Exciting times ahead (! or ?)

"I think this time the Republicans are going to be impact players, both locally and nationally."

Is it just me, or is there a buzz in the air? For the first time in forever, I am feeling it. For the past eight years - okay, maybe a few years longer, I have not been feeling it. In fact up until election day, my feeling about the future was reminiscent to the way I felt right after the Carter years. Truthfully, if Hillary had won the election, the doldrums would have continued for who knows who long. But she did not win. It is more than just the Presidential election. It is everything. And even though Donald Trump did not win Minnesota, the government within our state has also changed.

Some of my conservative friends have told me not to get my hopes up too high. Why is that? First off, the Republicans have shown time and time again they are good at grasping defeat out of the jaws of victory. In other words, they could either do nothing exceptional for two years, or act like "Democrat light" in the legislation they do pass. Or - Donald Trump could reveal that he was nothing more than a show horse. Shortly after his term starts, he could be a big flop.

Well, call me a fool or a cock-eyed optimist, but I reject both of those outcomes. However (and this is a big caveat), I am no fool either. It is up to us as citizens to keep an eye on whomever is in charge of our government. Yes, that includes everyone.

That being said, I have a sense this time the Republicans are going to be impact players. I am talking both locally and nationally. In Minnesota we still have a problem Governor, but he is two years away from going bye-bye. And in those two years, there should be enough Republicans in the House and Senate to blunt anything goofy he tries to do. 

Back to the promise of exciting times ahead. Since election day, the sky looks bluer, there is a spring in my step, and I am able to look out over the horizon. The world is now our oyster, ready for the feast. Let us hope at this time next year we will look back on today and know our optimism was warranted.