Thoughts About the Election - in Verse

2.6 million is the number by which
Hillary Clinton would have won in a stitch
If "one man one vote" were the hard and fast rule
And this nation a democracy were hard and true.
But a republic true is this land where we live,
And rights to the states are a thing we must give.
So regional diferences can be respected,
Their limited sovereignty must be protected.
So our election compromises
People with states of various sizes,
And just a few votes in certain key states
Can seal a popular candidate's fate.

Now we'll have a president who won where he had,
And fans of the other are really quite mad.
"Mandate, my ass," a singer once said
About the election of a man now dead.
But if we respect our constitution's intention,
This quirk of the rules does deserve mention.
The loser has won, and the winner has lost,
We have to accept in this season of frost.
But before off to the White House he goes,
The one going there must look at the no's
And realize that although the message is clear,
There are lots of people who do want him there,
There's others who just wanted his rival out,
or see that regime change would come about.
Yes, far from a landslide was the result.
The USA is not your personal cult.

So give him a chance, but stay on your guard.
Give him an inch, but not the whole yard.
Call out his bluffs so that all will know
That he cannot give us a job that is snow.
But if he should happen to say something smart,
Please do not act like he just laid a fart.
And if he does something that is flat out wrong,
Be sure all will hear you cry out loud and strong.

Now if you wish to respond to this post,
Remember to follow the rule I love most.
You may think it's better, you may think it's worse,
But all of your comments must be in verse.

McCain is Mondale-Dole

I had been thinking this for a while, and the tonight's election results have proven it: John McCain is a combination, a pastiche, if you will, of Walter Mondale and Bob Dole.

Think about it. An aging, disabled war veteran and Senate elder statesman, running against a skilled and charismatic communicator, and countering faltering polls through energy and hard work.

I will let everyone else talk about the historic significance of the first black president, about how the economy was what won it for him, about how he was able to energize a previously under-active electorate, how this signals a change in the attitude of the nation and the revitalization of the Democratic party. I will allow others to express relief that this election was decided so early in the night and with so little controversy. I will even expect other people to point out how in even larger presidential victories you did not see such spontaneous expressions of joy as we did in Chicago and New York. I will just point out that as different as things may be, we can always see a paralell in the past.