Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Why some won, and others lost.

It's the morning after. Campaign ads have been replaced by pitches for furniture and cars. Whew!

There's lots of "analysis" going on this morning about why candidates won and lost. The best I ever heard was back in 1994 when I was a News Director in Texas. 40 year incumbent and Democrat Jack Brooks lost his seat to an upstart Republican. (Brooks is seen in the background in the famous picture aboard Air Force One when Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office after the assasination of President Kennedy.)

One of our reporters asked Rep. Brooks why he lost. 'The othe guy got more votes than me," was his response. Hard to argue with that logic.

This morning we still don't know who won the Senate Race in Colorado. The folks up in Alaska woke up to the same news. In this era of high technology, counting votes continues to be a labor-intensive task.

After the votes are counted comes the hard part. Not for the people elected but for the people who elected them. Our work has just begun. Hold those who represent us accountable. Write, e-mail or call. Take advantage of the time when they're back in your district. Ask the tough questions. Be involved in the on-going process of government if for no other reason than it's our government.

We, the people.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

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