Wishes & Buts

“I’m glad I fought—I only wish we’d won” Bob Dylan

There’s a lot you could say about the result of our recent Presidential election, but none of them are Sunday School friendly.  The nicest is that it was one long big disappointment.  We must concede, however, there is one thing Barack Obama does well:  run for office.

I was cautiously optimistic.  The Obama record, at best, is lack luster. His slogan this time around was “Forward”. That’s the theme of the Alpha lemming.  I thought he had been exposed as an overrated speaker and egotistical college professor. I guess I was wrong.

Now for another cup of whine.  You cannot escape the fact that the national referees, the news media, are basically Democrats and for some reason think Obama hung the moon. You know when I knew Romney lost the election? The moment Candy Crowley inserted herself in the Second Debate to give Obama cover on his Benghazi reason de jour. 

Speaking of Romney, you have to give him credit that he ran a credible campaign and with a little luck here and there, could have been the President-elect this morning, instead of another footnote in history like Alf Landon. His performance in the 1^st debate put the President on notice that this election would have to be earned, probably the first time the President had to actual earn something in his adult political life. His selection of Paul Ryan as his running mate was a gutsy move and a gigantic upgrade from Sarah Palin.

However, Romney’s greatest asset, his business experience, turned into his biggest liability.  After the 1^st debate, he took his foot off the pedal. In the 3^rd debate, he coasted when he should have ripped Obama a new one on Libya.  People in the business world are naturally cautious. With a board buster like Obama, this turned out to be fatal.

Obama ran a mean, vicious campaign. At one time or another, his surrogates accused Romney of: being a felon; being at “war” with women; being the reason why a woman died of cancer. This is hope? This is change? This is forward? Obama did not run a "Morning in America" campaign. He ran "There's a MORMON in America" campaign. Maybe if the GOP had spent the summer answering every charge and showing how stupid the accusations were, maybe we would have had a different outcome.

There is some good news. Since 1916, the second term for the re-elected President has always been problematic. There is no reason to expect Obama will miss the second term slump mainly because nobody has any idea what his second term is going to be about except more narcissism, which he has in abundant supply.  Obama will be a lame duck and after 2014, he will be lame duckier.

Still, that is of little consolation on the morning after such a puzzling election night. I wish Romney had won, but he did not. As Don Meredith used to say, “If wishes and buts were candy and nuts, everyday would be Christmas.”