And the Fighting Ended

As the election cycle comes to an end (Thank God) I, like you, am relieved for the end of the fight. Elections are important, don’t get me wrong, hoping to teach the young about the importance of elections, some schools have mock elections.  Starting as young as sixth grade, students run for office, campaign and give speeches regarding how they will fight for fair priced school lunches, work to end Substitute Teachers and increased Recess time. As kids elect their representatives, the ideas of a Constitutional Republic are cemented in their minds.  Lastly the most important lesson of all, the debating, which can seem like arguing and to the really uneducated, fighting, but this dialog and exchange of ideas is necessary. In this form of government sometimes consensus can only happen in a heated exchange.

And when the election is over, there are winners and losers, some stomp their feet and cry foul, others dry their tears as posters and ballots are torn-in-half and cast aside. All those that lost cannot help but think one thing,

 “I worked so hard, I worked so damn hard!”

Honestly you feel bad for the loser only because, take it from me, elections are a lot of work. Door knocking, writing speeches, memorizing and then giving them. Going to every event in the area you can find, shaking hands, kissing babies, mailers, filling out forms, putting up signs and going to meeting after meeting.  Running for office is not only a lot of work for the loser, but for the winner the real work begins after the election. 

I don’t think the world is terribly kind to those who run for office. One of America’s greatest authors, Mark Twain was ruthless in his opinion of politicians, he once stated:

“Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you’re were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself”

People seem to want a Savior and that is not what a Politician is. If you want that you are going to have to vote for Jesus Christ. For now we are left with mere humans muddling through life just like us. There are only really two criteria when voting for a politician, how much are they going to tax me and what rights are they going to take away.  The rest is just hyperbole put forth by Journalists in order to sell papers and stir discontent. During the Second world war, Evelyn Waugh wrote a wildly funny book called The Scoop, it highlighted the absurdity of Journalism even during his time.  

“Why, once Jakes went out to cover a revolution in one of the Balkan capitals. He overslept in his carriage, woke up at the wrong station, didn't know any different, got out, went straight to a hotel, and cabled off a thousand-word story about barricades in the streets, flaming churches, machine guns answering the rattle of his typewriter as he wrote.
Well they were pretty surprised at his office, getting a story like that from the wrong country, but they trusted Jakes and splashed it in six national newspapers. That day every special in Europe got orders to rush to the new revolution. Everything seemed quiet enough, but it was as much their jobs were worth to say so, with Jakes filing a thousand words of blood and thunder a day. So they chimed in too. Government stocks dropped, financial panic, state of emergency declared, army mobilized, famine, mutiny — and in less than a week there was an honest to god revolution under way, just as jakes had said. There's the power of the press for you.”
? Evelyn Waugh, Scoop

Witnessing the craziness of this particular election cycle is nothing short of insane and you wonder if you’re the only one that sees the nuttiness of the journalists attempting to get people to fight. My compliments to those who have remained calm during this past election cycle, even if you happen to be in Primary School, its not fair, but at least the fighting will be over -for at least a little while