The last few days before Election Day, my Facebook newsfeed was jammed with posts and memes indicating how tired everyone was of the campaign. One little girl was famously moved to tears over the whole thing, and I think I know how she felt.
Constant negativity IS tiring. It’s soul-sucking. Most of us have made the decision to leave it behind, to draw on that renowned American optimism, and move on. It’s sad that some people can’t let go.
I missed Tim Russert terribly on Election Night. I tweeted about it and several others did as well. Tom Brokaw’s appearances on NBC were the highlight of the night for me, a memory of the glory days of network news, but I still missed the back and forth between the two of them. And I’d take Tim and his whiteboard over all the smart boards in the world.

Of course Tim was brilliant but there are still plenty of intelligent commentators out there. What I think we all responded to and miss terribly now is his enthusiasm–his JOY. He loved politics, he loved what he was doing, and he communicated that. He made politics fun.
This election season was not much fun. It’s not much fun when people you think of as friends say hateful things on your wall, when they say that anyone who votes for one candidate is an idiot and anyone who votes for the other is going straight to hell. Sure, the election of a President is a serious business, not a game, but it’s not supposed to be a take-no-prisoners war, either.
President Obama and Governor Romney have shown us the way. They are leading by example, and it’s s good example. Shall we follow their lead?
Really nice blog.
Thanks!
Very nice Leslie! 🙂
Thank you, Katie!
Amen. I could not agree more, Leslie!
Thanks, Elizabeth. Let’s hope others get the message soon!
I went on a little rant about the very same thing on Facebook last night, and begged people to stop because I wanted my Facebook to be fun again. Very good post!
Thanks, Chrissy! This seems to hit a nerve for a lot of us right now!