Okay, so this election day sucked.
It was the triumph of a do nothing Congress, with many of the very same people who obstruct any progress being able to gloat about the election results now. This, despite disapproval ratings of Congress actually being higher than disapproval rates for President Obama.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: I am not fan of President Obama. To me, his two terms in office have been highly disappointing, and many Americans would agree with that statement. However, my rationale for not liking him is very different than those of most who rabidly attack him. To me, what bothers me about Obama is how eerily similar he is to the man who preceded him. Sometimes, I could hardly tell the difference between George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Still, it bothers me that so many Americans are waking up to the evils of excess by the White House only once President Obama is in office, as if these evils, such as excessive surveillance, ever more encroachment into people's lives by both government and corporations, the escalation of the national debt, a bad economy for real, working Americans, and especially the ridiculous wars that we always seem to be engaged in. These are all things that, so far as I can tell, the Bush administration was far more guilty of then Obama.
Nevertheless, the Tea Party and their advocates are marching triumphant once again, predictably. They were right, and everyone else was wrong, that seems to be their gloating message now. We can look forward to two years of such responsible leadership, before the next huge election, although we are already kind of getting bombarded with the 2016 election, are we not?
In any case, there were a few bright spots to last night's election.
First, the tide for legalization of marijuana keeps rolling. Okay, granted, legalization is not likely to happen in some states. You surely should not hold your breath for it in states like, say, Kansas, or Alabama, Mississippi, or Arizona. However, Alaska, a traditionally red state, nonetheless saw this measure pass! Not all that surprisingly, Oregon also joined this club, as did out nation's capital, Washington D.C.! Now, that I would say is a big triumph!
Secondly, the so-called "personhood amendment" still has not scored a victory in elections yet. It's almost as if the American people are actually saying that corporations are not people in and of themselves, but bodies consisting of people, but with a very different essence to their existence, and with only one goal in mind at all times: increased profits for the next quarterly statement to please shareholders and board members, rather than the everyday responsibilities that the rest of us have to worry about. Go figure!
Thirdly, here in New Jersey, the one specific piece of legislation that I can actually agree with Governor Chris Christie on passed. Violent criminals will not be able to post bail before the trial, nor will those who pose a serious flight risk. The flip side of this bill is that people will no longer be stuck in jail on relatively minor, nonviolent offenses. This, to me, seemed like a win-win bill, and I am pleased that it passed. Also, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised that the open land amendment passed. I had heard some people speak in derogatory terms about this issue, and in particular, I have one coworker who was loudly proclaiming to everyone that he would vote yes on the bail amendment, but no on open spaces amendment. Perhaps my pessimism was kicking in, because it seemed too many people were opposed to this. However, it passed, which means now there will be permanent funding for the open space amendment, and it will not have to be on the ballot, having to be justified by public voter scrutiny again and again and again.
So, there you have it. I am not thrilled with the election results, mind you. I was at a garage for a good hour or so earlier today, and had to watch Senator Mitch McConnell with his post-election "I told you so" style speech. But I guess this is just a reminder, probably to myself as much as to anyone else, that there was a silver lining on an otherwise dark cloud of neoconservative victory!
Here are some links to articles on these particular issues from last night's election:
Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C. Legalize Marijuana, posted on whotc.com, Nov 5, 2014:
http://whotv.com/2014/11/05/oregon-alaska-and-washington-d-c-legalize-marijuana/
Personhood now has a 0-5 win-loss record in elections posted on DailyKaos, Nov 5, 2014:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/05/1342117/-Personhood-now-has-a-0-5-win-loss-record-in-elections?detail=email#
N.J. voters approve open space, bail amendments by Andrew Seidman, Inquirer Trenton Bureau, November 5, 2014:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/elections/20141105_N_J__voters_approve_open_space__bail_amendments.html
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