Election Withdrawal

Most people today are thrilled that the election is over. No more attack ads, debates, polls, phone calls, or, in the case of Linda McMahon, burying the general public in your obscene propaganda, but that's just one guy's opinion.

Not me. It's only one day later, and I already miss it. I feel an acute sense of emptiness. Today, I'm going through Election Withdrawal.

Don't get me wrong, there are some things about an election cycle that get annoying, such as the proliferance of obnoxious political yard signs, peoples' continous posts on facebook. Apparently, some people think that an excessive number of posts for one side or the other is going to result in changing the minds of their friends.

One or two posts is enough.

But I will miss the - even I can't believe I'm saying this - media coverage of the presidential campaigns. While the best candidates often do not reach the general election ( the richest usually do), how people do not get excited about the process of electing a president and Election Night itself is beyond me. We do live in a democracy, despite the fact at the Electoral College is out of date, and it's simply inspiring that we live in a free society in which we elect our president and other public officials.

Watching presidential debates, for me, is like watching the World Series - this year even more so, given the teams playing in the World Series. I could have easily watched two or three more debates. In what other scenario do the final two candidates for the nation's highest office grapple over our
most important issues? Even if they stand on the stage and don't answer questions, that tells you a lot about these guys. On its lowest level, it's pretty entertaining.

This campaign was unexpectedly compelling. Who would have thought Romney would put the late charge that he did? Who foresaw Obama's terrible first debate?

Four more years for the president, and hopefully they will be prosperous ones for America. Until then, we will all wait to see who will emerge as the nominees in 2016. And while I will miss this year's campaign coverage, I'll welcome the break, at least for tonight, and go to bed early.