Is It Time To Do Away With the Congratulatory Phone Call?

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Here’s the latest on the Virginia gubernatorial race:

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) had not called Democrat Terry McAuliffe after losing the Virginia gubernatorial race and had no plans to do so as of late Wednesday morning, according to a report in The Washington Post.

….At a press conference later on Wednesday McAuliffe said he had still not heard from Cuccinelli. “I have not had the opportunity yet to speak to the attorney general,” McAuliffe said.

Let’s see a show of hands on this. How many people think we should do away with the whole tradition of a congratulatory phone call from the loser of a political campaign? Is it an insincere gesture that’s nonetheless useful as a public way of bearing witness to the peaceful transfer of legitimate power in a democracy and keeping up a facade of civility? Or is it just a pointless and humiliating ritual that’s long since worn out its welcome? What say you?

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