Election Eve

Tonight is the quiet before the storm, the Christmas Eve of poli-geeks. There is a swirling excitement about tomorrow's activities, the ultimate American expression of freedom. There is also a calm weariness setting in, as we are all exhausted by campaigning season which we know is almost over. Hopefully.

Tomorrow we will impatiently wait as we see the red and the blue and the purple states pop up on our TV screens. One by one they'll be unwrapped, and we'll see their results. The pace of results will pick to an almost intoxicating pace, with the excitement of millions of voters reaching a crescendo. Then the anti-climax will set in as we get our first glimpses of who won this hard, long campaign. About half of the population will be disappointed with the lump of coal that they find in their political stocking, and a little more than half will be overjoyed, having gotten just what they wanted. With any luck, the season will be over as we go to bed on Tuesday night. The politicos are weary, and they could get ugly the day after Election Day otherwise.