At Last!!!

Thank God It's Finally Over

While I definitely love the democratic process, this new age of instant information has turned into a slog through continuous and unremitting political advertising.  Luckily I’m in a state where the presidential campaign was never in doubt even though this is Romney’s home state so we were spared the onslaught I’m sure the poor people of Ohio have had to endure.  We do have a close Senate race where the democrats are trying to take back Ted Kennedy’s seat from a Republican that dared to get elected in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts so we’ve had our fair share of vitriol.

While I find most candidates at least tolerable, some of the “political operatives” they surround themselves with are some of the most contemptible people on the face of the earth, thinking Karl Rove here.  There are some equally despicable people on the democratic side and with the new information age this seamy side of politics is finally getting some exposure.  I think that is a good thing because you can judge a candidate by whom he chooses to consort with.

I had to do a lot of soul searching for this year’s election because while I really like Obama as a person I have been intensely disappointed with his performance on a couple of levels.  I’ve had to deal with some of his lower level appointees and they are not of the centrist views that Obama claims he espouses.  America cannot afford to go too far to the left – we’re not Europe, where the classes accept separation.  I also learned some of the background of last year’s budget crisis, engineered by the republicans.  There was a deal made that everyone was willing to sign when Obama came in at the 11^th hour with a new demand that he knew would be unacceptable the republicans – that is not statesmanship.

We need a president (and a congress) who can work with each other and not descend into polarized immobility that has characterized the last twenty years of Washington politics.  I thought Obama was the guy to bridge that gap – I was wrong.  I’m also concerned for his Carteresque foreign policy of trying to be everybody’s friend.  I’m concerned my grandkids (if they ever arrive) will be fighting in the new Iran-like states being created in Obama’s middle east.  It’s time to give the other guy a chance.

On the home front (and because I must keep my sister informed of all things medical) I had my annual dermatology appointment yesterday which came with its usual series of carvings and freezing.  I’m now paying for all those years spent outside in the sun.  He froze another actinic keratosis on my shoulder and carved out a fairly impressive divot from my neck to biopsy (basal cancer).  My wife put on her nurse hat when I arrived home because the doctor had filled his divot with a large cotton ball which was stuck to the dried wound.  She was carefully trying to remove the thing when I lost patience and just reached up and tore the thing off.  Note to self – this was not a good idea, on both the loss of blood and matrimonial relations fronts.