Lessons from the Election

Now that the entire election is finally over, I believe there are several lessons here for anyone willing/wanting to learn.

1. Be yourself.  Barack Obama remained Barack Obama throughout the campaign.  He did not suddenly change his beliefs or stances to fit someone else's ideal.  But Mitt Romney went from a moderate Republican able to work with the Democrats in his state to an ultra-conservative nut job, from pro-choice to anti-abortion, from compromising to unwilling to listen, from the Mitt Romney the Massachusetts governor to Mitt Romney the Tea Party-enticing, hate-spewing candidate.  Now, I have heard the argument that Romney was doing what he needed to do to get elected.  But consider this - some of the biggest gaffes Romney made on his campaign were at times he wasn't being himself. For example, when asked about NASCAR, instead of admitting that car racing just isn't his hobby of choice, Romney talked about knowing the owners.  More to the point, the strategy did not get him elected.


2. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.  Both Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock both said things that weren't nice.  Neither man got elected.  Enough said.


3. Someone's private life is just that - private. In an win for the history books, Tammy Baldwin is now both the first woman elected to the Senate from Wisconsin and the first openly gay politician to win a seat in the Senate. This victory shows that the American public is finally growing up and letting a person's private life stay private.  Our next big hurdle will be not even mentioning whether or not a person is gay, but I think that will be a long time coming.


4. A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.  I'm looking at you, Republican Party.  All of the ultra-extremists that you seem to love and cater to are not loved by the vast majority of the nation.  They are your weakest link, and you would be wise to rid yourself of the association before the next set of elections.


5. Campaigning should not take longer than the average pregnancy.