We've gotten so used to instant-gratification that, when following a news story, we often expect a New Explosive Revelation at every click of the mouse. That's how I felt last night while pursuing the American election returns.
I'd click on CNN to see their somewhat unadventurous statistics, then I'd jump to MSNBC and FOX for the "out on a limb" predictions (which turned out to be correct). I'd then immediately go to Daily Kos and see which predictions they'd decided to pick up, and also get results about the house and senate races. Then I'd go to Townhall's blog and derive a certain glee from their glazed incomprehension and prophesies of conspiracy and doom...
...and by then enough time had passed for me to go back to CNN for the latest update. Repeat ad nauseum.
Sadly, after Pennsylvania was called there just weren't any big revelations until a few hours later. So I took a gravol and went to bed, and woke up this morning to a landslide Obama victory (and the defeat of most of the noxious ballot propositions). So nice to see Florida blue. In fact, every state I've ever visited ended up siding with Obama. He can thank me later for my inadvertent campaigning!
I followed this race much closer than I did the Canadian elections. Why? Because none of the leaders had a really good OR bad spark to them. I mistrust Stephen Harper, but I could only judge his opponents in varying degrees of amorphous apathy. You didn't have an Obama out there rallying the troops, and you also didn't have a Sarah Palin making a mockery of the whole situation.
6 comments:
Congrats on the new president! It is crazy, but as the economist survey showed, the WHOLE world would have loved to take part and choose Obama as president. Just goes to show just how more than militarily or economically, it is culturally that the US dominates the world. And that is something Obama intuitively understands.
P.S. Hillary used to drive me crazy with her school-marmish "I am more competent than you" attitude with little substance to back her up. Plus she was THE establishment. :)
Yeah, but I feel like the Presidential Race was kind of a fait accompli, and the abominable Proposition 8 ruined my night by passing in California.
I agree, JJ...Hillary's attitude seemed condescending. Thank goodness she didn't win the primary, since "condescending" is exactly what the electorate appeard to NOT want.
If Hillary had won the primary it would have sort of been "The Battle of McCains." :)
Prop 8 is an awful pill to swallow. Hey, thanks Mormons. I wonder how the heck they'll deal with the same-sex marriages they've already performed?
Though last I heard there were still a ton of absentee ballots left to count, so maybe they're not out yet.
Geox, to your comment about 'fait accompli' you certainly aren't the only one with this view: http://www.danpink.com/archives/2008/11/chart-of-the-day-did-mccain-ever-have-a-chance
The Iowa Electronic Markets, a well established prediction market, shows that there was never a point where the republicans would have won (although it got close).
The only (dubious) doubt seemed to be "The Bradley Effect," but I was most worried simply because US citizens narrowly voted Bush in for a second term. After that, ANYTHING was possible.
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