Some time ago—a decade or more—a high school classmate of mine remarked on BoWilliams.com that a presidential election must be like my Super Bowl. (Such was the frequency and the fervor with which I commented on politics.)
I haven’t had the stomach for it (certainly not like I did). In fact, I’ve been so repulsed by Trump’s presidencies and the resulting changes in the electorate that I’ve never paid less sustained attention.
I suppose that’s exactly backward, isn’t it? I should pay more attention when I’m dissatisfied. However, I’m still more connected than not. I have enough visibility on enough outlets that I’m confident I’ll be alerted of anything monumental. Plus, I really did stop paying attention to the news entirely for six months after Trump’s first election, to no ill effect. (Actually I’d say that was good for my day-to-day tranquility.)
The midterms were certainly a solid repudiation of Trump, even as they were hugely disappointing in our own backyard. That Alabama has elected Tommy Tuberville governor is hugely depressing, though I’m, somewhat perversely, less worried about it than I might be. For good reasons (that I’m not going into; take my word for it), I had come to question Kay Ivey’s faculties and therefore doubt she was actually running the state. Now we’ve got another person coming into the office with questionable faculties of a different sort, so maybe he’ll just be handed off to the same team.
Not ideal, but maybe better-than-even odds of smooth.
I suppose the Democrats closing gaps in the Alabama counts for something, but only if the closure is properly assessed and acted upon. I last explored the state of the Democratic Party in Alabama two years ago and was not encouraged.
What happens now?