Well, it's all over and the shouting (in the US senate) is about to start. I don't think anyone, anywhere, on this planet could have evaded the hype on the US election this week. As King Charles II said in 1610 of the House of Lords' debate on the Divorce Bill "better than a play". I know I happily switched to CNN to watch the whole thing unfold, drinking endless cups of tea to stay awake. And I was a teeny bit surprised, after all that had been said on the subject of jobs and the economy, that Obama won fairly comfortably. I felt sorry for Mitt Romney - tears were forming in my eyes at his speech - and I rejoiced with Obama (more tears). There was a tremendous buzz about the whole thing and I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
The thing that impressed me was the determination of so many people in New York and New Jersey to get out and vote amid the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Maybe we don't appreciate our civil liberties until something happens to prevent us exercising them. If we were told we couldn't vote in a general election any more, that the government would re-elect itself and demonstrations were not allowed, I bet we'd have a fit. We'd be out there marching and social media-ing all over the place. That's why I really admire those civil rights people who put their lives at risk for things they believe in - people like Aung San of Myanmar who was under house arrest for most of her life and who is still fighting for democracy in Myanmar.
Well, it's back to grey reality and I need to catch up on the soaps which I happily put on the back burner during the last week of the election. At least Christmas is coming and the stores will keep our stress levels well oiled by telling us just how few shopping days are left. Won't have the same buzz as the US election, though, not even if I still believed in Santa Claus.
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