Enjoy your post-election kumbaya moment. It's nothing new, and it almost never lasts. It's only been a few days since the 2014 election ended, and victors and incumbents have been unable to contain all of their enthusiasm about the change that is about to come to Washington. Legislators are eager to work together on mutual concerns, the president is excited to see what Republicans plan to do, and so much work is going to get done. Just like they promised in 2012! Wait a minute. Hmm. That sounds a bit off. What changed exactly in the past two years, besides more yelling and less work? Anyway. This is your annual reminder that campaigning is very different from governing, and that promises made on the trail -- especially the super-nice-sounding, vague ones made within hours of an election concluding -- are usually very hard to keep. Whether the fact that no one ends up keeping these lofty goals makes you feel better or worse about your own elected officials is up to you. Or you could just blame the Founding Fathers. They never expected this whole democracy thing to lead to quick changes. In fact, they were terrified by that possibility (read a history book, people). In that spirit, here's a small sample of the shiny, happy, post-election boilerplate -- or resigned hopey-changey boilerplate -- we've heard both lately and many times before. Harry Reid, 2014: "The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together. I look forward to working with Sen. McConnell to get things done for the middle class. Harry Reid, 2012: "Gridlock is not the solutions. It's the problem. And that's what's happened. I repeat. ... It's time we get to work. We can achieve really big things when we work together. That's what the American people said last night in a big way. I'm going to do everything within my power to be as conciliatory as possible. I want to work together, but I -- I want everyone to also understand you can't push us around. We want to work together. Harry Reid, 2006: "Guided by the spirit of bipartisanship, Democrats are ready to take this country in a new direction. ... I know that you're not accustomed, members of the press, to people getting along, working together, but Sen. McConnell and I believe this is a new day in Washington. Mitch McConnell, 2014: "The gridlock and dysfunction can be ended." Mitch McConnell, 2012: "Today is not a day to continue to campaign; in fact, turn the campaign off and turn the corner and start working on these serious problems that confront us ... We're open to discussion of all this with the president. John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, 2014: "The skeptics say nothing will be accomplished in the next two years. As elected servants of the people, we will make it our job to prove the skeptics wrong. Mitch McConnell, 2006: "'One thing I hope we can do, now that we have the election out of the way, is see if we can quit kicking the can down the road on a number of significant issues,' McConnell told a meeting of Washington Post editors and reporters. Left over from last year, I would put immigration at the top of the list. But I also share the view . . . that this would be the perfect time to tackle Social Security. ... Yesterday, McConnell said he and Reid 'have a good relationship' and talk practically every day that the Senate is in session. He said that he and the new majority leader are determined to avoid legislative gridlock in the coming Congress. Barack Obama, 2014: "But we can surely find ways to work together on issues where there's broad agreement among the American people. Barack Obama, 2012: "You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Thom Tillis, 2014: "I want to come back here next year and talk to people about the bipartisan things we accomplished for the good of the nation - not just campaign rhetoric, but now I have a responsibility and a priority on putting some substance behind those words from campaign speeches." Mark Warner, 2010: "We're going to have to deal with it in a way that is more than the campaign rhetoric. We're not going to solve our deficit crisis by simply eliminating earmarks, which I support, but which it's going to take a lot more willingness to roll up our sleeves and look at both sides of the balance sheet -- both spending and revenues. Al Franken, 2014: "I hope that we can get things done. There are lots of things that we have to work on that really shouldn't be partisan. George W. Bush, 2002: "Now that the voters have spoken, I urge the members of both political parties to come together to get things done for the American people."