I use to worry more about election results because I thought that whoever won the election, now was responsible for governing. With age, comes wisdom. I now realize that elections might tip scales in favor of one party but there are so many institutions that a law must pass before it actually takes affect that it is nearly impossible for radical change to happen in the USA. At least not immediately.

This daunting process involves the House, the Senate, the President, and the Supreme Court. All of these processes may cause changes that require the law to start the whole process from the beginning. The filibuster, as one example, requires a super majority for passage in the Senate, and as we have all experienced in the past few years, it slows the process down considerably. Then there is the Federal System. Each individual states can make their own laws that can run counter to the federal law which then may have to go to the Supreme Court. It just isn’t easy to change things here.

The Founding Fathers, in their infinite wisdom, created so many road blocks to change that it is really difficult to get much worried about an election. Rarely does one party have safe control of all the levers of power to get what they want and, even if they did, the individual states would provide another barrier.

What about the January 6th coup? Yes, it is concerning but, interestingly, the system did work on January 6 even with a bat shit crazy President, the active participation of some members of Congress and right wing kooks storming the Congress. Despite all of that, Biden took office without much problem. Most active opposition to Biden taking office took place after he was safely in the White House. Enough Republicans did the right thing in January to ensure that Biden became president. Months later, they denied any participation but, by then, it was too late to change presidents. It was a craven bow to their angry voters but, in no way, something to worry about. And let’s be clear the Republican Establishment hates Donald Trump just as much as the Democratic Establishment. They aren’t interested in revolution as much as they want to keep their money safely hidden from the hands of the tax collector.

Both parties have a tendency to demonize the opposition party. If the Democrats win, socialism will follow. If the Republicans win, facism will follow. It never does though. Elections come and go but before much of anything can really happen, the system grinds through the process and comes up with some version of the change that the majority can live with.

Democracy, unlike revolutions, is a pretty boring process. It takes a lot of to and fro with different competing interests and it takes forever to get anything done, but, it is a much better path than revolution or civil war. I know it is difficult to deal with Republicans who, in my humble opinion, want to stand in the way of progress. They won’t listen to reason and are unwilling to make meaningful concessions.(Republicans undoubtedly think the same about me). But, then, imagine how much more difficult it will be if there is blood in the streets. Will the dead bodies of friends and relatives make it any easier.

The end is not nigh. The country is going through difficult times but the country is always going through difficult times. The Civil War, the Great Depression and World War II were all dangerous times and we weathered them all. Now is not the time for sword.