We just experienced the most exciting election this country has seen in generations. The political parties took turns punching each other in the guts and when it was all over, Republicans marched into governors’ offices across the nation, grabbed the best seats in Congress, and nabbed control of state legislatures as Democrats felt the towel-to-the-rump force of populist anger and Libertarians did whatever it is Libertarians do after each election. I’m sure Republicans are proud of their election victories, but pride is a dangerous thing that always leads to a downfall.

Pride always gets me. I was proud as I stepped up to the registration table at my polling place and handed my voter registration card and driver’s license to the poll worker. I was proud I’d remembered that official piece of paper was tucked away in my wallet, and even though it looked bigger than I remembered, I chuckled under my breath. "I bet other folks here don’t have their voter registration cards with them." Like I said, I was a bit too proud on that day. The poll worker looked at my card and then tossed it aside and focused on my driver’s license. The next worker did the same. No one cared that I had a voter registration card. No one but me.

I assumed I was the only one who remembered his card and they just weren’t used to seeing them. I mumbled a bit. "Why can’t other voters be as well-prepared as I am?" I took the card from the last worker and began to put it back in my wallet. I looked at the card again. There was the outline of Georgia and some official seal. There was my name and address. And right there below my signature was "Department of Natural Resources" and "Resident Fishing." I could have cried. "Fishing? Are you kidding me?"

Republicans, let this be a lesson. Don’t let your post-election pride get in the way of doing your job. If you think you won the election based on your brilliance and you forget the issues that brought you to office, you’ll be tossed aside in the next election just as the Democrats were in this one. And you’ll feel just as stupid as I did when the unimpressed poll workers tossed aside the expired fishing license that I tried to use to vote in this historic election.