The Morning After the Election

Bill on Capitol Hill is exhausted after last night.

I heard the word "douche" last night in a concession speech. I've actually got it recorded.

The name of the person isn't important, I suppose. I doubt it will be reported.

So it's all over. America is mad, crazy, whatever.

The midterms, baby. The sea was angry that day, my friends.

Like you, I have opinions about the elections.

But I'm a journalist (at least one or two people actually believe that), so I don't think I should offer those opinions.

Oh I'm like anyone else. I'll drop the ball on occasion and perhaps tweet one thing or another.

A rare blog item here and there also.

Yet it's not a habit, where you know my stance, to the point where you might question my ethics and my professionalism.

In fact, those who think they know me (or maybe knew me "back in the day") might be surprised on where I stand.

The point is: you don't know (unless you know me well, and even then).

Because I think it looks bad in my position -- especially the one night of the year that I'm actually a political reporter.

We talked about this around the campfire at WGCH last night before we went on the air. The opinion of being a journalist and keeping your political leanings offline was unanimous.

I have no idea, for instance, which way WGCH news director Tony Savino leans.

We should report, and that's that.

Look, I'm a sports broadcaster, and I have been for a long time. I've been "The Voice of the Greenwich Cardinals" (except hockey, or whatever) since the late 90s in one form or another.

But I'm telling you right now: I don't root for Greenwich. I can't. Sure, I like families and athletes to do well, but I can't cloud my judgement by having a rooting interest. Yes, the more GHS wins, the more coverage I'm able to provide, but I'm not a Greenwich Cardinal. It's never "we."

Ever.

I'm so proud to know journalists like Susan Shultz, the esteemed editor of the Darien Times, who doggedly works her tail off, and was up near midnight still cranking away at results, turnout, minutiae. She feels her election coverage is one of the most important things she does in a given year.

She prides herself on it. Go ahead, accuse her of bias. You'd be impressively wrong (can I name names?).

Whatever I know of her politics comes from my knowing her. Off social media.

Like me, she'll fumble once in a while (and deletes the post shortly after).

But she's the best, most honest and honorable journalist I know (I specifically did NOT use an Oxford comma here because we differ on that topic).

I wish everyone could be that way.

Oh, and one other thing: she knows I'm no phony, but I've got her back.

To sum it up, like I said Monday night, play nice.

Maybe don't publicly use the word "douche."

We're already off to a rough start.