To my Republican friends and family: Hang in there!

As previously stated, I'm happy and satisfied with the results of the 2012 election.  The election was a big victory for me, for Oregon, for the United States, and for the world. 

But I'm not just happy because (for the most part) the candidates and issues I supported were successful.  I'm also happy that, even in the thick of the election, I didn't allow myself to hate Mitt Romney.  (I wish I could say the same about Junior.)

I've said it before and I say it again now:  I think Mitt Romney is a decent guy.  Yes, he's a plutocrat.  Yes, he pandered to racists and misogynists.  No, I never considered voting for him.  But I'm sure he loves and is loved by his family and friends.  And I'm reasonably sure that he is a moral person.  He's a Mormon, and by and large, the Mormons I've known in my life are first-rate people.  If his ambition caused him to stray, if the heat of battle caused him to throw some below-the-belt punches --well, we've all done it.  I certainly have.

In keeping with that sentiment, I'm not going to use this blog to gloat about the victory.  Gloating would be cruel, and cruelty is never the answer.  On Tuesday, Republicans got a startling slap in the face from the electorate.  It hurts when that happens.

Trust me.  I know.  November 3, 2004, was one of the worst days of my life.  For months afterwards I was befuddled and bewildered.  Eight years and several successful elections later, I still haven't overcome the bitterness and sense of betrayal I felt on that day.

I know there are conservatives who are feeling that way right now.  Some of them are my own friends and family.

Well, I want you to know, friends and family, that I'm not going to rub salt in your wounds. Instead, I want to assure you that you'll get through this. I'm not saying the pain will go away.  It won't.  But it'll diminish.  It'll become just another jagged stitch in your life's tapestry.

Hang in there.  If it is not too presumptuous, I'd like to suggest that this defeat offers an opportunity.  Reflect, analyze, rethink.

But don't be too hard on yourselves.  You're decent folks.

I'd love to see the Republican Party return to its days of greatness.  If you can do something to make that happen, it'll make me happy.  It would be good for everyone if you did.