Election 2012

Yep. Gotta say something about the election!

I managed to vote. I am very thankful for same day registration here in Minnesota. Life got so crazy I did not have an opportunity to register prior to Tuesday. The day I had scheduled to go and try and register, DH got sick and I had to change my plans.

I make no secret of my liberal political leanings. Waiting for election results is always nerve wracking, though this year was less nerve wracking than some others. This was for a few reasons. First, I was pretty confident that the races that were most important to me were going to "go my way" (thank you Nate Silver!). Second, I was not as worried about the ramifications of a loss as in past years. I was not afraid of Romney. While I am sure he would have enacted some policies I did not agree with, I was not terrified of him. (In 2008, I was not terrified of McCain either.... Until he put Sarah Palin on the ticket, which seemed an abomination - an insult to the office if she was elected.)

But, still, I was glad to see most of the elections I voted in turn out the way I had hoped. Obama of course, but more significantly honestly the two Minnesota constitutional amendments both were voted down. One would have banned gay marriage or the recognition thereof in the state. There is absolutely no justification for such measures, and any argument people make for them is sure to violate the separation of church and state.  The second would have enacted a strict photo ID voter law in Minnesota. Any law that makes it more difficult to vote in these United States is bad for democracy. If there is going to be Election Fraud, its not going to come through individual voters, it will be electronic. The Bonus result for me was the defeat of Chip Cravaak, my Republican congressional representative. Not only was I glad to see the seat go to a democrat for #s purposes, more significantly I was glad to get rid of this specific man, who tried to allow logging and mining in the BWCA, and does not actually live in Minnesota anymore!! (His wife got a job out east and he spends almost no time in the residents here, its a joke). Good riddance!

So yes. I am pleased with the election results. But here is the thing, that does not mean that I think that things are suddenly going to get so much better. Congress has spent the past 4 yrs blocking anything that the president attempts to accomplish. I do not expect this to stop. Even if it does stop, I am not convinced good solutions to our problems exist on either side of the aisle. Some things just take time to resolve. We will see what happens!!