OK. I voted for Kerry. I think Kerry would have been a better choice. I think Bush has made wrong decision after wrong decision and has generally made things worse. I think if things play out as expected and he gets his 270 electoral votes, those trends will continue for the next few years.

However… it is not the end of the world. He will do his thing for 4 years, and then there will be someone else. He will do upsetting things. He will do stupid things. But it isn’t going to bring the end of civilization as we know it. The fact that he won is not a huge miscarriage of justice. The people who voted for him are NOT stupid or evil. They just have different opinions of the right way to approach the issues of the day.

The whining is already starting. Hey, people, if Bush wins, he wins. Get over it. He will have won fair and square. The process will have done its job and a president will have been selected, and he will do his job for the next few years.

I think Kerry would have been better than Bush. But the truth is that in the end Presidents come and go. They do have a huge effect on the direction of the country, but there are a lot of other things that effect what happens as well, and there are instituional constraints on just how far a president can take things. Sure, damage can be done, but in the grand scheme of things, not THAT much.

Anyway, if Bush wins and you were a Kerry person… just move on and start worring about next time. And please, try to remember… he’s not insane, he’s not evil, he just disagrees with you (and me) and has a different approach to things. Thinking that way is completely counter productive… and annoying.

Both sides just need to start learning again how to respect and understand the other side instead of villifing them. The deep divides in the country are unhealthy. And the “hate” that is seen on both sides toward the other is a big part of the problem. Come on, just be rational and calm and move on.

One network just called Ohio for Bush. This should be over now.

Don’t worry Kerry folks, it will suck a little bit, but it won’t be THAT bad. :-)

The networks are being SO timid. I understand why given how they screwed up in 2000… but back in 2000 they would have already called Florida for Bush and would be thinking about calling Ohio… and the election… for Bush. The margins are thin, but are there. It is possible they will change, but getting increasingly unlikely by the hour. We shall see.

But come on news networks. I know you want to be conservative, but this is a little too wussy. Go out on a limb a little!

Just a reminder that in every presidential election since the 1904 election except 1976, the taller candidate has won the popular vote. Kerry is taller. So I am going out on a limb now and will predict that Kerry will win the popular vote.

I am not yet willing to make a prediction on the electoral vote. Although the “height factor” has only failed twice in the last 100 years, even on electoral vote.