The Real Great Political Divide

Everyone seems to agree that ours is a country that's divided politically, but the flaw with that conclusion is not so much the division itself but who is on the different sides. It's not conservatives vs. liberals, or Tea Party vs. GOP, or even major parties vs. third parties; ultimately, all of those people are on the same side.

Yes, you read that right. Voters of the Republican, Democratic, and independent persuasions are all together here. They constitute the party of those who actively involved in the political process, of those who are actively invested in the game. These people feel passionately about not only their positions and candidates but about the concept of politics.

On the other side are those who don't vote, or who only vote intermittently, and for whom politics is merely that thing necessary for achieving the larger goal of governing.

Boehner's genius

Presumptive Speaker Boehner made some statement about how the GOP gains in the House was a "referendum" from the American people to repeal "Obamacare."

Memo to the representative: First, unless you ask each and every voter individually whether that was the case, you're talking out of your ass. But, okay, conceding you were stating your opinion, here's the question: How would devoting energy to that (which isn't in effect yet) actually do anything about the state of the economy in 2011? If you don't care about helping the country but merely want to exact some level of virtual retribution for a perceived wrong in the past, that may offer a temporary sense of satisfaction, but it seems to suggest you're not interested in doing anything for the  benefit of the country's biggest issue.

The largest demographic is actually non-voters, and this vengeance-based agenda you've suggested seems unlikely to pull any of them to your side.

Ah, but I suspect your aim may actually be to drive more of the public to that group, and thus reduce the pool of who might vote for the other side.

Bravo, sir. Insidiously clever.

Hooray! Sanity is Over!

We've reached the end of the first week of November, and one of the best things about this time is: The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear is over, and now the subset of those who were commenting on that can stop talking about it. As with the election, we may have a bit more time putting up with some post-game stuff, but soon any interest as a general topic will expire.

Thank goodness.

The election was politics. The rally was not (as I mentioned it would not be a month ago). Jon Stewart stated that emphatically many, many times. However, those who were so fascinated by the rally clearly could not accept that, presumably because they need to project on to it what they wanted it to be—namely, a rally for their agenda. I'm not so oblivious that I don't grasp that the somewhat amorphous mission statement of the rally allows those who seek a more definitive message to impose their more definitive message on to it (in their minds).

Thanks a lot, Delaware

Now that the big election (like any election is "small") is over, I have to say: I cannot believe what voters in Delaware did to us. They had the chance to send spitfire (and Tea Party darling) Christine O'Donnell to the U.S. Senate but instead went with "tax man" Chris Coons.

In the Senate O'Donnell would be constrained and forced to at least feign an attempt at governing, but now she'll be free to go be a pundit for Fox News, following the lead of her quasi-mentor Sarah Palin.

Come on, Delaware. When O'Donnell got the GOP nomination she befuddled the establishment so much that even feminists declared part of her appeal was that she was the pretty one. Just look at her:

Compared to Coons' bald head, isn't she's stunning? Isn't that what you were supposedly looking for? Are you really that not-shallow?

Now it's only a matter of time until there's no escaping her on the cable news tsunami.

Eh, what else should we have expected from the "blue hen" state? Shows what they know about politics...

The madness stops Tuesday

No matter what comes of tomorrow's general election there'll be one way in which all—Democrats, Republicans, independents, non-voters—will benefit equally:

All of this came on the same day. Seriously.

Our mailboxes will cease to be filled with campaign fliers every day. There'll be room for the non-politically themed junk mail to which we are accustomed.

So we have that to look forward to, whether we like the results of the election or not.