Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Frank Bruni's column today was a reminder that everything in the U.S. isn't completely absurd. As he concludes:

Ours is a peculiar land, growing saner in some regards even as we remain absolutely bonkers in others.

 For "bonkers," please accept my substitution of "bat shit crazy."

And what brought about that observation? It had to do with some optimistic developments in the world of electoral politics and the candidates' relationships.

We all know that Reagan broke the divorce barrier and Clinton broke the adultery barrier. Ok, the latter had been broken repeatedly for centuries, but less publicly. We might even say that Jefferson broke the miscegenation barrier.

What is left to break? There are the candidates-without-partners barrier, the candidates-with-partners-they're-not-married-to barrier, the candidates-who-don't-live-with-their-wives barrier and the biggie, candidates-with-same-sex-partners barrier.

Mitch Daniels disappointed many Republicans by not running in 2012, at least partly it was reported because he and his wife lived in different states and Republican primary voters just aren't very forgiving of non-orthodoxy. Daniels didn't want to have to discuss his marital relationship on the campaign trail, so he has settled for the presidency of Purdue.

While one can/should always sympathize with that point of view, it is refreshing to see that changes seem to be in the offing. And, dare I say it? The Republicans might be behind the curve.

In New York, Andrew Cuomo was elected Governor despite living openly in an unmarried relationship which his Catholic church deplores as sinful. Cuomo is assumed to have presidential ambitions. As he reportedly said, "Even when we’re building a bridge, opponents say, ‘You’re only building a bridge to run for president." (An aside: Now, when he has pushed through and signed tough gun control laws, his opponents are saying the same thing, as if a tough stance on gun control has always proven to be a winner in presidential politics.) There is no talk of Cuomo and his long-time partner marrying.

In Colorado, the Governor, John Hickenlooper, and his wife have publicly separated. They have shared the whole story with the public. There were no affairs or infidelity; their lives have simply taken different directions and they have been honest enough to recognize they have different values and different priorities, deal with it, and remain close.

Why are we still so batshit crazy about other things?