Well, on this blog we’ve contemplated electing Romney, electing Obama, each of the election debates, laughing at the election, the election foreign policy, the election domestic policy, reminded ourselves it’s all going to be okay, voted, laughed on voting day, partied on election night, prayed for the election, and we prayed for the elected officials.
Now we’re all election’d out.
It has now become almost as cliche as election-season Facebook politics posts, to complain about those election season Facebook politics posts. In fact, I think my Facebook feed was filled with more complaining about political posting than actual political posts. (This is not to discount the very real experience that many of us had, to be sure, with those one or two people ib our feeds that would put 12 to 15 posts up a day and carry on endless vitriolic arguments in the comment section.)
I wonder if our malaise wasn’t even as much about other people posting as much as it was the campaign itself. With all the politicking having already wearied us, seeing anything more on Facebook surely just put many of us over-the-top. For any ways that I may have been “that guy”, please forgive me. I had hoped I would be a more clear-headed voice in the political wilderness.
I ended up doing a “conscience vote”, and voting third-party, as I had been made pretty clear, I think, through my writings and comments. And people hated that I did that. Wow. The cries of “wasting my vote” and “not being realistic” or pragmatic were deafening. But, as I said before, in this election, for my own conscience, I was a one-issue voter. And I followed through with that. And I’ve slept great the past few nights and haven’t worried at all about the election, the complaints against decision notwithstanding.
Nevertheless, it was so encouraging to see how much of us cared and paid attention at all. Much my Facebook feed, at least, was filled with genuinely non-partisan musings and thoughtful posts. It seemed like, even while we complained about the posting, we all sort of ate it up. Even many of you feigning “too cool”-ness about engaging in the online discussions surely were rapt on your phones, TVs, and laptops on election night following the coverage.
But now the election is over!
So…yeah…. Even though I say all of that above, it’s time to move on. I’m tired of political writing. Fundamentally, this is not meant to be a political blog, but every three-and-a-half years, I break the number one rule of blogging. This rule says that you need to find your niche blog audience and relentlessly stay with that one niche of content. Don’t ever stray too far from this niche, lest that niche stops reading and leaves.
Well, every election cycle, I build up a more religiously- and theologically-minded readership, only to alienate them and lose them during election time for a smaller number of politically-minded readers (I know that taking a month off to write fiction stories didn’t help either). That happened again this year, to be sure.
But with next week, we’re getting back to devotionally-minded meditations on theology, spirituality, cities, and art. I can’t wait. I’ve had so many posts in the pipe that are mere outlines, sketches, or half-done. I can’t wait to get back to the things that really matter, in the deepest and biggest sense of the word. Things having to do with real life. Because, let’s face it, politics isn’t real life.
It’s good to be home. Would you like to come in and have a chat?
the long way home 
Paul, I have to strongly disagree with your last statement. Politics is most certainly real life at a very important level. Aristotle described it as the highest science. And despite what some like to argue, political science is fundamentally an ethical pursuit. And it can act as a moral teacher. It is very much entangled in some of the deepest and biggest issues. That’s all 🙂
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Haha. Yeah, I debated putting that comment in there. But in the end, I more meant the horse-race and campaigning, not the actual act of governing. I meant whatever we all have been doing these past few months is neither the deepest of substantive pursuits nor a necessary part of the Good Life.
But yes, you and Aristotle’s point is well taken. Real Politics (which, I would argue, occupies very, very little of what our contemporary culture usually refers to as “politics”) is indeed an essential aspect of life of the utmost importance.
And yes, I know you were just teasing, but alas, I had thoughts. I always have thoughts. Always. I always always have thoughts. You’ve been warned 🙂
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