Eternal Elections

The eternal elections of 2008 are finally over. It seems like a long, long time of putting up with rumors, innuendos, lies, accusations, and gossip. In the Musgrove/Wicker race for U.S. Senate it was a classic case of childlike tattling. If the children of either of them ever acted that way, they would be disciplined.

I just don’t know why we can’t be satisfied to hear from the candidates their ideas on the issues of the day and their plans to help solve problems. In fact, we should demand that candidates address the concerns of the electorate.

In the case of one state Supreme Court race, one candidate talked about his accomplishments as the Chief Justice and his interest in children. The other candidate’s wife simply wanted him out of the kitchen. Well, the man is out of the kitchen, because he won. Go figure.

The Presidential race was the worst I have ever encountered. I don’t blame it on the candidates themselves, but I do fault the general public for all the false rumors and innuendos put out about the candidates.

I don’t know why, but some extremists wanted one candidate to produce his birth certificate to prove he was born in the United States. When the document was finally produced, the naysayers swore it wasn’t a real birth certificate. Others wanted the candidate to produce records of college grades. Personally, I don’t care if they made a C or an F in Philosophy, Speech, English, or anything else. If they graduated, that should be sufficient....assuming one thinks a college degree is part of the qualifications. It is not.

There were questions on both sides about the others religion, friends and acquaintances. There were nasty rumors about one candidate perhaps being involved in an affair. People questioned whether candidates were “ready” to be President. Well, they all met the qualifications set forth by law. Nothing in law says one must have experience.

All in all, it was an awful campaign. I’m glad it’s over and I hope never to witness another as trashy as this one.

In the end, it appears the American public was able to sift through all the crap and elect a president. Now I hope that person is successful in leading this country for the next four years.

And guess what. Next year we have municipal elections.....oh yuck!