my life as a republican, part 2

[Ed: written under the influence yesterday, prudently saved as a draft for later clean-up. I've tried to preserve the voice as best I can while making it readable. I should probably do this more often. -B]

I've had a lot of time to think over my venture into local Republican politics in the last 48 hours, as I spent a good chunk of yesterday in bed trying to fight off a cold I seem to have picked up (not from the Republicans; my throat was sore when I got up Saturday) and the rest of the time I've been working on a manuscript which frankly bores the living shit out of me and when not sleeping I find myself in a sort of detached-head fog of pseudoephedrine and the occasional shot of whiskey with enough coffee to keep me going and that cocktail makes me really want a cigarette but that would be the worst thing for me right now because smoking makes me write run-on sentences. Also, the cold.

The weather is shitty the moment I step outside. I get where I'm going and the sun comes out. Now, as I think about making my way home, the skies darken and everything else is just peachy.

Where was I? Right, the Republicans...

Talked to my dad Saturday. Won't divulge the particulars of the conversation because I didn't ask but suffice it to say we view the upcoming election very differently, despite the fact that we agree on an awful lot and my temperament is a lot like his (I realize more with each passing year) and I have complete respect for his opinions and so I'm left wondering what that's all about. I'm sure he is, too.

And fuck it, it doesn't matter anyway. Georgia will vote for (probably) Romney and Washington will vote for Obama and none of what either of us does will make a damn bit of difference, and I'll still like calling him on the phone to talk about politics, and religion, and Georgia Tech football.

If Mitt tied this thing up on Tuesday, that'd be just fine with me. Save me a trip to Bellevue. I'll be interested to see if he manages to make his way back to being the halfway decent pragmatist capable of working with the other party to get shit done that he was when he was governor of ...he was a governor, right? He never seems to mention it...

Santorum can go back to Fox News where I'll never hear his petulant Christianist bullshit again, and Newt can go back to the 90's where he belongs, and Ron Paul can retire and will his contact list to Rand ensuring that I will be getting phone calls and junk mail for the next 30 years at least.

Mitt will go and lose to Obama, and the right will lose its collective shit (and hey, I know how it's going to feel: I was right there on November 2, 2004 with a bottle of Jameson's in the spare bedroom not believing what I was seeing) and at some point someone will say we would have beaten that guy if we'd just nominated a Real Conservative, and in 18 months we can start this circus all over again, but louder and crazier. I can't wait.

My first niece will be born sometime in July, and despite all of this I have hope for her. Mostly because she'll be Canadian.