Tony Cesare: The 81st District Election is Over. Now What?
Advice for living in a post election world.
As I write this, it’s one week before the election so I have no idea who won or lost. I wanted to make sure this was written ahead of time so no one could accuse me of pandering to either side or gloating on behalf of whoever won. So who won? In the absence of a crystal ball I have consulted the next best thing: Magic Eight Ball. “Who won the hotly contested Senate race?” The answer: Better not tell you now. Who says this thing isn’t sentient?
To whomever won, congratulations! Always remember you work for the people now regardless of whether they voted for you or not. I don’t envy you that challenge but trust you are up to the task.
To whoever lost, congratulations on a race well run. Chances are you have a sweet private sector job to fall back on so I won’t feel to sorry for you. Remember, in a strange twist, the winner actually works for you now. Don’t be afraid to express your opinions but do so in the spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation versus bitterness.
As for the rest of you, put down your AK-47 Rambo, war is over.
Anyone who has followed along here on Patch knows the war metaphor is appropriate. The “dialogue” between opposing supporters in the Senate race has been as wildly bitter as an Alexis and Krystle cat fight—minus the lingerie and obligatory fall into a pool. Observers who didn’t necessarily have a horse in this race (and judging by past voter turn out, that’s most of us) have watched in fascination, as a relatively small group of strangers have become enemies with a bitter resolve, trading statistics and insults at a furious pace. Wade into the discussion at the risk of having your skin verbally peeled from your body and used like a rolled up towel to crack you on the ass.
But now it's over, and some of us are facing the harsh reality that our horse broke stride and pulled up short, and all the rhetoric in the world won’t change it. The winners are taking pictures at the paddock and the losers are tearing up their racing forms and cursing the jockey. It's unfathomable, hurts like hell. How can everyone who voted for that other (guy or girl) be so fargin’ stupid? So completely uniformed? Clueless? Haven’t they been reading all my posts? The statistics? The endorsements? How clever it was when I found a derogatory word that rhymed with the other guy’s last name?
So now what do I do?
Well, if you woke up Wednesday morning already thinking ahead to the next election, prepared to bury your head in the dirt for the next few years then go straigt back to bed and don’t wake up until you’ve come to your senses. Pouting about it won’t do you any good. Clogging up Patch with your verbal spitballs won’t change anything. The only real choice you have is the hardest to make.
Accept it.
Impossible? Hardly. I remember watching the 2005 White Sox World Series run at Emmett’s. It was the Wild Card series, White Sox versus Red, game 3. There was a table of over-served Bosox fans (an oxymoron, I know) that were as vocal as they were obnoxious. One guy in particular spent most of the game in my face, taunting me about everything: Manny is gonna go yaaard, the White Saax aar done, deep dish pizzaaa sucks, the South Side is a slum, real men put ketchup on their hot dogs, etc... This went on for 2 ½ hours and reached a crescendo when the BoSox loaded the bases in the seventh and faded into a whimper when El Duque whiffed Johnny Damon on a down and away 3-2 pitch. Game effectively over.
After the last out was recorded and the White Sox mobbed Bobby Jenks on the mound, this guy came walking slowly over to me on his way out. I was prepared for a right fake followed by a left hook, but he surprised me. He extended a hand, gave me a sincere handshake, looked right into my eyes and said “Good luck the rest of the way wit yur team”.
I never forgot that.
It must have been hard as hell, but he had the character to do it. Instead of pouting and running his mouth off (or worse) he chose to be a man and accept it with as much dignity and grace as he could muster. He didn’t have to, but he did.
So my advice (yeah I know you didn’t ask but this is my column so bite me) is to embrace the unimaginable and reach across the divide to shake your adversaries hand and support her or him so they can do their job. Can’t bear it? Then pretend your kids are watching and set an appropriate example. You can’t change the outcome but you’ll feel better. The sun will rise tomorrow and those yard signs make great supports for your tomato plants in the garden.
As for the rest of you, welcome back to Patch! We are your source for local knowledge you can’t live without!
Here on Downers Grove Patch you’ll find information about community events, our award winning schools and all the wonderful people who work so hard to keep them that way, and features on some of the local residents who make this the attractive and vibrant community it is. You’ll also find Lynn Hudoba’s hilarious and heartwarming column focused on raising an amazing and beautiful daughter with autism—it's the best thing on Patch and we are fortunate to have it. Looking for parenting advice? Check out Sara Bieda’s wonderful “Parent to Parent” column.
My column is titled “Subdivisions” and contains musings and ruminations on everything from community signage to crime and punishment. I typically write it from a bar stool which explains alot. Looking for a run-on sentence? You’ve come to the right column.
Here’s to the post election Patch, reborn and pundit free!
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Susan Carroll
7:39 am on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
I am already working on things to fight and/or complain about. I also am thinking up aliases. You think you're getting away so easily? Think again, Mr. Meat. Think again.
Robert Bykowski
7:48 am on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
ahem, Downers Grubber... http://downersgrove.patch.com/articles/fill-out-a-munch-madness-bracket-win-a-gift-card-on-patch and http://downersgrove.patch.com/articles/munch-madness-voting-begins
Tony Cesare
1:57 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
I may change my alias to 'Horgh the Destroyer'-or maybe I'll just go by 'Barry White'-always wanted to be able to sing like him.
Mark Thoman
6:59 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012
I've dusted off SockyTheNotThomanPuppet. Pretty sure no one will be able to guess who I am.
Lynn Hudoba
8:40 am on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Awwww...thanks Tony. And thanks to Robert for putting us in the same class as a contest between a sports bar and a deli *sniff*
Robert Bykowski
1:05 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
You're welcome! (And don't tell Tony, but he's totally right about your column being awesome. After reading about your forthcoming trip to Disney I couldn't wait for the follow-up stories.)
Scott C.
9:01 am on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Lest you forget...November is right around the corner. I fear that "next time" may be upon us sooner than we may like to think.
Otherwise, I'm standing up and slow clapping again.
Tony Cesare
1:58 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Terrifying thought, isn't it? This has been such a refreshing and bickering-free day at Patchland, I hate to see it spoiled.
Joe Becht
10:49 am on Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Great article. And , oh yeah, RUSH RULES!! The Rock and Roll HOF stinks !
PAUL C.
6:58 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Tony,
Believe it or not I am happy that today my main focus is concentrating on work and watching my son play baseball for DGN later this afternnon.
As I posted on facebook last night, image if more than 20.8% of the voters weighed in on this race. We'd have blogs topping 500 all of March. That 80% not voting should be bothering Ron, Debbie and all of the hard working people and supporters that did get involved in this race which served democracy well by giving us a choice. Most of these 80% were lazy, apathetic or too busy doing something more important than exercising their right to select the person(s) who would represent them in Washington and Springfield. These 80% are the one's that will be complaining the most should gas rise to $6 / gallon. The first question I ask when these complainers complain is "So did you vote?". As nasty as a campaign it was in the 81st district, over 52,000 voters sat it out. Less than 14,000 voted. This is the untold sad story in America that more reporterd should be reporting on and more activists acting on. I am now on official political vacation but not for long. Have a great day all.
Tony Cesare
9:46 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Point taken Paul and agree that its a shame more people aren't involved in the process. That said, you have to wonder how many voters (locally and nationally) have become so fed up with the insults and personal attacks that they become turned off to the entire process. I know I am.
PAUL C.
9:58 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Politics aren't nice Tony period. They weren't nice in the Bush era, the Clinton era or the Reagan era. People became increasingly apathetic over the years and because of the George Ryans and Blago's of Illinois. Well, you can tune out and let the crooks run the show and that has and still is happening in Illinois or you can get involved and at least know who in the hell your state senator and rep is. I was so blown away this election by citizens who didn't even know who was who! So many people thought Ron was still the mayor. Tony do what you want. I'll work hard to get more people to vote in coming elections in our district.
Tony Cesare
10:34 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012
I don't expect politics to be 'nice', but I do expect a certain measure of civility. Did you follow the Tammy Duckworth vs Raja Krishnamoorthi race? Candidates stuck to the issues, refrained from personal attacks and when it was over, Raja congratulated his opponent on a race well run and pledged his support. It can be done.
I teach my kids not to call other kids bad names, you mean to tell me my kids are better behaved then the grown ups who are supposed to be leading by example??
PAUL C.
10:54 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012
I will agree that it would be nice if the name calling went away and believe it or not my kids are great students and not name callers besides being pretty decent atheletes. This was an exceptionally heated race with Sandack-lite and Teamster Ron as the main attack pieces used. I like you would have loved to have stuck to issues and maybe looking at what backed up those names we did to some extent. I do think many positive things came out this election because we had a choice unlike the senate race where Senator Christine Radango ran unapposed. To say people didn't vote because this was some big war of words is an excuse for a pathetic turnout. Everything was perfect for a big turnout on Tuesday. We were blessed with 80 degree weather, a very exchanged colorful race for state rep (even though you might not have thought so) and a race still occurring at the GOP Presidential level and still voter apathy was the biggest winner on Tuesday. I will not debate this with you all day but you can count on me doing whatever takes to awake everyone to vote in November (and I'll put it out there now) for anyone but Obama. I need a rest Tony from 2 months of debating with team Sandack. I do hope you fine the perfect political world where 60% of the eligible voters vote and nobody name calls. I'd call that a Political Utopia.
Kent Frederick
11:01 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Some of the problem is that DuPage County likes to say that it doesn't practice the Machine politics that Cook County does, yet I get the feeling that it does.
Take for example the judicial election. Pat O'Shea had a recommended rating from the DuPage County Bar Assoc., while Brian McKillip and Robert Gibson were highly recommended. McKillip and Gibson are currently on the bench. The Chicago Tribune endorsed McKillip, because he's been on the bench longer.
Yet, a number of DuPage County politicians endorsed O'Shea. And it's probably safe to assume that a good number of politicians in DuPage County are attorneys who belong to the DuPage County Bar Association.
It's the same thing with Ron Sandack. No politician, outside of the DG Township Republicans, endorsed Debbie Boyle. You would figure that someone somewhere would have decided, for whatever reason, to back Debbie, even if it meant getting some flak from the DuPage County Republicans.
Susan Carroll
11:19 am on Thursday, March 22, 2012
I realized this before I turned twenty years old, in the late 80's and early '90's. When a good deal of the DuPage County Board was related either by blood or by marriage. But if that's the problem, isn't that all the more reason to get involved and change things? It's sad because I have to admit, I don't like thinking about referendums and economic policies and waste water initiatives or any of those other tedious political topics. But I don't like getting a mammogram or going to the dentist, either, and I still do those things because I'm a grown-up and it's the responsible, intelligent thing to do. When we see the conversation start to be controlled by the crazy extremists on either or both sides, we have to sigh, roll up our sleeves, and take over. Not give up because it's exhausting and we have other things to do, even though that's the truth.
PAUL C.
1:13 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012
I tried Kent to no avail with emails to several of them. Amazing that she only loss by 9%.
Tony Cesare
1:38 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Talking crazy? I received a robocall from Rick Santorim's group bashing the gay community (something about male teachers in dresses). I was dumbfouned. Is this what politics has become?? No wonder no one is voting.
Kent Frederick
1:20 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Susan,
The irony in DuPage County is that the party is run by the "establishment middle". I got a robocall from the Gingrich campaign on Sunday. It basically said that Newt didn't schedule a campaign stop in DuPage County, because he had no support from the moderate establishment. So, teach the establishment that the Republican Party needs a true Reagan conservative by voting for Newt.
Now, maybe the problem with Newt is that he's working on marriage number 3 with mistress number 2, and he's stuck his foot in his mouth too many times.
But, a lot of people must believe that the DuPage establishment seems to do a good job. Considering the most people believe that DuPage County and most cities and villages are better run than Cook County and Chicago, and that Republicans from DuPage County generally vote against Mike Madigan and John Cullerton, my guess is that a lot of people feel that the establisment, which is fairly moderate, does a good job. So, why try to swim against the current?
Susan Carroll
1:31 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Kent, I've read several of the comments you've posted on Patch, and it's clear to me that you do this thing called "thinking." Other people do that sometimes, but unfortunately they do that when choosing what purse to buy or what player to pick for their fantasy football league, but they don't like doing it when choosing candidates for office. I don't know that "most people" feel anything about government, until they become personally uncomfortable.
J D McNugent
7:14 pm on Thursday, March 22, 2012
Those Robo calls are from MoveOn.org. Tony. They are posing as Santorum or Romney supporters and screwing with you. YOu should know better.