calm before the storm

The night before the election, and no one knows what the hell is going to happen (well, I have my suspicions). I remember it not being this way. The first election I actually remember is 1984 (I have vague memories of crying about Jimmy Carter being swept from office, but at the time I had conflated Ronald Reagan and the Ayatollah Khomenei, so that guy just scared me). Everyone knew that Mondale was going down in flames, and he cheerfully obliged, serving up notice to all candidates henceforth that telling the voters the truth will never get you elected.

Then there was 1988, which was a fait accompli as soon as Michael Dukakis got into the tank. 1992 was a funky, bizarre election (also the last one that I was unable to vote in; I was 17) that featured the peek-a-boo Perot game, but by the time the election rolled around everyone knew that Clinton was going to win. I remember my friend Marta and I rolling around Norman practicing the sound of "President Clinton" and deciding it would work great.

1996 was a boring, stupid election, and the Republicans rolled over and played dead by nominating the dessicated husk of Robert Dole to be served up against Clinton and his jug-eared Republican slayer. No, 2000 was the first election in my lifetime that featured any drama, and the first one that made me realize that dammit, politics is a dirty, dirty game.

Now, here are the things that are most bugging me about the election in general and Bush voters in particular:

• I hear so much* that Bush voters are voting because of the abortion issue above any others. Folks, what is Bush going to do to stop abortion? He certainly didn't do anything about it the previous four years. The fact is, he has no interest in ever doing anything about it, because if he should, then a large group of single-issue voters will de-mobilize, and the Republicans don't want that.


• Doesn't anyone else remember how Bush has lied to us on Iraq?


• If, after four years of Republican control over the House, the Senate, and the White House, things remain in major disarray, doesn't that mean that the Republicans are the ones responsible for the mess?


• Similarly, why does the Right generally have such a paranoia about how you think you're being persecuted and being swept by a liberal tide? What world are you living in? You've been winning everything for quite a while.


• Doesn't anyone else think that it may pose a problem in the future should every other country on earth hate our guts for being insensitive, clumsy, and often brutal bullies?

*I hear from other people. My office is beyond liberal. If anyone admitted to being a Bush voter they'd get run out on a rail.

I'll be frequenting these sites tomorrow for updates and news:

Electoral-Vote.com and its mirrors, should the main site be busy (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9)
.
Drudge, for the proper schlocky finger on the pulse of the right.

Metafilter, of course.
Daily Kos, just because all the other liberals will be there.
Atrios, ditto.

I guarantee you I'll have found more places I like before polls close tomorrow. I'll try to update.

Get out and vote for Kerry, please.