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 . 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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Otherwise, I'm standing up and slow clapping again.
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.
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??
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.
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?