“The more you read and

observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that’s out

always looks the best.”

— Will Rogers —

I’m just glad it’s finally over. Not the regular football season — the Republican runoff election.

There is still the general election to deal with next month but that will hopefully be anticlimactic.

It all started back last summer when Jo Bonner announced he would retire/resign/step down/hit the road in August. And then the silly season began.

Well before Gov. Robert Bentley had set a day for the election, you started hearing and seeing ads. They were on the radio. They were on television. Political signs began popping up along roadsides.

Listening or reading the early ads, you would have thought the politicians were running for President. Nearly everyone went out of their way to point out that Obama was wrong about just about everything and they would go up to Washington and help the Grand Old Party straighten things out.

With nine candidates in the Battle Royale first primary, the ads mostly touted the positives of the candidates (and why the Democrats were wrong). So the ads were mostly upbeat. With eight competitors, it would be hard (and costly) to start attacking each one. The mud slinging would have to wait until the field was narrowed substantially.

After sitting through the candidate forum in Bay Minette in September, I was quickly able to figure out which two would be advancing to the playoffs. It was going to be the Democrat-turned-Republican versus the Tea Party Republican.

Bradley Byrne and Dean Young started playing nice but when it was just two candidates, the gloves came off and the negativity skyrocketed. And it wasn’t just television, radio and print ads. The candidates and there supporters took to social media.

As the political waters became more and more acrid, the national media started paying attention. Suddenly, Lower Alabama was a touchstone for the Republican Party nationwide. Folks were watching to see if the GOP could withstand the body blows of the Tea Party.

In the end, tradition won out. And the citizens will now be spared the nearly constant barrage of negative ads that have permeated the air waves for the last few weeks. And it wasn’t just the candidates, several outside groups joined in the combat by producing their own commercials and rushing to get them on the air.

I would hate to be a television ad salesman this week. The gravy train of ads walking in the door and begging to be put on the air is over. Of course, now viewers will be able to learn all about the advances in recent weeks of dog food, toilet tissue and of course heartburn and allergy medication. Who knows? We might even get to see the Cialis couple watching the sun set from their matching tubs on the beach, or in a mountain villa or even in the ocean.

It will be a welcome change for me.

William Moore is the Senior Editor at Gulf Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at wmoore@gulfcoastnewspapers.com