And Here Comes the Media

With the finalization of polling in Illinois, Georgia, Kentucky, and Vermont, the big outlets begin the opening groans of what is likely to become thirty-six-plus hour orgy of multi-partisan smoke-speak. On that account, I wanted to take this one last opportunity to discuss Election Day itself before all such concerns are overshadowed by the more immediate problems associated with surviving whichever of these clowns fine beauracratic specimens we drag into the Oval Office.
I spent approximately ninety minutes on queue in my home precict this afternoon--and, yes, I know that this puts me in a rarified minority when compared to those who camped out last night in order to get to the polls early. Therefore, I by no means intend to complain about the wait. More to the point, I was pleasantly surprised at the volume my little hometown turned out. So anyway, I had a great deal of time in which to reflect (I, being ever the acme of preparedness, neglected to furnish myself with any means of entertainment). The first thing I noticed was that, by and large, no one ever seems happy at a polling place, particularly those who work there. I've seen happier faces at the proctologist's office than I saw in that line. Of course, I'm sure there are some individuals who would be tempted at this point to offer some sophomoric turns of wit connecting political science and the lower end of the human digestive tract, but I think we are sophisticated enough to forego such puerile behaviour. Ok, in fact I most certainly am not, but, perhaps fortunately, I can't think of any good puns right now.
I also noticed that there are a certain species of individual--and I'm perfectly willing to believe that this was merely a function of the population of my particular precinct--who seem slightly...confused. Not just in terms of the actual mechanics of casting a ballot, but also as as concerns the philosophy behind the whole process. It might be something in the drinking water, it might be that these people are new to the practice of voting, or perhaps some of them were abducted by aliens back in the seventies, kept in cold storage, and returned to earth to cast a vote for Pat Buchanan. I overheard one older lady discussing with her friend the difficulty she found in distinguishing the Republican party from the Democrats. I almost intervened with an explanation, but I realized almost immediately that I couldn't really do any better, so I kept my big mouth shut. Let's face it: without resorting to dissections of complex economics theory and dissertations on esoteric concepts in sociology, there is no convenient way to discern a conservative Democrat--which Kerry certainly is--from a Republican. This particular revelation might be fuel for lengthy further discussion at a later time, but I'm going to get to the end of this post if it kills me.
The final--and most pleasantly surprising--thing I witnessed in my tour of civic duty was that there are apparently still some individuals amond the great unwashed who care more about their nation and its future health an well-being than about the rancid propaganda oozing from their television sets. I cannot express the pleasure I took in the lengthy conversation I was fortunate enough to have with the two gentlemen directly ahead of me in line. Both of these gentlemen were indicative of the rural geography from whence they sprang: honest-seeming, plain-spoken, and prone to rail against the impracticality and unfeelingness of their Washington leaders. We talked for a time about the adventures--and misadventures--of our youth (mine of course much nearer at hand than either of theirs) and of all the things which are to be loved about this nation, which is something I need reminding of from time to time. When my companions finally got around to expressing their immediate political leanings (which didn't take too long) I was shocked and very pleased to note that, among their very vocal expoundings, there were three words I did not hear: "War on Terror". And just to be clear, these gentlemen were old-school, hardline Republicans. But their political rationale was based not on the excreta of the Neocon fear machine, but on fundamental life-and-death issues like the economy and education. Now, I might not necessarily agree with their conclusion that G.W.B is the man to answer these pressing questions, but I applaud--loudly--their willingness to let these factors guide their consciences as they stepped into the booth. I find that my hope for this nation's people--regardless of who gets the win tonight--is somewhat restored.

That being said, back to the idiot box to watch the tide of Kerry/Edwards's political assent roll across the screen in all its cold mathematical beauty .