And Then What

On this, the last day before the election, we are all biting our nails, reading the polls, and generally suffering last-minute anxiety. But there is no reason to squeeze all that energy into these two days. We can stretch it out through weeks of legal challenges - yay.

Actually, I'm going to suggest here that John Kerry will win - not in a landslide, but handily. Legal challenges notwithstanding, I think Kerry will be elected President.
Zogby thinks so.

If Bush comes out ahead, I anticipate there will be more legal challenges than if Kerry is elected. There should certainly be more legal challenges with basis in fact.

While I would love Kerry to be some sort of panacea (certainly, he will make many of us feel better), he will have many bitter battles.
Any bets on the next election?
Kerry has a lot of work to do, at home and abroad. I am more confident that he will be successful in mending some international fences (or breaking down walls, whatever metaphor you like), than that he will have any strong impact within the US.
I will be impressed if Kerry manages to win a second term.

I will be happy if all the work done by the DNC and other organizations pays off. I will be impressed if the voter groups maintain their power and if this passion on the side of the Democrat party persists.

I hope that more light has been shed on the weaknesses of the media, and that a shift will begin towards more accountability.

Looking at these things with a wide lens, we must remember that there will always be Republicans, and that Democrats aren't always going to do what is best for the country. These things will go back and forth repeatedly. It is important to realize that we must change the game itself. A third party isn't a bad idea, neither is more media accountability. And voter education is perhaps the most important thing.

I just received my issue of The Economist. They have, haltingly, endorsed John Kerry.