Morning Coffee Quarterbacking

When you blame others, you give up your power to change.  ~Author Unknown

How the game should have been played is a favorite pastime for sports enthusiasts and political junkies. I can’t second-guess sports games, and I probably shouldn’t wade too deep into political analysis. But I am listening to the pros analyze the recent elections and I am smelling an aroma of coffee that is different – I am a citizen of a country that is quite different from the one in which I grew up.

And that’s not all bad. Those times seemed kinder and gentler because I was a child – I didn’t have a clue about what it was to come through the Depression or a World War; or, the actuality of segregation and racism; my daily needs were met and I did not have to struggle to survive. Plus, there was no 24/7 news reporting.   

Through this election, we are learning the voters aren’t who we thought they were –they were not a flash in the pan in 2008. We are  not quite certain about who we are becoming. We are tired of gridlocked government, but unable (unwilling) to change it.  So, we kept on the same politicians mas o manus. 

Now, we have elected a government that is poised to increase our dependence on the services it will provide. It seems like we Americans no longer believe we have the ability to care wholly for ourselves – too many of us are unemployed or underemployed. 

We hope the rich can give a little more to reduce our 16 trillion dollars of debt and 1 trillion dollars per year of deficit spending.  

Since we have not had a budget in three years, I don’t know how the politicians will reduce or reorganize the entitlements; nor, how they will apportion health care under the new healthcare plan that promises so much to so many citizens. I suspect more of us will experience unexpected changes in how our doctors treat our ailments. 

The election analysts described the outcome by saying the demographics have shifted. And many pollsters sheepishly admitted they didn’t see it coming, and so, their forecasts were incorrect.  The demographic shift means younger voters, Latino voters, African Americans and women have more clout. This voting coalition held from the 2008 election. I submit the voters with the most influence are the ones who stayed away and did not vote.

 Thursday's report, from the Center for the Study of the American Electorate, put 2012 voter turnout at 57.5% of all eligible voters, compared to 62.3% who voted in 2008 and 60.4% who cast ballots in 2004. In 2000, the turnout rate was 54.2% . . .That means 93 million eligible citizens did not cast ballots. (Read more: link)

Steve Blow, writing in today’s Dallas News (11/07/12), said we can thank the crackpots for the outcome of the election.  “ . . .Truth matters. And inversely, blatant disregard for the truth comes at a cost . . .”

I think we can thank the voters who sat home.