Today is a bit frustrating; even the East Coast polls won’t be closed by the time I go to bed, so I’ll have no election news until tomorrow morning. The new expat center near my flat is having an election party, but it doesn’t start until midnight.
Fortunately I do have things to be happy about today – it’s a very good book day. The other half of Charlotte Macleod’s books are now available on Kindle; the challenge there for me is to NOT buy (too many) books I already have in paperback back in the US house.
And if that weren’t enough, it’s Book Release Day for Sherwood Smith’s Revenant Eve, the sequel to Coronets and Steel and Banner of the Damned. I loved those two enough to be very excited about this one.
(I preordered a couple of the MacLeod books as well as Revenant Eve; I’ve gotten an email that the former are available already and I’m sure the latter will be by the end of my workday.)
The nice thing about having new books arrive on a very tense day is that not only do you have the satisfaction that waiting is ended, but then you have something to do that is abosorbing enough to distract you from the rest of it.
I should also say that once again I am proud of my family’s values; Mom’s been out canvassing for Obama both of the last two times I called, and a cousin who’s 18 or so just posted a ‘get out and vote’ message on Facebook.
Oh, yes – I almost forgot to mention that there is one unique thing about this election; it’s the first one since I read Fanny Trollope’s Domestic Manners of the Americans, and though I still think she was a clueless, thoroughly entrenched in her own privilege, and possibly a bit of a bitch, I have to say that this campaign reminded me inexorably of her words about American ‘electioneering’:
Even in the retirement in which we passed this summer, we were not beyond reach of the election fever which is constantly raging through the land. Had America every attraction under heaven that nature and social enjoyment can offer, this electioneering madness would make me fly it in disgust. It engrosses every conversation, it irritates every temper, it substitutes party spirit for personal esteem; and, in fact, vitiates the whole system of society.
When a candidate for any office starts, his party endow him with every virtue, and with all the talents. They are all ready to peck out the eyes of those who oppose him, and in the warm and mettlesome south-western states, do literally often perform this operation: but as soon as he succeeds, his virtues and his talents vanish, and, excepting those holding office under his appointment, every man Jonathan of them set off again full gallop to elect his successor. When I first arrived in America Mr. John Quincy Adams was President, and it was impossible to doubt, even from the statement of his enemies, that he was every way calculated to do honour to the office. All I ever heard against him was, that “he was too much of a gentleman;” but a new candidate must be set up, and Mr. Adams was out-voted for no other reason, that I could learn, but because it was “best to change.” “Jackson for ever!” was, therefore, screamed from the majority of mouths, both drunk and sober, till he was elected; but no sooner in his place, than the same ceaseless operation went on again, with “Clay for ever” for its war-whoop.