About a week ago I flew back to Chicago for the weekend to dash in to my 25th-year high school reunion. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. I only had a few days to spare, but I really wanted to do it because you don’t get another bite at that apple. I fully expected it to be weird, but was struck by just how much more odd it really was. I was greeted by a bunch of guys who I haven’t seen in 25 years and they were mostly unrecognizable to me because of not just the years, but my rapidly declining eye sight (note to self: make that appointment with the optometrist soon).

At any rate, I was also struck by the interesting political discussions I had while there. My classmates were all a smart bunch, if I might brag on them a little because I’m a big believer in a Catholic education, but several of them and their spouses were really frightened about the election outcome. And that goes for both Democrats and Republicans.

I felt it was necessary to reassure them that everything will be fine. Presidential elections especially spark the harsh debates, and this one was no exception. We’ve had worse ones in our long history, but it got pretty nasty at times. Still, it’s really important to keep in mind a lot of this is pure political rhetoric. The next time John McCain and Barack Obama see each other they will smile and shake hands and it won’t be insincere. I’m sure of that. You ought to do the same the next time you see a co-worker or neighbor who went another way than you on election day.

We all have much more in common and at stake than we realize. And certainly our commonalities dwarf our differences. Those screaming heads in looney-tunes-cable-TV-land are just trying to sell cars and iPods. Please ignore them. They’re like the zoo animals who have been fed too many marshmallows.

Yes, it’s true that McCain and Obama have some stark differences on major issues. Healthcare reform is one of the most profound. But most of the other so-called differences really amount to parsing of words. Take their stances on negotiations with Iran. They both would like to talk to Iran’s ayatollahs (no one really believes that clown Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is really in charge there). McCain wants the Iranians to accept the U.S. preconditions for meeting first. Obama would meet with them before foisting preconditions on them, but only if after low-level diplomats had already established some parameters for the discussions. That, incidentally, is what the Bush Administration is already doing now. So don’t get fooled by all this rhetoric. They’re very close.

Another for instance: Obama wants to start drawing down troops in Iraq. McCain would like to do the same, but his schedule isn’t as aggressive. You can go through the torrent of words on the campaign trail and parse all you want, but the reality, in my humble opinion, is they both favor eventually withdrawing the troops out of Iraq. McCain probably favors long-standing bases there, like we have in Germany, so hence the “100 years in Iraq” charge, which is a disingenuous characterization of his stance. And, likewise, it’s silly to argue that Obama wants to “surrender” in Iraq. Of course he doesn’t. He wants to start withdrawing when it’s clear there’s been some progress there stabilizing the country politically and the government there can take of itself. They say now that they can so we’ll see.

So please stop worrying about some dramatic restructuring of the country. Obama isn’t going to start reading Maoist poetry at White House press briefings and ushering in some sort of Gang of Four-style realignment, OK? And if McCain wins he won’t start dropping bombs on Iran right after he’s sworn in, plunging us into World War III.

As for the economy, well, both men would probably get us closer to some sort of sanity. Heck, even Bush woke up and realized his free-market frenzy steered us into the ditch. The bailout went down hard like cheap, nasty cough medicine, but it’ll help if it’s regulated properly. I’m certain both men understand that.

I’m also certain now that Obama will be our 44th president. I like to think I’m a pretty good political handicapper (I’ve called every election correctly except one, and in 2000 I at least was wise enough to characterize it as a pick-’em). I was thrown off something awful four years ago as I thought John Kerry would eke it out against Bush. But it always felt like a guess, and a lot wilder than I’m accustomed to on election eve. The emerging new media made it so tough to anticipate what would happen. But I’ve got a better handle on it now. I predicted the Democrats would roll up big numbers in the 2006 mid-term election. And they will do so again tomorrow. You’re seeing a coalition of angry, older voters and the emergence of the young millenials asserting themselves. Plus, the Republican Party is in tatters. Too many extremists have hijacked the party and corrupted the Grand Old Party’s great traditions of frugality and limited government and replaced it with emotionally charged culture wedge issues. They forgot it’s mostly a centrist nation and the party that governs closest to the center holds the most power. It’s always been that way, and always will be that way.

By the way, if you ask me the future of the GOP ought to be Mike Huckabee, not Sarah Palin. Call me crazy, but one of the great lessons we’ll learn from tomorrow’s exit polls is that most Americans are sick of negative politics. Huckabee gets it. Remember how positive he stayed when it came down to just McCain and Huckabee in the primary? He was building a brand. I listened to his show yesterday on Fox with fascination as he interviewed his “friend” Bill Maher on his movie “Religulous.” They both agreed to disagree. Can you imagine Sarah Palin having a civil conversation with Bill Maher? Plus, Huckabee is popular with the younger generation of evangelicals, an important GOP base. Doesn’t mean Huckabee has a shot to stop Obama’s re-election bid if the Illinois Democrat manages to show some progress in restoring the country, but it’s a start. The Republicans will have to spend some time in the wilderness and rediscover the party’s soul if Obama is successful. (Of course, if he stumbles, the voters will punish the Democrats in two years and then, if Palin can get re-elected in Alaska, which is not as much of a sure bet as you might think it is, then Sarah could be the party’s standard-bearer in 2012. I still doubt that, though. Something tells me she’s Dan Quayle with lipstick).

Anyway, this is my long-winded way of saying don’t worry so much. Yes, there will be much teeth-gnashing in predominantly Republican Orange County, but your lives won’t change substantially with a President Obama. I recall in 1983 when Chicago elected its first black mayor. I remember many of my classmates and neighbors fretting that the black mayor would suspend public services in their predominantly white neighborhood , including, even, fire and police! Did that happen? Of course not. Harold Washington even fixed the disgracefully crumbling streets in the white-ethnic neighborhoods that the Machine never saw as much of a priority. I remember one street in my neighborhood was so bad it was nicknamed Lake Homan because when it rained it flooded (all of the basements would flood too). But that all changed when Harold fixed the streets. He cruised to re-election.

Try not to worry so much. We live in the greatest country and we live in relative prosperity and security compared with most countries. We must never lose that great American optimism. It’s our greatest attribute. And it’s more important than ever as we face so many intimidating obstacles that we unite to rebuild our country.

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