Election Tuesday has come and gone. It is one of the staples of November.

Now you would think we could all breathe a sigh of relief. Yes. The political ads have been silenced at last. We have a bit of a respite.

Okay. That sigh of relief is over. Momentary… at best. This is a Presidential Election Year. Like it or not, the political machine has begun to churn once again. The madness has commenced.

Politics in the United States (probably everywhere) can be complicated, confusing, mean-spirited and convoluted. Yet… we need it. We are built on the voting rights of the people, by the people, for the people.

You.  Me.  We the people.

Here is the best I can explain politics in America.

This morning I was eating my morning meal at my favorite breakfast restaurant, Toast. One of the things I most look forward to is their grits.

Yes, the grits at Toast are some kind of gift from the Breakfast Gods. They are so rich, and creamy, and delicious…. they are almost too good to eat. Almost. Yes. I probably eat more grits than a human ought to. But it is like manna from heaven. I delight in them. I make yummy noises while I eat. Are you getting the picture? I like ’em.

So yes. This morning, a man was sitting at the table beside me. A tourist from Ohio. The Cleveland area. Not that I was eavesdropping, but I was eavesdropping. He wanted to try this Southern Tradition called Grits.

I thought to myself, “Boy oh boy. This guy is in for a treat. He’s gonna’ fall right off his chair with joy.” The hot, steaming bowl of grits arrived at his table, he took a bite, and spit it out on his plate. The guy calls the waiter over and says, “Grits are the most horrendous thing I have ever tasted in my life. This is like eating tasteless, slimy, warmed up, paste. This is for total crap.”

Quote. Unquote.

And that….. my friends….. is politics.

Yes, what tastes like a golden delicacy to me, is crappy bowl of paste to someone else. Both of us are so certain and sure about ourselves and our opinions on this. We just tasted the same exact thing…. but we have two entirely different perspectives on a remarkably identical object.

And so it goes. Welcome to Election Year 2012.

“A fanatic is always the fellow on the opposite side.”
-Will Rogers