The flag of my favorite football team that hangs from the front porch of my house has been replaced today with the American flag. It is Election Day. For many of my generation, this day is sacred in the nation’s tradition as taught and passed down by parents and grandparents. Many of us were taught that participation is more important than winning. That part has changed. Hyper partisanship has made Election Day a day in which the football flag of your favorite political team may seem more appropriate to fly from your front porch than the American flag. Not so at our house.
Many economists tell us that the economy will likely improve regardless of the President we elect. If the predictions are correct and the House remains Republican while the Senate remains majority Democrat, gridlock will ease only slightly, but it will ease some no matter who occupies the White House. It will ease because both parties will want to share credit for an improving economy. The House Republicans will work with a President Obama at least enough to say they were part of the solution. And Senate Democrats will do the same if the election results in a President Romney.
There will be differences, of course. Elections do have consequences. The single area where the extremists of the bases of each party exert their will is in Supreme Court appointments. The days of a Ronald Reagan appointing a sincere moderate like Sandra Day O’Connor are gone. It’s all litmus test, all the time, now. And these are generational changes to one branch of government. But, beyond court appointments and perhaps the pursuit of war, most of the imagined horrors that partisans forecast if their opponents are elected will either not materialize or will be correctable at a future election.
So, vote. Take pride in the process. Hold your head high walking away from the polling place. And, as you watch the results tonight, take time to step away from cheering for your side long enough to appreciate the process and accept the winners, whoever they may be.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.