In the wake of all the idiocy and dysfunctionality demonstrated by candidates, the media, and voters during this election cycle, how is it that the human race isn't still living in caves?

I can certainly imagine how this must feel for Democrats. For those of us who support the Tea Party candidates, I imagine it probably feels like you guys felt in 2008.

This election seems to be of even less substance than usual. The commercials that find an unflattering photo of the opposing candidate are now my least favorite.

I don't even know who Bruun or Herrara are, but if I could I would vote for them just to punish the other side for running those ads over and over again.

Joey, you Tea Partiers have a lot to be proud of, but realistically, you might pick up 15 to 20 seats. No small feat, but it just makes you a rump group in Congress.

Wow Jack such woeful sentiments. Gov. Tom McCall tried to warn us that this would happen...

"We want you to visit our State of Excitement often. Come again and again. But for heaven's sake, don't move here to live. Or if you do have to move in to live, don't tell any of your neighbors where you are going."

He also stated "Extraordinary measures were required and I realize that not all these steps were popular."

So here's to hoping that at the end of the day we are all able to dust ourselves off and act in a bipartisan fashion to deal with a trying present and future.

I'm being extremely optimistic here, but I'm hoping that small group will be able to influence their Republican peers into sticking with the lower tax, lower spending, smaller government message so many of them are trying to co-opt this election. I would have liked to have seen far more Bush-era Republican incumbents defeated by Tea Party candidates.

In the long run, this night probably won't prove to be too momentous either way. This troubled land is going to stay that way for quite a while longer.

Downplaying the significance of this election is understandable given your "investment" the Democrat party and in the current administration - I felt somewhat the same in '08. I expect my "investment" was less than yours, but nobody likes to lose.

I was wrong in blowing off the results

'08 was VERY momentous and nearly disastrous. Part of the momentous aspect turns out to have been the rise of the Tea Party movement. Such a strong reaction in such a short time to the excesses of Bush and Obama is a relief. That reaction will help avert the disaster.

I had almost given up hope (no pun intended).

The impending doom scenario you and many here reflexively associate with any Republican (or especially Tea Party) candidates or positions is a reaction to the realization that the majority of voters in this country just don't share your views. If your guys - always the last, best hope - screw up a little bit and lose control, then the opposition (you know, the enemies) will slaughter kittens and eat babies - Skwat and McDonald will elaborate and Allan L. will moderate(ha!).

You had to have seen this coming and you certainly understand why it's coming.

Now you'll have to survive it.

Possibly for several more years.

You never know, it might be momentous after all - in ways you'll like.

"But we have no money for the things that really count."

I'm always fascinated to see statements of this sort (particularly with no definitions of what constitutes "things that really count"). Given the fact that governments at all levels across the U.S. are spending hundreds of billions of dollars every single year on every "thing" imaginable (and frankly some that aren't imaginable) and more then every before in the history of the world, it's hard to envision anything that "counts" not getting its share.

"Possibly for several more years."

I dunno.

When them teabaggers SSI & VA checks stop coming when Sharron Angle et al shut the gubmint down in January there may be a reasessement.

Neither party has shown the capacity to confront the issue of debt.

For D's it's always a revenue problem and for R's its always a spending problem. I used to think it was only a spending problem, but that is only true if I engage in hindsight.

The truth is that cutting spending will be very difficult given the large percentage of people who rely on government programs. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try, only that it hasn't yet proven to be politically feasible.

In all likelihood, we will need to do both (cut spending and restructure/raise taxes) to balance the federal budget (before a total collapse forces our hand).

But neither party will take any real steps to address federal debt as long as they can put it off a little longer. There will always be an excuse (e.g., "we're at war with terrorists", "the economy is too fragile", "the cuts will hurt too much", etc.) as long as we have some credit available.

My hope is that tea party movement can pressure the new Congress to refer a balanced budget amendment to the states before 2012 (let the voters of each state ratify it by referendum).

Without something like that, neither party will find the courage to pass spending cuts and tax increases in the same cycle and we'll just keep careening forward until there are no other options.

"... the realization that the majority of voters in this country just don't share your views. Skwat ... elaborate"

The so-called "realization" thingy is massmedia programmed fiction. It's the characteristic birdcall taught to those listening in attendance there, like the rubberstamp inked on the wrist left over the next day on the nightclub goers, or the ash-marked forehead on church goers from last night's High Mass.
Majority-of-voters "view" is an abstract statistic, not a reality.

"... disappointment seems to lurk down either prong of our fork in the road. Overall, the same old crews will keep their grip on things."

Amen

The strangest aspect of this election season has been the almost complete absence of the wars as a political or economic issue. Beyond the loss of life and limb the cost of Iraq alone now exceeds $3 trillion, and it doesn't look like Afghanistan is going to come at bargain prices. What with the austerity measures sweeping Europe (or trying to) and Britain even moving to cut military spending it's interesting that in the states this mighty river of spending on wars almost never came up.

Bush said on the Today Show the other day that "I think, actually, the spending on the war might help with jobs." So perhaps warfare is sort of a small-government libertarian's big-government stimulus program. Or something.

On "realizing" massmedia programming:

Program or be Programmed - Ten Commands for a Digital Age, Douglas Rushkoff, with illustrations by Leland Purvis

About the Book

The debate over whether the Net is good or bad for us fills the airwaves and the blogosphere. But for all the heat of claim and counter-claim, the argument is essentially beside the point: it’s here; it’s everywhere. The real question is, do we direct technology, or do we let ourselves be directed by it and those who have mastered it? ...

From HG: "Beyond the loss of life and limb the cost of Iraq alone now exceeds $3 trillion, and it doesn't look like Afghanistan is going to come at bargain prices."

No argument there, and it's a damn shame. I'm in Florida for tomorrow's shuttle launch and would like to note that we could have, as a nation, landed on Mars six times for that amount of money. Thanks for the war of choice, Republicans.

Thanks for the war of choice, Republicans.

Thanks for the blanket statement. Playing politics is fun for some, but doesn't it get old? Dem leadership voted for the authorization as well as Rep. Try honesty, call a spade a spade.

"Thanks for the blanket statement. Playing politics is fun for some, but doesn't it get old? Dem leadership voted for the authorization as well as Rep. Try honesty, call a spade a spade." - J Link

You make a valid point. It's useful, however, to note that the "intelligence" was cooked beyond honorable constraints. I recall the charged political environment quite well and will always hold those who supported this war of choice responsible. I certainly didn't support it, and will never vote for a republican again.

Honesty demands it.

I agree 100%... Long term tonight will not make too big of difference, but the media sure will play it up and play it out!

Nothing? Maybe little things are better than big things. Big things have a tendency of blowing back -- or up -- in a big way.

I think I'd take little things. I hope a couple go the way I'd like.

"it's hard to envision anything that "counts" not getting its share."

OK, school classrooms and the Sellwood Bridge.

Gang intervention, police coverage, reasonably priced water and sewer service...

I have to admit, there was a perverse satisfaction in marking the "no" oval as often as I did. Let's just hope it's not like my choices in the underdogs pool . . .

But we have no money for the things that really count.

Yep. Isn't it weird, how we have to go further into debt to pay for necessary services while millions are spent to launch somebody into a job that pays a couple of hundred grand (plus benefits)?

It's amazing, and it needs to stop.

We need to get away from life-long politicians, and back to the original concept of citizen government.