A new day broke for me, both literally and figuratively this morning, when I sat up in bed and realized another election season has come and gone. Yes, the hoopla is finally over, and we can now safely move on from the business of sample ballots and straw polls to the even more daunting tasks of fighting holiday shoppers at the mall and arguing about the outcome of the elections with our idiot relatives over Thanksgiving dinner.

But no matter what, there are a lot of reasons to be thankful these latest elections are over, even if you are one of those folks for whom things did not turn out the way you hoped they would.

It's my hope, and maybe yours too, that those in charge of political campaigns take a serious look at how things went this election year, as there is a lot to learn about what does and does not sway the modern voting populace in today's elections.

First, I hope they realize that when my phone rings and it's a "robo-call" on the other end of the line -- a recorded message which distracts my attention while I'm trying to cook dinner, fold laundry, or stop the cat from vomiting a hairball on the sofa, that it does not favorably dispose me to whichever candidate or proposition that call represents.

At my house, we are Real Americans, which means family time is all about dinner, laundry and cat vomit. If you want to call me during that time and chat about something, take a number and wait your turn, just like my kids do. Or come over and help me clean the ball of brown slime and coagulated cat hair off the sofa cushions. That would give us plenty of time to talk.

The campaign people should also know that I no longer need to receive daily mailers telling me to elect Fran Florez. This is for two reasons: First, because the election is over, and second, because I'm sure the northwestern United States has already been deforested in her effort to stay in daily postal contact with me.

Any more fliers and I may be forced to take out a restraining order, Mrs. Florez. Stop the insanity. Move on with your life and forget about me. It would be better for both of us.

Another major annoyance in this election was the endless, endless campaign ads which graced the airwaves, day and night. Very few of these ads were about the virtues of their particular candidate or position. They all seemed to start out the same way -- with suspenseful, "Lost"-type music, and just as you thought Jack, Kate and Sawyer were about to burst out from the underbrush, you were instead told that if you voted for a particular candidate or proposition, terrible things would ensue, and that the island -- oops, I mean the state of California, would never be the same.

Which brings me to my last beef of this election season: I truly hope that election campaign planners take note and realize that fear and rumor -- mongering no longer work as valid campaign tactics. Don't tell me why I shouldn't vote for your rival or particular position -- tell me why I should vote for you and yours. Don't warn me of the dire consequences if I support Proposition Whatever; instead, tell me why the position you've taken in regards to it would be better for our county, state or country.

If this campaign has taught us anything, it's that fear doesn't work. Over the past year, for instance, I received various unsolicited e-mails warning me to vote against Barack Obama because 1) his middle name is "Hussein," 2), He is a secret Muslim, 3) He was not born in this country, and lacks a valid birth certificate, 4) He is the BFF of domestic terrorists, 5) he is a secret Arab, 6) he wears dresses on Thursdays and asks his staff to call him "Susan." (OK, I made up that last one, but you get the point.)

While none of the e-mails were officially sanctioned by the McCain campaign, they seemed to be widely circulated by McCain supporters. And although I know a couple of people who actually believed what was contained in those dreadful cyber-missiles of gossip and hate, they were few and far between. Most of us voted the issues, voted our conscience, and stuck to the facts which we thought mattered, and which we knew to be true. And we have a new president to prove it.

In short, I think the campaign managers, spin doctors and PAC folks involved in these campaigns need to realize the average American voters' intelligence has been seriously underestimated by the official and not-so-official organizers of both parties.

Those of you in charge of political ad campaigns need to realize it's not the robo-calls, the flyers, TV ads or anonymous e-mails which make your campaigns successes or failures.

It's the issues, stupid.

Diane Sayre is a freelance writer living in Hanford. Her column appears weekly in the Sentinel. Readers can write to her at The Hanford Sentinel, P.O. Box 9, Hanford, CA 93232.(Nov. 10, 2008)