Will History Repeat? Again?
The speeches are done – the shouting is over. The candidates have given their final 
plead for your vote. Heads have been stepped on, pleading rallies have dissipated, and victory rallies are fomenting. Again, Republicans have begged for you to return them to power.
They’ve ignored 30 years of political precedent… Where every time there’s a Republican president taxes on the wealthiest go down and so the deficit balloons, and we have some sort of military involvement in another country, where our involvement is specious, at best (Reagan, Bush I). Then a democrat comes along, and even in spite of having to work with a Republican congress manages to eliminate the deficit and actually have a budgetary 
surplus for the first time in decades, but Republicans try to play the morality card, yet play fast and loose with their own ethics to make Democrats look bad (Clinton). Then the Republicans are re-elected to the White House (well, not really, but we’ll look past that for this 
conversation) and the cycle of Republican greed begins again – support corporations, piss on the citizenry. We go to war, we reduce taxes on wealthy people, social services are cut, and the economy ends up in the toilet. Again. (George W. Bush)
Which brings us to 2008 – We decided that the Democrat is the way to go. We have a Democratic president, and Democratic congress. No matter how much was accomplished over the last 22 months (and it has only been 22 months!) Republicans wheel out the same old fear-driven, moral “outrage” that they’ve used before. They argue polarizing topics like abortion, gay marriage and Obama’s birth certificate. They stir up a population of fundamental Christians who will never actually be paid in the 
political victories they were promised by the GOP.
I’ll make no predictions here. I’ve read the straw-polls and political prognosticators. The last shards of optimism I have are still in play.
It may be weeks by the time all the votes are counted and decisions are made. Here in Washington we’re looking at a Senatorial race that is being nationally referred to as a “dead heat.”
If I had a god, I’d be praying for my friends in Nevada, Delaware, Kentucky and in other states where the elections are a veritable freakshow.
In the meantime, fix yourself a cocktail. Don’t watch the election returns. Read it in the morning. It’s only going to stress you out.
