Random post-election thoughts

First, despite all the wailing and caterwauling about all the things that were going to go wrong with the Nov. 6 election, I think it came off rather well. Yes, I was not happy with the outcome, but I think that the process worked just like it was supposed to do. That, I contend is a good thing and stands America in an rare but nice place to be.
Second, I found it humorous that the UN election observers were appalled, or is that astounded, apparently at the lengths American election officials trust voters to do their part honestly. Imagine, not requiring positive identification or marking those people who already voted so they can’t just go somewhere else and vote again. I hope those progressives, etc., who are so upset with the idea of requiring a photo id to vote take note that the people in Europe and other continents shake their heads at our naiveté.
Third, I find it exceedingly humorous, that all those progressives and “modernists” who want to do away with the vilified Electoral College system now seem to be trumpeting that since Obama got over 300 votes (when he just needed 270 to win) gives him some sort of mandate to enact their agenda. For the same reasons that they don’t like the Electoral College, is the same reason that Obama’s victory does not represent a mandate. If there was more than 2 percent between the popular vote totals, then a case could be made, however, since there wasn’t, it reflects the fact that the nation remains one that still is looking for a consensus about what vision of the future is the one the country should pursue. To treat it otherwise is to risk escalating that division even further, and we don’t need that.
Fourth, I am, somewhat perversely I admit, glad that President Obama won the popular vote as well as the Electoral vote. I would hate to have seen what would be the public reaction if he had won the Electoral vote and not the popular vote. I suspect a dozen years from now, we would still be hearing tales how he stole the election.
Fifth, sort of a continuation of the above, but I am very glad we aren’t having to endure all sorts of ballot challenges in various courts because the loser wasn’t gracious enough to accept the initial vote counts and felt the need to go to court before they were even in.
Sixth, I have to commend former Massachusetts Gov. Romney for his gracious concession speech. Despite the fact that he didn’t instantaneously call Obama to concede when the networks “called” the election for the president (which one of my progressive friends complained about on his Facebook page about 10 minutes after the networks began announcing their projections as to the winner), Romney proved that he is a class act … but then again, class or no class, he lost and whatever impact he could of/would of/may have had is irrelevant. I just hope people take his message to heart.
My own message to borrow from Winston Churchill:
In Conflict: Resolution
In Defeat: Defiance (Tempered by Humility – remember you lost)
In Victory: Magnanimity
If we are to bind up the wounds, the magnanimity is probably to most import thing to remember, but often the easiest to forget.