Election 101

The most beautiful play I ever saw in a baseball came at a Pony League contest. My eldest son was playing first base. There was a runner on first when the opposing batter smashed a hard grounder to third. The runner took off and a force was iffy, so the third baseman fired a bullet to my son, who gloved it just as the batter's foot hit the bag—safe. The other runner decided to go to third on the play. Instead of debating the call at first, my son didn't hesitate and immediately fired the ball back to third on a rope. The third baseman caught it and swept down to make the tag just as the runner's foot slid into the bag—safe. Both calls could have gone either way, a genuine bang-bang play. For us, the play resulted in no outs, yet the precision, the quickness and the determination of both fielders took my breath away. A lady whom I have never met but whom I consider a friend, the editor of Clever Magazine, answered my “Just a Splash” blog by reminding me that we have good reason to be optimistic. Election night was a blue wave. The Dems retook Congress. Devin Nunes is gone. Despite heavy campaigning against him by the President, John Tester remains. Even the great plays that came up short by less than a step, like Beto O'Roarke's strong showing against Ted Cruz in Texas, were inspiring. Over one hundred million Americans cast their ballots in a mid-term election, meaning that more Americans were fired up and involved than any of us could have hoped. Over 52% voted Democratic. Up and down state ballots, Democrats gained ground. Nationwide, the blue shift is on, and that means we are slowly coming together. The day after the election, Trump ousted his Attorney General and replaced him, apparently illegally and unconstitutionally, with a crony. This has caused thousands of protesters across the country, concerned that Trump's move is designed to stop the Mueller Probe, to take to the streets. Finally, with the votes still being counted in California, Arizona, Georgia and Florida, 101 women—from both parties—have been elected to the House of Representatives so far. Among them are the first two Native American women ever elected to Congress, one of whom doubles as the first openly gay woman ever elected. For me, living in the state that can boast the first woman ever elected to Congress, Jeannette Rankin, 102 years ago, a ray of sunny optimism seems something reasonable to enjoy. So, thank you Dianne—I am celebrating. It may only be Game One, but it's in the bag.