Election Wrap-Up

So, here we are on the other side of the election and the world still spins on its axis and orbits around the sun. I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for my post-election coverage, so without further ado, here are some of my thoughts on the election:
1. Nate Silver wins, pundits lose. Silver is the man. He predicted all 50 states right and declared he would vote for ebola or a third party before he voted for pundits. I'm sure his inbox is full of apologies from those pundits apologizing for their scoffing (sarcasm).
2. Twenty women Senators! It's probably a bad sign when you're celebrating half the population having a fifth of the power, but it is a step in the right direction.
3. Demographic shifts. Latino/a voters and young voters can no longer be overlooked. I remember hearing in my civics class many years ago that the Latino vote was the "sleeping giant" of electoral politics. It looks like the giant has awoke, and it turns out they don't like the negative ways they are portrayed by those on the far right, nor the overall immigration policy of the Republican party (who would have thought self-deportation wouldn't be a hit?). This will be a huge challenge for Republicans if they want to contend in national elections in the future.
4.  I DVRed some political commercials on Monday so I can slowly wean of them. I do not want to go through those 2008 withdrawals with the terrible side effects of peaked interest, lucidity, and sudden onsets of joy (This would be true if I had a TV, let alone a DVR).
5. Minnesota had the highest voter turnout in the country again (past 8 elections in a row)! I think it is because it combines the mixture of the three greatest motivators of Minnesotans: guilt, duty, and peer pressure. Also, we still won't call the Democratic Party in Minnesota "Democrats." We prefer to keep it DFL - Democratic-Farmer-Labor, just to keep things interesting.
6. The big question in the twittersphere: Was Diane Sawyer drinking during the coverage? Exhibit A:



Frankly, I think all pundits were just way too tired to be speaking coherently, but you be the judge.
7. Karl Rove, who spent millions of other people's money to beat Obama, did not want to hear Ohio called for Obama:



8. We need to overturn Citizens United so that all the crazy amounts of money being spent on political races should at least not be anonymous with no accountability attached.
9. I confess I'm going to miss the debates.
10. Now that the election is over, I think Christmas music is in order (or at least Advent music!).

In the 2012 salute to my fine motor skills, every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday I come to campus and have to feed a meter with a copious amount of quarters; I don't think I've done this once this year without dropping at least one quarter on the ground. Each time feels like my own little occupational therapy session.

Okay, folks. I'm going into a weekend of heavy writing. Let's all hope and pray I get soooo much done so I can enjoy Thanksgiving without feeling like a blade is swinging slowly over my head (a la "Pit and the Pendulum"). Later!