By lex, on November 4th, 2008
Vox populi, and that. Which is how we do things.
A pair of contenders have faced the nation, run a relatively rancor-free campaign considering the circumstances, with nothing but the usual skulduggeries perpetuated by the usual suspects – who after all, were only doing what partisans do – and the people, in their wisdom, have made their choice.
We should all wish the president-elect well and hope that he’s a quick study, for our fates are conjoined, at least for the next four years. When we get to go through the whole rumpus again.
For a number of years, one of our great political parties had a free run of the board. Now the other side gets a hack at it. Obstacle free, like. As I’ve said before, if they do a good job, then all of our misgivings were misplaced.
If they don’t?
There’s always change.
We’ve also elected a person of color to the top political office in the land. That was never, pace the Benetton set, sufficient reason in itself. But it’s not nothing, either. We’ve been carrying some serious baggage for quite some time, and for my own part, I’ve gotten pretty weary of it. Come back and tell me afterward how the man is keeping you down.
We can also say farewell to the legions of homeless, at least for a while. That’s been solved. And all of those loons on stilt puppets. Farewell to all that.
Sometimes you’ve got to find the pony in the pile of shit.
Which is not to say that we give our new political class a pass. We should watch them like hawks, compare their policies to our preferences, hold them accountable, safeguard the Constitution.
But we need to do it honestly. Eschew the temptation to make things up. Trust, ultimately, in the wisdom of the people. We’re a huge conglomeration of small towns connected suddenly by a world with no boundaries. A conglomeration of fundamentally good people. We’ll figure it out. We muddle through. That’s our genius.
You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time. But you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.
Hey, some things are true even if a Yankee believes them.
In America, anyone can become president.
That’s one of the risks you take.
