Election Post Mortem

It’s over and I’m glad. I’m glad that I won’t have to see or hear another campaign commercial -- especially those nasty attack ads. I’m glad because I won’t have to hear the spin of the candidates and the campaign strategists. I’m glad because I had had enough of it all.

But as glad as I am that it’s over, I woke up on Wednesday morning feeling a great sense of optimism for the future of our country. This has been an historic week. In the years to come, people will talk about where they were when Barack Obama was elected President, the first African-American to get to that mountaintop.

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I cried as I watched his victory speech. I cried because I was proud of America. I never thought I would see a person of color elected to the nation’s highest office. I feel so appreciative that it happened in my lifetime.

It was uplifting to see so many people feel energized about participating in the political process especially young people. I think what happened this week is a generational shift and the large number of young people who voted found that they have an important stake in the country’s direction.

I was surprised that the Governor’s race was not as close as it was predicted to be. I was even more surprised to see Governor Gregoire declared the winner by the networks so early in the evening. I expected it to be very tight and that the outcome would not be known for days. I think the Governor benefited from the voter turnout for Obama.

I’m still amazed by the money spent in the Governor’s race, more than $40 million, and the ugly tone of the race became unbearable to watch. In the debates, the candidates spent most of their time criticizing each other and talking little about the issues. The attack ads from the independent groups were over the top. In the end, it was a stinging defeat for Dino Rossi and the Building Industry Association which spent heavily in support of his campaign. Republicans in our state and nationally have to figure out their direction and how to rebuild their party’s image.

For now, we get a breather from the craziness of our election system. I would like to see changes in how it’s done. The fact that candidates run for two years to become President is nuts. And the money that’s spent to run for office is even more nuts. There’s got to be a better way.

So what are your thoughts about election and the process? Let me know.