Below The Fold

What happens tomorrow?

The votes are still being tabulated. Bush is leading, but only marginally. It could still go either way. Tom Brokaw has run out of puns. Dan Rather’s sweating. Peter Jennings is casting a leering eye north of the border, wondering if he could still get a gig in Montreal in the morning.

At 6:37, MDT, ABC had it this way: Bush, 108 electoral votes. Kerry 77. On CBS, it was 96 for Bush, 77 Kerry. On NBC, 89 for Bush and 77 for Kerry. I don’t know what’s more disconcerting—that the Bush numbers varied so wildly or that Kerry’s didn’t waver at all.

I keep wishing they wouldn’t even show the popular vote. All that does is confuse people who don’t understand the importance of the electoral process—the importance of protecting the voice of the states while obeying the will of the fed.

I’ve grown weary of trying to explain it. All I know is that if it’s close, it will again be an issue—either way.

CBS has this new cool super touch screen TV/computer, though, that the pundit keeps using to explain the differences in the voting records of various districts. The way his hand controls the GUI reminds me of the movie Minority Report and Tom Cruise rapidly surfing the pre-crime databanks, trying to prevent a murder.

The polarization of this country is worse than I remember any previous election. There’s so much animosity. For the last year, all I’ve heard from the Democrats is why I can’t vote for Bush. They might as well have been running a pommel horse. No one ever said why Kerry was a great choice. Just that he wasn’t as bad as the other guy.

And yet, as Bush clung to his stances and often stunted ideals, the GOP almost consistently stuck to blasting Kerry on every personal level.

Difference in ideas, viewpoints, beliefs—that seems to have been laid to rest in favor of bigotry, hatred and outright derision. By both parties.

I’ve had it.

I voted Badnarik/Campagna in ’04.

My guy lost.

And yet, I can’t help but think that I won.