Obama, Romney, and four more beers

I stole a quote from a friend who declared, “Four more beers!” in response to the race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.  Past that (and the bets made and won with commenters!), I would like to thank everyone who voted, especially those who participated above and beyond voting straight-ticket or picking what the advertisements tell you to.

Engaging in debate, discussion, and diatribes on both ends of the aisle provides us with more than a capacity to shout down others who disagree with our positions.

And today, the world has not ended.  But it still faces critical challenges that both sides must come to terms with.

No single party or ideology can ruin the nation.

No single party of ideology can save the nation.

For those who immediately blamed others for the election, this wasn’t about you.  To the people who worked hard to get their local candidate elected, or helped recall an unqualified Mayor of Troy, congratulations.

Now the real work begins in 2013, and lots of different faces are in elected positions of responsibility.  For Kerry Bentivolio, the new representative from the 11th District of Michigan, welcome to the most dysfunctional Congress ever.  You have 600,000+ people to represent, and your job is to represent all of them, not just your favorites.

For Troy, you got what you wanted in a successful recall.  Now you have to make sure there’s a candidate who can do the job properly.

For me, I felt there was a moment that represented all of us.  Whether or not we were happy with the outcome, we still thought of our country, and how it would be affected by the election.  Some freaked out, but that’s expected.  Some are gloating unnecessarily.

But we’re still here, and whatever comes next, we all have to face it.  Debt, war, taxes, and health care.  It’s still there, and we need to solve it.

Send me that case of beer, Jan.

Mako out.