FINALLY — Isn’t it wonderful that the elections are over? Finally. What we’ve recently experienced seemed as if it would never end. Never.

There must be some way to shorten these seemingly endless exercises in democracy. The terrible negativity and obscene sums of money spent don’t speak well of our system. There’s got to be a better way.

IN ONE LIFETIME — In my lifetime, I’ve lived when a president served more than two terms; the first Roman Catholic was elected president; the first person of color was elected president; when two (out of just the past five elections) saw the popular vote winner not become president; and when the nominee of a major political party was a woman.

In 2000, the one with over half a million more votes, and in this last election the one with close to two million more votes, both lost.

Most, probably, view the electoral college paradigm as appropriate or outdated based on how their candidate(s) fared. That’s human nature, I suppose.

And so it goes, and probably won’t change.

PRESIDENTIAL VISITS — My friend Ray Midgett, one of several excellent amateur historians in our area, apprised me that James Monroe wasn’t the only president to visit Washington. Grover Cleveland was on board the lighthouse tender “Violet” when it docked here. It was said that his visit evoked very little interest.

Someone called in to “Sound Off” to say that George (H.W.) Bush also visited here. That’s true, but I don’t think he was in office at the time.

Gerald Ford was here, back in ’38. There’s a photo of him and a local resident (Harry McMullan, I believe) in a small boat just off shore in Washington Park.

I’m fairly certain George Washington didn’t make it here, but I’m a bit surprised that some soul hasn’t made such an assertion. Maybe he had a timeshare, though.

And enough of this.

Let’s meet back here next Tuesday, if you’re free.

Shalom

APROPOS — “Nowhere are prejudices more mistaken for truth, passion for reason, and invective for documentation than in politics.”

— John Mason Brown