Obama's speech

It's easier to be nice when you win, but you'd think it was tough with all the negative ads that have been flying around. Still, Obama, like McCain, take the high road once all the shouting's over.
He's giving his speech right now. It's obviously planned, carefully crafted. We can only hope he makes such careful plans when he holds the highest office in the land.
Watching the speech, I thought of the plan the Founding Fathers must have had when building the nation's foundations. It's a nice thought that the government they built more than 200 years ago continues today. That, hopefully, it'll continue for years after we're all dead.
And, of course, I hope that politicians continue using an ending phrase that's become required in speeches: God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

McCain concedes

He's giving his speech right now, and it's pretty touching. Not surprising. Regardless of what you think of the guy, McCain has class. It's a strength in this country that two opposing sides can battle for more than a year, without blood, and then on the final day give up the race without a bullet fired.
That's a fairly cheese statement that's been made before, given. But it's true. Both McCain and Obama fought to get where they are right now, and it wasn't a happy trip. To be able to bow out after the hate that's been spilled across papers and televisions is really a class act.

Virginia goes Obama

Looks like Virginia is going for the Democrat. The American map is pretty much filling out exactly as the polls said they would.
This makes a studious savant of politics wonder - why do "insiders" often claim they have access to polls us peons don't get? McCain's internal polls showed something different from what all of us saw, and his polls are proving wrong. Rove did the same thing in 2006, pretty much mocking an NPR commentator with his puny, for-the-public polls.
I'm not saying Democrats should have started measuring the drapes, but it looks like it wasn't a waste of time.

Ohio becomes concrete

The status of one of the biggie states is solidly for Obama. Ohio has been called for the Democrat by the likes of Yahoo! and fivethirtyeight. I think if Florida goes Obama, then McCain needs to take a deep breath and pick up the phone for probably the toughest call he'll ever make.
Never one to shy away from analyzing something far too early, it looks like the economy is what tugged on people's minds this election. Four years is a long time in politics and the war in Iraq just doesn't have the same effect anymore.
Neither does fear.

And it plays out

It's 9:30 p.m. Georgia time right now, and the polls are rolling in faster than expected. Many thought there'd be people standing in long lines at the polls way past 7 p.m. They were in other states, but if you check the Georgia Secretary of State's Web site, things are well underway.
So, what have we learned at this point - things are going pretty much as fivethirtyeight predicted. For the past week, I've thought that if Obama took Ohio or Florida, the race was his. At least one media outlet has already called Ohio for Obama. We'll see if that theme plays out as the pundits expect.
For those of you with cash on McCain, don't hand over your dollars yet. It's still early.

And now, it starts

As I write this, it's close to four hours before the hamlet of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, holds its world renowned midnight voting. The tiny town of about 75 people will meet at The Balsams, take about a minute or so to vote and then release the results.

What does this mean for you, the viewer? Thankfully, the beginning of the end of this seemingly never ending campaign season. Grab a glass of port, fire up the PC and watch for the town's returns to hit the Internet.

Then grab some sleep and wake up early enough to get to your poll. In Georgia and Alabama, you're likely in for a wait.

Be sure to check back with me Tuesday throughout the night. I'll be working late and blogging whenever I catch a free moment.

A few good yuks

So, John McCain appeared on SNL and got some laughs. I just finished watching the "Weekend Update" clip and I have to say, it's pretty good stuff. Saturday Night Live is usually a good waste of 90 minutes, but they've been sharp with their politics this season. I'll give credit where it's due.

Appearances such as these make an already dirty campaign feel just a little bit cleaner. Many have remarked in news stories and blogs about the deteriorating nature of American politics. Face it, people are getting nastier and more polarized. Gone is the agreement to disagree or the ability to hold a rational debate of ideas. Instead, it's yelling, attacks on your opponent's intelligence and a general "us versus them."

I vaguely referenced a week or so ago on this blog about Berkeley Breathed's decision to stop writing "Opus." His reason - the sad state of discourse in this country and where he thinks it's heading.

Being willing to take yourself down a few notches, appear on SNL and cut a few jokes while others playfully make jokes about you is a dying art. McCain might not win on Tuesday, but he's won some respect. How many of us would stand before the American viewing audience?