Webber: Election results are not the end of the world

Today is election day. But more importantly, it’s my girlfriend’s birthday.

That’s right. After all the hours I spent bickering over economic policy in the cafeteria, shushing chatty viewers at my convention/debate watch parties and subsequently scouring Politifact.com to see which candidate lied more, ignoring my professors as I read every new poll and election update on Politico.com under the guise of “note taking,” and losing sleep over writing my quasi-political columns, I’m telling you that this election is not the end of the world. I’m celebrating today. My girlfriend is 18 now and I’m 19 and we’re going to vote together – and that’s really exciting. But then we’re going to go have dinner, complete with cake and presents, and I’m not going to focus on the election. Because some things are just more important.

I am Will’s raging hypocrisy.

To know me is to argue with me. I’ve been at the forefront of this election’s bipartisan bloodshed since Herman Cain first unveiled his Big Pizza Diplomacy and Rick Perry racked the cavernous depths of his skull to remember exactly what that third thing was. From the moment I laid eyes on the GOP’s clown car of candidates, I’ve been convinced that this election is the prophesied Mayan apocalypse, with the American people holding the fate of my beloved country in their grubby, indecisive hands. Let it be clear, I have absolutely no faith in Gov. Mitt Romney as president. But I have faith in the system and I still have faith in these United States of America.

The U.S. presidency has a term limit for a reason: sometimes, we elect the wrong person. Or sometimes we don’t elect them, but they “win” the presidency anyway. Regardless, our system ensures that no one can ruin the country for more than four years at a time without a little citizen intervention. You don’t have to support the president; in fact, it is our civic duty to question our government. But with that being said, you shouldn’t sabotage him either. Don’t waste his time with an outrageous birth certificate controversy. Don’t block every budget or piece of legislation he proposes just because he prefers donkeys to elephants, or vice-versa. Don’t pray for a negative jobs report and a stock market dip just to make him look bad. Whether Obama or Romney wins, give the president a chance to lead. Then they’ll answer to us.

In 2004, my family woke up on the first Wednesday of November with a bad case of election hangover. The reality of a third Bush term had us really worried. Dad would always jokingly threaten (I think?) to leave the country, but I guess we’re still here. And you know what? The country fell into a devastating economic collapse and came no nearer to a “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq or Afghanistan. But my parents were always resolute in maintaining our values and way of life. We worked hard. We saved our money. We weren’t hurt by the recession. And when Obama took the reins, our situation didn’t really change for better or for worse. It didn’t matter who was in office; our lives would go on because we wanted them to.

I’ve got a lot riding on this election, particularly in the health care debate. If Obama wins, I can return to my affordable and convenient blood infusion treatments by 2014. If Romney wins, we may have to set aside another $120,000 in our annual family budget. But no matter the outcome, my parents assure me that I’m taken care of and I know that my beautiful girlfriend will be there to squeeze my hand every time the IVs come out. I will not let this election, or any, run my life. I’m focusing on what’s important today.

Webber is a freshman majoring in journalism and political science from Prairie Village. Follow him on Twitter @webbgemz.

Will Webber is a journalism and political science major from Prairie Village. Read more from Will Webber.

• Updated Nov. 5, 2012 at 8:51 pm