Election Over?

What now? Are the results accepted by the losers? The candidates are one thing in considering this answer, but the other thing is the voters who supported those losing candidates. Do THEY support the results? At this early hour following the close of polling places, the results are not fully known. It will take several more hours to determine the final results, and even then court action may extend knowledge of the final results for some days yet.

Time will tell. Will Clinton’s supporters accept the results if they lose? Will the Trump people accept the reality of the voter’s will? Or will they continue to insist the elections were rigged. If they think this is true, by the way, what exactly was rigged? The votes miscounted? Ballots tossed out in the dark of night? Voting computer systems tinkered with so it would purposely report results opposite of actual tallies?

Or do they think the media is against them? Or entire agencies of the government – both state and federal, I guess – are stacked against their point of view?

I doubt any of these preposterous possibilities are true. I believe that mainly because I think too many politicians and many government operators are too uninventive to manage such outcomes. They can barely balance the budget, right? They flub wars! They can’t spell or pass math tests. They have trouble remembering calendar dates and history lessons, let alone complex computer systems that sign up citizens for Obamacare.

Remember these flubs? Many are current or very recent. And yet the doubters among us feel certain that their election was stolen?

Give me a break. And the rest of us while you are at it. No, the election was not stolen. It was not rigged. What you wanted was simply not supported with enough votes.

That’s it. That’s the extent of the complaint.

Now let’s attempt to get at something else. What really went wrong with this election is entirely different from what has been reported in print or on TV. And it is simply this:

No one truly discussed issues in enough detail to educate anyone on alternate views; thus no persuasion was possible. The only thing discussed was candidate personalities. And that isn’t objective at all. Pure subjectivity and mostly crap. And I know this to be true as much as you do.

It is time we reformed political campaigns with actual issue discussions. What does the candidate support and what does he/she not support? Then let’s have a discussion between the two candidates, live in person or via written submissions so they have a chance to develop proper themes and research complete with facts. We can judge whether their arguments are good or not. Or hold water, even!

Such a campaign would be refreshing and educational. It might even help us all understand our form of government better.

Here’s another thing about American elections: they are far too costly and thus fall prey to major donors. Major donors have something to protect. They aren’t very much into facts or theories or educational issues. They are donating money to protect what they own and that is very sad. The rest of us don’t have the money to do this. And thus the major donors ought not be allowed to do it either, just to keep the playing field level and on the up and up.

So the bottom line is this: accept the results of the election and get on with living your life. Let the losers plot their follow up work to change history at the next election. And let the winners get on with the work we elected them to do in the first place. Just check the constitution from time to time to be certain you are doing what you are supposed to be doing.

How refreshing is that?!  Meanwhile, let’s hold our tongues and await results of the American voters. That would be factual results!

Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Relax and take another deep breath. Wait for clarity. We all need this. And then, let’s deal with whatever reality the election results are telling us.

November 9, 2016