#In election overtime, try to mix some calm into your furious passion

America is headed into election overtime. Pennsylvania and other key states remain undecided, with extended counts and likely court action ahead. Stay calm: The republic will survive.

Joe Biden underperformed what most pollsters predicted. And Republicans seem likely to hold control of the Senate, further frustrating the left’s expectations.

None of that should shock anyone, nor is it cause for protest: Stop confusing your desires with objective analysis — and start paying attention to what those who disagree with you think, and why, rather than writing them off as “deplorables.” Was 2016 really not lesson enough?

Both sides need to remain calm. President Trump’s supporters need to realize that Biden may win, fair and square, too. That he outperformed expectations doesn’t mean he’s been cheated if he still loses in the end.

America is deeply divided, and will remain so no matter who wins the White House. A close election, and continued divided government (with a Democratic House and GOP Senate, whoever wins the White House), is a call for humility and compromise.

The parties will fight hard over the remaining counts, including court battles. But we are all in this together; it’s the essence of our system that no partisan victory is final. In the end we are all one people, for all our differences.

And those in the middle will notice how partisans on either side conduct themselves in these trying times — and penalize those who don’t respect the process. Air your frustrations and dissent, but recognize that no setback means the system is unjust, only that you need to work harder next time.

That includes making greater efforts at understanding why your neighbors supported the other side. They’re not evil or deluded; they just weigh things differently. Negotiating our differences peacefully — albeit passionately — is one of the things that makes this nation a beacon to the world.