For some voters punching out a ballot can be a visceral experience. I'm sure more than a few politicians awoke to a sore solar plexus and bruised ego this morning. However, no one will ever refer to the sport of politics as the sweet science. In fact it was Aristotle that said the good of man must be the end of the science of politics — a guy not prone to put his philosophies on a chariot bumper sticker.
From 322 B.C. to 24-hour cable news networks, little has changed other than the talking head pundits now wear neckties instead of togas. Although I can't picture Plato engaged in a shouting match with Bill O'Reilly.
Thankfully the midterm election spin cycle has stopped and the cold rinse of reality will wash away all the yard signs, TV ads, exit polls and projected winners. No more automated phone calls during the dinner hour from politicians fighting for your best interest in Washington — which is about as hard to swallow as cold Hamburger Helper leftovers. Instead we can get back to more pressing news like the latest celebrity overseas adoption and if Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby will come out on DVD in time for Christmas.
Although, I would be remiss not to point out that Michigan's governor race rang up a $50 million plus price tag. That number hits helluva territory — as in helluva lot filled potholes instead.
For the first time in six months, the dull roar of the campaign season has been reduced to the gnashing of teeth and sour grapes in some political corners. Of course not everyone is happy to see all the mud slinging, innuendoes, thinly veiled threats and half-truths end. Right now the ominous "vote for my opponent and the yeti will take over the world" voice-over guy is back doing Saturday morning cartoon commercials. However, the "Don't blame me I voted for ..." bumper sticker manufacturers are already gearing up for a second printing.
While I exercise my right to vote, I don't wear my politics on my sleeve, car bumper or plastered on a sign in the front yard. Yet I'm far too verbal to stand with the silent majority nor do I fall into the sampling error margin of plus or minus 4 percentage points crowd. Overall I don't consider myself a rabid political party animal or a neutered domesticated voter. I tend to follow the Hermey doctrine, the would-be elf dentist from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — I want to be independent. That answer always throws off the phone surveys testing my political waters.
Growing up I experienced first-hand how the election process worked, as each year my parents cancelled out each other in the voting booth. While politics wasn't a taboo subject in our house, we weren't the McLaughlin Group around the dinner table either. Which often meant that no one talked about the elephant — or donkey — in the room. However, I must say that as long as George W. Bush is in office, it's almost too easy to pick out a birthday card for my father.
Depending on Tuesday's final results, I might send dad a condolence or congratulations card — if I can find one with a good punch line. If the need arises, perhaps I'll slip in a "Don't blame me I voted for Aristotle" bumper sticker.
Grand Traverse Herald editor Garret Leiva can be reached at 933-1416 or email gleiva@gtherald.com