George Graham

And the Winners Are?

Have you voted? Are you planning to vote? I bet most people who plan to vote have already cast their ballots in this dismal election – or at least know who they’re voting for. So why are the politicians still fund raising? What possible use could advertising be at this late stage of the game?

I know, I know, it’s all about “getting out the vote.” But tell me, if you didn’t plan to vote, could some stranger knocking on your door persuade you to change your mind?

I treat the political door knockers the same way I treat Jehovah’s Witnesses – politely but firmly.  Their influence on me is zero.

Could one more vitriolic “attack ad” get you riled up enough to actually cast a ballot when you weren’t planning to?

I suspect that by now most voters feel it’s all “spin,” anyway.

America voted for Hope and Change – twice.

For most Americans,  life is pretty much the same as it was. For a lot of Americans, the change has been for the worse. It’s hard to keep hoping.

Yes, I know, it’s not President Obama’s fault. He tried. He really did. And all things considered, he achieved some amazing results.

But, overall, the Republicans proved too strong for him – too rich, too determined, too cunning, too mean. And the Democrats – a lot of them, anyway – never had his back.

And, no, President Obama didn’t cause Ebola or ISIS or global warming or whatever. But with all that going on, you can’t expect voters to be in a good mood. Indeed, many Americans are ready to throw the President overboard like Jonah.

To me, this lead to a story in the Huffington Post sums up the spirit of the 2014 mid-term elections:

If there’s one person in New Hampshire less popular than President Barack Obama, it’s Republican Scott Brown.

This is not really a “popular” vote; it’s the election of the less unpopular. Apparently, America likes “none of the above.”

I wonder whether we have to wait until election day to know who wins, anyway. It doesn’t take long on election night for CNN or MSNBC to project the winner in a lot of races. Why can’t the same computers figure out the winners from the early ballots? Mix in some poll results and factor in various trends – you know, the way Chuck Todd does – and put us out of our misery.

Here we are, a few days away from Election Day, and our mailbox is full of campaign material. The TV reeks with insults and invocations. The pundits are in full voice.

Hey, guys! I already voted. And Sandra voted, too.

For us, the election is over. We’re waiting for the computers to project the winners.

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com