The political pendulum

I watched the sun come up Wednesday morning at Mother Cabrini Shrine on Lookout Mountain, and wasn't surprised that it did — despite the dire and desperate warnings we heard endlessly in campaign ads.

And while it was clear that the Earth was still turning, it remains unclear who will be the state senator in District 16 — an election night vigil failed to produce a clear winner in the race between Kittredge's Tim Leonard and Jeanne Nicholson from Gilpin County. Leonard leads by about 370 votes out of 55,000 cast, and some votes still have not been tabulated.

It also appears less than certain that Democrat Michael Bennet retained his U.S. Senate seat, even though the Denver Post has declared him the winner over Republican challenger Ken Buck.

One thing is for sure: The political pendulum does swing, though it's never a sure bet who it will thump and who will escape the arc. Republicans nationwide have made strong gains in the wake of President Obama's historic win in 2008, but Colorado continues to confound the pundits and stubbornly go its own way.

Wednesday morning at Cabrini Chapel, the message at Mass seemed to suggest that our transient political rhythms are trumped by other, more enduring seasons that blow through our lives. And as the sun came up, that was a comforting thought.