Rhubarb Report 053

This past week was one crazy week. In case you missed it, there was a Presidential election in the United States this week. The voters spoke. 

But with that always comes a day or two of commentary. The winning side is ready to move forward for the next 4 years, and the losing side bemoans it. Sadly, this year seemed to have far more fear-driven commentary in the days post-election. Maybe it’s just because people now discuss their thoughts in the realm of social media, and we all know how the digital world tends to make some far more “verbal” than they would be in real life. Thanks a bunch, Facebook.

Onwards with Episode 53 of the Rhubarb Report.

1. For those who are screaming about the election results, I remind you that this is the result of the democratic process. Even with voter suppression tactics, the voice of the country was heard. You may or may not like it, but the demographics of this country are changing and with that comes a shift in the political voice. According to Nate Silver, 45% of those that voted for President Obama were racial minorities. The final electoral college vote? 332 to 206. Popular vote? 61.8 million to 58.5 million.

Now it is time to eliminate obstructionist politics, embrace compromise, enforce accountability, and get down to work. No excuses, please. No, seriously, no excuses anymore. Compromise is not a sign of weakness, and enforcing accountability is also a responsibility that comes with the “consent of the governed”.

Let’s give kudos to Nate Silver and his statistical predictions. Maybe we can focus on “science-based politics” next time around and decrease the noise generated by the media on both ends of the political spectrum. Yes, I am an optimist …

2. This week we saw the passing of Darrell Royal, former football coach at the University of Texas. There was a sombre mood today at DKR Memorial Stadium as Texas prepared to play Iowa State. Royal was honored multiple times during the game. Perhaps the most memorable for football fans was the Longhorns’ first offensive play from scrimmage, which started in the wishbone formation that was brought to national prominence by Royal. It was a fitting tribute. The Longhorns won 33 – 7.

3. Finally, we have another predictor of the end of the world. The Mayan calendar tells us that December 21 is the day. The re-election of President Obama (to the Karl Roves of the world) signified something along similar lines. Republican pundits noted on November 7 that it was “the day that America died”. Wow.

Of course, we all know that the the world is going to end because of the Mayan calendar, not a second Obama term. Insert sarcasm here.

But wait a minute, oh readers of Rhubarb. I think I may need to put the Mayans aside. If we are looking for true signs of the coming of the end, then today we got one: #16 Texas A&M beat #1 Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium today. It is A&M’s first season in the SEC. The end of the world must be upon us.

Photo credits: Wikipedia