I want to cry.  Literally. Like a puffy, red-eye, snot nose, can’t catch my breath cry.  No, no one died.  No, no man broke my heart.  It’s the aftermath of the 2012 election.  I’m honestly tired of seeing my friends on Facebook post stuff about Gov. Romney AND President Obama.  (I’m tempted to hit un-friend for classmates, friends, and family alike…maybe I’ll just take them out of my timeline.) I’m tired of reading news articles related to people being mad their candidate didn’t win and exasperated at seeing people cheer because their candidate did win.

In 2012, we have someone that basically made a death threat against Obama because he won.  A woman ran over her husband because he didn’t vote (for Romney).   People are actually signing petitions to have their state secede from the union. -_- I have to admit, I was one of the disillusioned people in 2008 who thought race relations might be becoming a thing of the past with the election of the nation’s first Black president.  Two months later I would see just how wrong I was.  And four years later, it seems as if things have gotten worse.  Honestly, do people dislike the POTUS because of his policies and his political party?  Or is it all about race?

A lot of news pundits have stated that in order to unite America, the President has his work cut out for him and has to find a way to get people on his side.  I wholeheartedly disagree.  When it comes to relationships (because the President has a relationship with every single American-regardless if he received their vote), you can’t change the other person.  It’s not Obama’s job to change the mind of millions of people that do not “like” him to get them to work with him .  It’s his job to run the country.  It’s our job as Americans to hold him, and especially our other elected officials, accountable for doing things for the greater good of this country.  How much sense does it make to constantly battle someone?  None, because nothing gets accomplished (which we’ve witnessed for the past 2 years).  We-the POTUS, state and local officials, and the American people-need to come up with a compromise.  That’s the only way this relationship is going to work.  If we can’t make this relationship work, speak up during the next election with your vote and end the relationship.

When I first moved to DC, I stopped watching the news because it seemed everyday someone was getting killed.  Now I stopped watching because of the elections.  I would like to think some of this would die down, but it doesn’t seem like it has.  I honestly wonder sometime if my Facebook “friends” have issues with people that are different from them.  I get tired of seeing posts and pictures related to people’s political thoughts.  What are you doing with your life?  How’s the new job?  The new baby?  The new house?  Let’s focus on the present and the future because the past is behind us.  How we can move forward.  Talk about how to you visited your representative and you agreed to work on ways to improve the schools in your district.  Or how you’re coming up with a plan to work with your neighbors to combat crime.

Alas, I doubt this white noise that is Election 2012 is going to die down anytime soon.  Which saddens me.  And makes me want to cry.  Not the pretty cry with one tear going down my cheek.  But the puffy, red eye, snot nose, can’t catch my breath cry.  Until the next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city.