On the 2016 Election

One can't start a blog the week of the Presidential election, and not provide some commentary, right?  So here I go:

First, some perspective:

The sun will rise Wednesday morning, as it did following the contentious and controversial campaigns in 1800, 1860, 2000, and many others.

We are a diverse population that has become quite partisan (subject of a future post).  We also know that both traditional and social media are exploiting the emotional stakes of this election season for their own financial and ideological benefit.  Should we be surprised that our societal blood pressure is a bit high?

Probably best to not put our trust and faith in the hands of one chief executive/commander-in-chief, 535 federal legislators, or 9 supreme court justices.  Perhaps better to rely on our families, neighbors, and faith?

Second, rather than comment today on the obvious problems surrounding this election season (everyone else already has), I'd like to identify a few positive developments.

** More and more information consumers, I think, are wising up to the fact that all media outlets have an agenda, and many of their reporters have significant conflicts of interest.  Distrust in the media has always been high, but this crazy election season, together with advanced technology platforms, might just (I hope) force a major shakeup in how we consume, report, share, and make news.

** Will we have better candidates (at all levels) in the future?  For decades, voters have collectively sent flawed politicians to Washington D.C. to only see them collectively fail at governing.  Although voters tend to "love our own representative(s)," they distrust politicians in general as untrustworthy and unethical.  While they tell their constituents all they do for them, in actuality, politicians primarily look out for themselves, their special interests, and their pocketbooks.  Of course there are exceptions, but who disagrees that the general culture surrounding today's politician does not genuinely promote the interests of, or sincerely care for, those individuals back in their districts?  For better or worse depending on your perspective, such distrust and disgust led to the rise of the Tea Party (and subsequently Donald Trump) on the Right; I suspect we'll see similar developments on the Left.  I'm hopeful that this collective realization will lead to better people running for office, more incumbents being challenged in primaries, and fewer politicians turning a short-term public office into a long-term personal gain.

** We all now have a better understanding of the fact that in an information dominated world, our private lives just might not always remain private.  If such openness is the assumption, perhaps behavior will become more responsible  and accountable.

And finally, a few rhetorical questions:

Will we actually have a president-elect Wednesday morning?

How many lawyers are on retainer to challenge election results?

No matter who wins, what are the chances that the person can unify our nation?  In the year 2017, how governable will we be?

If Hillary wins, by what percent increase will gun sales rise in the next twelve months?  If Trump wins, what do the first 100 days look like?

Other than make money and achieve fame, what does are mainstream media do well?  How does the public hold them accountable?

Have big business, big media, and big government become too cozy?  If not, when should be be concerned?

U.S. foreign policy has experimented in helping other countries adhere to the rule of law.  How are we doing back home?

If we all dislike our politicians so much, why do we continue to give them more money and power?  Perhaps the pendulum will begin to swing back?

Have we seen the last of the Republican and Democrat Parties as we know them today?

That's it for now.  Lots more to discuss in the days ahead.  Let me know your thoughts.