Over?

Well, I've cast my vote and now, will be sitting back to wait and see what everyone else has done. If people hold to their previous statements, at least half the population will be moving to Canada (that seems to be the universal threat if either "that one" OR "that WOMAN!!!" ends up winning.) While I don't really believe those threats from either side, it is apparent that there will be at least a few highly disgruntled voters tomorrow morning.

The task at hand, then, for all of us, seems to be adjusting to the outcome. No matter who wins, it's going to be a rough year for all concerned. I cannot imagine taking on any task as gargantuan as the one that faces the winner. No matter how low the bar set by our current president, expectations will be high, and those expectations all hold a tinge of desperation. While I think the American public has a rather healthy attitude toward the value of campaign promises (summed up by "Yeah. Right...") all those words and all that rhetoric are bound to come home to roost some time.

So...to all the candidates, winners and losers, I will say, as someone once said to me after I lost an election, "I don't know whether to say I'm sorry, or to congratulate you." I think the real winners are those of us who no longer have to listen to campaign ads, or avoid proselytizing friends, or debate the merits of the candidates. My blood pressure is bound to recede a few points at not having to listen to inflammatory idiocies on a regular basis, and not having to defend my intelligence against the everyday spout of lies and misdirections that constitute a presidential campaign. I know there is more to come in the analysis and rehash of the actual election process and the endless electoral college explanations. I know I will see much more of the candidates and their reactions, more maps, more talking heads, and more laptop-wielding politicos on TV...but the end is in sight. Thank God.