Election Night in Twin Falls & the Fall of Rome (Opinion)

Election Night brought no major surprises.  Mostly status quo in municipal elections. 

Turnout is low in these contests and it’s mainly about candidates bringing out people in their networks.  Incumbency often is a great help because it’s going to bring name recognition.  I voted and it struck me I didn’t know much about some of the local candidates.  I work in media and all but one contacted me before Election Day.  You may not like my politics, but some of you missed an opportunity to speak over me directly to voters.  Politics isn’t for amateurs.

Nationally, the swamp in Northern Virginia elected one of its own creatures (though he opposes sanctuary cities) and in liberal New Jersey the Democrat trounced the liberal Republican who was looking to succeed a liberal Republican.

Under reported is a vote in Maine.  Medicaid expansion passed on Election Night.  Another step closer to single-payer.  It’s also expected to be enshrined next year in Virginia.

In Idaho, petitioners hope to have a state referendum on expansion.  Who’ll pay for all of this?

I’m reading a book without pictures.  The title is The Storm Before The Storm.  Rome didn’t fall overnight, but was crumbling at least a century before Julius Caesar.  The book details the politics, government spending and military expeditions that collapsed the Roman Republic.  Talk about parallels!  The author makes an observation about the End of the Cold War as accelerating the comparison.

I said much the same thing in my weekly newspaper column.  Maybe it’s time we started planning what comes next.