Thoughts on Election Day 2012

I like this commercial...

Some thoughts on the election:

1.  I think the news stations are relying way too heavily on polling to tell them what's going on.  It's tiresome to watch and I think it ends up creating the narrative rather than reporting on the narrative.
2.  This election would not be as close if Obama had done better in the first debate.
3.  The country has been increasingly polarized since the Clinton years.  Remember how many lawsuits the Clintons were subject to in the early years?  The Republicans were vicious.
4.  The viciousness in this year has grown all out of proportion - I think it's because Obama is black.  People can have legitimate reasons to not want to vote for Obama.  But, I've heard too many people over the last four years who can't define what they don't like about him, and yet they heatedly don't want him to be President again.  It's a little out of proportion, I think.
5.  I can imagine that if Romney wins, the stock market will go up.  Money people like Republicans.  They'll feel happy and safe to start investing again because they expect favorable policies from a Romney administration.  The economy may improve, but the lot in life of disadvantaged people will become more precarious.  It will be like the Reagan years.  Some thought those were good days, but others didn't fare so well.
6.  I can imagine that if Obama wins, the stock market will be either flat or go down a bit.  But, over time it will be the same it's been.  I think the money people will have to accept that Obama is president and unless they want to do nothing for four more years they will keep on keeping on.  It won't be with very much enthusiasm.  But, maybe that's best...the money people have gotten us into trouble too much over the last years.
7.  Battleground states.  I don't like that every state, county, town, and region is so predictable that there are only a few states where the campaigns can't predict the outcome.  It implies that we don't have an open mind and we can't be persuaded by a good argument.  I fault the redistricting that goes on so that each party can be assured of victory.  It would be better if each district had a mix of democratic leaning and republican leaning people.  Then we'd really have to figure out how to solve problems.  Another solution would be the rise of a third party.
8.  I will be very proud and happy if gay marriage passes in this state.
9.  I wish there had been more attention paid to the House and Senate races.  My mother made a comment that if Obama is elected he would increase the estate tax (or something...I don't even remember).  We don't talk politics so I didn't respond, but that's a common thing people say.  The President doesn't put new taxes into law...the Congress does.
10.  And speaking of Congress, it wasn't Obama that didn't get things done, it was the Congress.
11.  The way people twist words and speak with a forked tongue has gone through the roof.  It's dispiriting.
12.  I hope we have a definitive answer tonight.  I don't want this to go on and on and on...I'm done with this election.
13.  One reason I didn't vote for Hillary Clinton in 2008 is because I didn't want to hear all the partisan bickering.  The far right went after the Clintons in the 90's and I thought they would rabble rouse again.  It turns out they were rabble rousing anyway.  And, I think Hillary would have been more prepared to fight it than Obama was.  Obama and I both thought he had a mandate and the folks would work together.  I couldn't imagine the depths they would sink.  How can you trust a party in which one of the leaders, Mitch McConnell, says from the beginning that their main job is to make Obama a one term president and block everything he attempts.  After that statement...well, that is downright unAmerican, I think.

That's it for now.