A new beginning?

Well, it would seem we now know what we're dealing with. Even though the votes haven't all been counted ... and it wouldn't be the first time if all of them aren't ... it appears the result is clear enough. I have to say, though, I'm terribly disappointed: Mickey Mouse didn't even place. I knew I had my hopes too high. I suppose my countrypeople are simply not as courageous as they would like to think they are. Oh well, at least they used to talk a good game.

Of course, the spin machines are red-lining right now, not just to "explain" why the loser lost but why the apparent winner isn't one anyway. No, it's not just a manner of who wins and who loses, it's apparently more about arrogant winners and sore losers. What a display of maturity this has been ... again.

So, have we got a new beginning or not? What do you think? I know what I think: not even close. We're in for a whole lot more of the same old same-old. The three parts of the puzzle haven't really changed a bit: Obama knows his address for the next four years, a couple of whackos were kept out of the Senate but the balance of power hasn't changed, and the House remains, for all intents and purposes, the same. No, nothing has changed, it's simply the day after.

More than anything else, though, I think what was shown most clearly is just how split the United States is. I don't want to hear all of the shifting-to-the-center crap: the US isn't the center of anything and they have no center, just a dividing line. The expect status quo was maintained in 43 states, only seven were even contested, and the results show how undecided they were. No, after all the hype, all the ranting, all the rhetoric, things haven't really changed a bit. I think that's what we need to take from this. Another four years of the same old same-old.

I suppose we who live outside the states can be pleased that American troops won't be invading anywhere soon, that no more bombs than usual will be dropped on unsuspecting heads. Anyone inside the states better watch their backs, though. We also know what we're dealing with and pretty much what we can expect, so I suppose that's a bit of a comfort as well. We can think about things that matter and what we want to do about them while the rest of the system just rots away from the inside.

So, the people have spoken, but they don't have the last word. That's a responsibility left to others. The Republicans will continue to whine, the Democrats will continue to scratch their heads, and the people, well, they'll just be left to themselves, as always. Nah, I don't care what you say, it doesn't look good for the home team. Where is Mickey Mouse when you need him?