Election Hangover, a.k.a. “Keep it down, please. Mummy’s not feeling well.”

Posted by Mary Mancini on November 8, 2006 under Uncategorized |

Besides the obvious Harold Ford, Jr. loss and the “Vote No on 1″ rout, why do some of us feel apprehensive instead of excited about the Democratic victories and the takeover of the House?

Is it because we fear that yesterday’s results will be accompanied by the continued erosion of civil discourse as the 2008 presidential election approaches? Is it because our guys will try and try and try to open a dialogue about the deficit, healthcare, education, and the war but will be shutdown immediately by accusations of wanting to “raise taxes, socialize medicine, raise taxes, cut and run, and raise taxes?” Is it because in order to regain control of the deficit that the current administration racked up there is no alternative but to somehow increase revenue which will bring choruses of, “See? We told you this would happen if you elected Demcrats!” Is it because even though our guys won we’re still stuck with a two-party system that is, no matter how you slice it, ripe with inherent corruption, power grabs, waste, and rampant partisianship? Is it because even though participatory democracy is a beautiful thing, the democratic process in this country is severely disabled and we still have people calling us crazy for asking for a voter verifiable paper audit trail and fair elections? Is it because anecdotal and videotaped evidence from yesterday points to continued systematic disenfranchisement of the electorate? Is it because election day is not a federal holiday and there were many agitated citizens worried about being late for work who had to wait hours to vote because of long lines and not enough voting machines, or who couldn’t get the time off to wait at all? Is it because Claudia Nunez is still being treated like a common criminal when all she wants is a better life for her family?

Is it because our job as citizens is not over just because we voted yesterday? Is it because there’s still so much work to do to hold our elected officials accountable that it makes our heads twirl? Is it because we’re not looking forward to calling Washington, DC and hearing, “Good morning, Senator Corker’s office, how can I ignore your input today?”

Today is Wednesday, November 8, and you can find us watching reruns of “The West Wing” and “The Colbert Report” - a participatory democracy “palate cleanse,” if you will. But tomorrow….ah, yes…tomorrow….