I Hope

Here in everybody's hometown things are looking hopeful.

My GOTV gruntwork volunteering leads me to view tomorrow's election through expanding concentric circles. Media's south precinct looks very good. Thus the borough of Media looks good. Thus I'm hopeful about Delco and, more widely, the four counties of Philly's western suburbs. This makes me hopeful about Pennsylvania -- a key swing state. This, in turn, gives me hope for all the swing states and, if that's the case, the entire election.

Ground-level, here in Media South, I have no way of knowing if this is accurate. But I read things and hear things from others doing similar work from the centers of their particular electoral bullseyes. People in Cleveland and Miami and Madison, Wisc., seem to share this cautious optimism. Maybe we've just all been working so hard that we can't see beyond our own efforts -- we'll find out tomorrow night.

In the meantime, Josh Marshall relays this report from Florida -- where some 30 percent of registered voters have already cast their ballots and Kerry has opened a wide lead. This gives me hope -- and not just hope for tomorrow's election:

My job is to get people to the polls and, more importantly, to keep them there. Because they're crazily jammed. Crazily. No one expected this turnout. For me, it's been a deeply humbling, deeply gratifying experience. At today's early vote in the College Hill district of East Tampa -- a heavily democratic, 90-percent African-American community -- we had 879 voters wait an average of five hours to cast their vote. People were there until four hours after they closed (as long as they're in line by 5, they can vote).

Here's what was so moving:

We hardly lost anyone. People stood outside for an hour, in the blazing sun, then inside for another four hours as the line snaked around the library, slowly inching forward. It made Disneyland look like speed-walking. Some waited 6 hours. To cast one vote. And EVERYBODY felt that it was crucial, that their vote was important, and that they were important.

And there were tons of first time voters. Tons.

Aside from some hassles from the Republican election commissioner ... I actually had an amazing experience. No, actually, in a way because of that I had an amazing experience. Because these people know that the system that's in place doesn't want them voting. And yet they are determined to vote.

The best of all was an 80 year old African American man who said to me: "When I first started I wasn't even allowed to vote. Then, when I did, they was trying to intimidate me. But now I see all these folks here to make sure that my vote counts. This is the first time in my life that I feel like when I cast my vote it's actually gonna be heard."

To see people coming out -- elderly, disabled, blind, poor; people who have to hitch rides, take buses, etc. -- and then staying in line for hours and hours and hours ... Well, it's humbling. And it's awesome. And it's kind of beautiful.

Sometimes you forget what America is.

I think there's hope.

Comments

[patter]

Amen, brother Fred! Keep on believin'!

[Patrick J. Mullins]

Well, you got the Joshua Marshall stuff posted even before Krugman put a shorter excerpt--very cool.

The Florida report is the very best thing yet, with the Ohio judgment against challengers not far behind.

Even so...we will have to wait before we can fully celebrate the shutting of the flatulent, ghoulish mouth of William Safire. Too bad he couldn't post on Halloween about Bin Laden, had to wait for All Saints' Day which was really a bad break for him; and can't post again on All Souls' Day. We need to make an All Deep Throats' Day.

[Dan]

OMENS AND PORTENTS

I'm not claiming that I believe in these things, or that anyone should run their lives by it (as well as being fully aware that in a few days, events may make me look pretty darn stupid for what I'm about to write), the omens seem to favour a Kerry victory. Consider:

1) The historic Red Sox victory (already noted by Fred), after Kerry was told that the Red Sox would win before he became president (ie, a 'cold day in hell').

Accuracy: Unknown (But perhaps it's a "fleece before the Lord"? see Judges 6:36-40)

2) According to British genealogical research group Burke's Peerage, the presidential candidate with more blue blood ALWAYS wins; and John Kerry has more blue blood than any other presidential candidate EVER.

Accuracy: 100%. Based on 42 previous presidential elections. See:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1284632,00.html
http://www.burkes-peerage.com/press_release7.htm

3) The loss of the Washington Redskins' final game before the election. A loss or tie signals the imminent defeat of the incumbent president, while a victory signals his success.

Accuracy: Correct every election since 1936.
See:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/01/1099262758115.html?oneclick=true

But then on the other hand, people like Nero, Rasputin and Bush NEVER seem to die. So in spite of the above, we may have to settle in for the long haul.

[Jake]

The good thing that will come out of this election will be that, for those who both to see, whether Kerry wins or loses, the world will view America as a country that really understands the right to vote again, rather than simply a country who declares itself a democracy despite what the usual voter turn out is.

Of course if bush gets elected anyway, for whatever reason, you'll be labelled xenophobic, 'fraidy cat idiots forever.

stroke your rabbit's feet if you got 'em folks.

P.S. rasputin so doesn't deserve to be compared to Bush, nor does Nero really...

[Patrick J. Mullins]

The rest of the world doesn't care about voter turnout or American democracry. After all, France, george bush's nemesis, doesn't have an electoral college and votes much more directly than we do, bidets in the hotels notwithstanding.

Anyway, the day itself has got at least one bad kink in it already--the reversal of yesterday's ruling against Republican voter challengers in Ohio. So the vermin will be out in full force.

Speaking of vermin, David Brooks today said Kerry's problem was 'not flip-flopping' but 'selfishness' and that he may have not waited in line at restaurants. No telling what he does at Kinko's.

[kristina]

My biggest sign of hope today --- My husband actually voted! He's never voted and has been telling everybody that he won't vote. His friends have been badgering him nonstop, but he refused to vote. He's pretty stubborn. Anyways, this morning as I was leaving, I asked if he wanted to come along and showed him his voters registration card. He came with me, mostly to vote against the gay marriage amendment proposal for Michigan. But I'm not supposed to tell anyone we know. So I'm just telling people who don't know him. Yeah!!!! He voted!!!!!

[syfr]

No matter who wins, we have to settle in for the long haul.

If it's Bush, we have to oppose him.
If it's Kerry, we have to support him.

All the energy and knowledge that have been put into this election need to be rechannelled afterwards, to staying informed, making our arguements to other people, and working to make this country fulfil its promise for all of its citizens.

[carla]

My parents and brother live a little north of you, in Northampton County, and they're seeing the same things you're seeing in PA. My mom is out getting the vote out in Easton today. She has single-handedly registered 20+ people to vote, she has worked the phones for Kerry every Tuesday night for a couple of months, and she hasn't let the fact that she needs a kidney transplant stand in her way. Go, mom!