The Silver Lining that We All Overlook

The election results are varied... based on the sources that I choses to believe, the race is at 254/252 with Bush leading by two electoral votes. It seems like there are 200,000 uncounted provisional ballots in Ohio (worth 20 electoral votes), but with Bush holding a current lead of 136,000 votes in that state, Kerry would need to land 168,000-or-so of the provisional votes to win. Not the black-and-white "insurmountable" statistics claimed by many, but its certainly a log shot.

I'm a cross-ticket voter. I do not consider myself affiliated with either party. There are portions of each platform that I agree with.

Others in America, it seems, are treating the election like the Superbowl. They are rooting for teams, and not making informed decisions. I say that because, in my experience with coworkers and acquaintances, nobody has made efforts to find the data themselves and judge it; they all gladly accept whatever their media-outlet-of-choice feeds them, complete with its biases. I'm not saying all Americans are like this, but there's certainly a tight collection of them in my local community. This morning, there has been gloating, taunting, conflict and a lot of speculation going on all around me.

My feelings are quite different. In a choice between two inadequate candidates, I have found comfort in a silver lining. That fact is that, regardless of the outcome, we are Americans. We have voted. We have the right to vote. That alone puts us in a position of freedom that is strong. We are free. Did "my candidate" win? Regardless, I had my say and millions of other voters had theirs too.

Four more years of President Bush? A new leader with a surprise comeback from Senator Kerry? Only time will tell. But either way, I'm glad to be an American.