“When Carter won in the first election I voted in, I got up the next morning and just went to work an on with my life.”
My very first election, I was 18. I remember being young, inexperienced in life and shocked, that people could be so foolish. Like you, just got up and got on, SMH. But it was a good lesson for me - you win, you lose, and I got the exquisite pleasure of watching America get the government they voted for, everytime I went to grocery store, every time Carter told us not even to put Christmas lights up, every time we traded vehicles for “odd” and “even” days at the pump.
Then I remember his concession speech, where he said it hurt. Oh, geez. Well not as much as screwing up the economy hurt my family. He didn’t last ONE term.
My first election was President Nixon’s second term so I started out winning!