Thought #1: The Beginning

Good evening!  I hope your first hump day of November is treating you well.  I thought "The Beginning" would be an appropriate title for this first blog post as it signifies multiple things on this 3rd day of November.  This is the beginning of my blog, which I figured was appropriately titled Thoughts That Escaped the Filter because I try to keep pretty good tabs on what I say, so hopefully what makes it on here is respectable.  If not, blame it on a dirty filter which usually comes with my annual system slowdown as we approach the last weeks of the semester.  It is unofficially the beginning of the holiday season (now that Halloween has passed) despite retailers attempts at expanding it into September.  It is also the first Wednesday of November, which has brought with it miserably cold temperatures in eastern Pennsylvania.  Finally, it is the beginning of another "era" of politics as the Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives and narrowed the gap in the U.S. Senate yesterday.  All that being said, I think today can be accurately described as "the beginning."

Those who know me can validate my love, perhaps obsession, with the holiday season.  However, after listening to plenty of people share their thoughts on yesterday's election results, I think it should be my turn.  I almost crossed the forbidden boundary of talking about politics at work, but I tried to restrain myself and limit it to this forum.  If anything, yesterday was yet another showing of how the United States demands instant gratification.  The Democrats were given only two years to save the economy, do something about health care, and come to a resolution on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Well the "hope" and the "change" were not happening correctly or fast enough for some people, and there was too much hope and change for others, so what happens...we kick out one party and usher in the next.  The vicious cycle will continue, so the Republicans better hope things don't go sour for them before the Presidential election.  As someone who no longer claims a party, it was comical to hear the pundits talk about "mandates" for the Republicans and the "nightmare" that played out for the Democrats.  Let's try to remember we are all Americans and no matter who is in power, there are a lot of things to be fixed, so let's find some quality Americans to do the right things and get us going back in the correct direction. 

All that being said, the outcome of yesterday's elections will shape the landscape for 2012 with a number of new Republican governors in swing states, including my home state of Pennsylvania where I witnessed a clean sweep of governor, senator, and my local congressman.  Here's to hoping both parties pay attention to the presence of 40 first-term senators and realize the increase of unaffiliated registered voters climbed to a reported 30% this election, and realize we're fed up with both sides and just want a little bit more attention given to the moderate citizens that make up the bulk of the country. 

President Obama (45% mid-term approval rating according to CBS News) has two years to try and follow in the footsteps of Bill Clinton (43%) and Ronald Reagan(46%) to get the ship righted, or else join Jimmy Carter (48%) as a one-term President.  Enjoy the beginning of the month, my blog, buckle your seat-belts for the start of the new Congress, and get excited for the 2012 election campaign that should start in just about 2 months...