastation--together present a crisis that needs decisive action.

We must face this crisis with seriousness and purpose, forging a way forward with respect for differing opinions and positions.  And we want a leader who will inspire us with the values that the founders of the country did.

Living in Red

Mr. Obama's election victory came as a welcome gift from those who made that choice in places mostly far from where I live, and mostly far from where I have ever lived.  In the end, those who voted for him in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and Kansas--all states I once and do call home--were essentially uncounted. Their electoral college votes all went to Romney. In fact, despite our hopes for a continuation of the President chosen four years ago, we could only watch as people in other places, most of them far from Lake County, South Dakota, overcame those who chose Obama's opponent.

So a guy has to reflect on living among a majority whose views are so different from his own.  So I look back on places I have lived to see how far out of synch from the majority I am, at least on choosing a president:
RED:  Stanley County, SD:  Obama 28.2%, Romney 69.0%
RED:  Lawrence County, SD:  Obama 35.0%, Romney 61.8%
RED: Albany County, WY:  Obama 46.4%, Romney 48.9%
RED: Yellowstone County, MT:  Obama 39.0%, Romney 58.6%
RED: Ford County, KS:  Obama 30.5%, Romney 67.5%
BLUE:  Roberts County, SD:  Obama 54.1%, Romney 44.2%
RED:  Lake County, SD:  Obama 43.3%, Romney 54.4%.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?  It is nice to know, however, that my three children are all living in areas more friendly to Mr. Obama and the Democrats in general:  Hennepin County, MN, went for Obama 62.4% and Romney 35.6%.  They're among those who chose the President.  Thank you, people in blue. 

All figures are from the "President Map" on The New York Times.

Sunset on Election Day

Sunset on Election Day

We've watched and listened and read all about the candidates and the issues on the ballot, and now it's time to put that work to rest and watch the results come in.

Let's hope, whatever our choices, that we've made things better for ourselves and our neighbors.

Election Day

It's election day across the country, like the day we open the presents beneath the tree, ones that have been sitting there for a year and a half, one we want, one we don't (at least we think).  The sun came up like it does every day, and it will again tomorrow, no matter how it all turns out.

I can't help thinking, though, that the consequences of our presidential election will be big.  Two very different paths on the agenda.