For those who voted, waking up the day after an election can feel like Christmas morning. The rolled up newspaper/darkened TV screen/booting up computer can bring forth the same queasy feelings of future happiness or crushing disappointment that a stack of wrapped presents could trigger in a child. It's a feeling of uneasy potential. A blissful state of ignorance in which everything is possible and maybe, just maybe, you got everything you asked for.But of course you didn't. No one does. As soon as you see the results, you have to contend with feeling both good and bad (and probably a fair amount of indifferent). That's the terrible beauty of democracy... no one's ever really that happy. So, if for some reason you haven't seen the news yet, enjoy that momentary euphoria of mystery because below are the results of some of the larger elections that took place yesterday.
- Elected youngest Californian governor in 1974, Jerry Brown defeated Meg Whitman to get the title of oldest Californian governor in 2010. In related news, Gavin Newsom got the Lieutenant Governor position meaning that a hair care shop in Sacramento will now reap the benefits of his pomade addiction (seriously, even in high winds, I've never seen it disheveled).
- Barbara Boxer was reelected over Carly Fiorina for the U.S. Senate. Had the election tipped the other way, she could have fallen back on her career as a novelist.
- Disappointing marijuana advocates and national news channels dying to refer to all Californians as being high, it looks like it's still just for medicinal purposes.
- With the defeat of Proposition of 23, California reaffirms that we are a bunch of treehuggers. Though, with the defeat of Propostion 21, voters decided they don't care about hugging the trees in state parks so much. Not if it requires $18 extra dollars on their car registration at least.
- With the approval of Proposition 25, California has told the state congress that when it comes to passing a budget, just a good old fashioned majority will do the trick. No need to try to be overachievers and make it "super."
- Locally, it looks like you'll still see some familiar faces around city hall.
- Nationwide a "bunch of people I don't know were elected for a bunch of states I've never been to and probably never will." Most years this is the general reaction to the elections in other states. But this time around it does matter. Congress is now divided. If you've been annoyed by the Congressional bickering over the pass two years (or if you like that sort of thing), keep in mind that happened when one party was in power. Now the Democrats have the Senate and the Republicans/Tea Party have control of the House of Representatives. Hi-jinx ensue. Meanwhile, cable news channels are preparing to shout/talk themselves hoarse until they literally can only point fingers at one another for the next two years in response to this development.
posted by jw
