This says it all...

Driving into Madison (WI) this morning, I saw a road construction sign I've seen many times before. Today it has more meaning: "Left Lane Closed"

Press releases say that John Kerry will concede at approximately 1:00pm EST today. Congratulations to him for acknowledging the process has worked and that the people have made a choice. We must move on together. This will start that process.

Whew!

Looks like Bush has been re-elected. Electoral College tied at a minimum - which is a Bush victory in the House of Representatives. Nevada and New Mexico still look promising and maybe Iowa.

More impressive is the gap on the popular vote - nearly 4,000,000 and 51-48%.

It was interesting to watch Carville concede. He handled things pretty well. Others are starting to get bitter.

The talk of the pundits on the left is: middle American values. They have no clue what they are.

Brinkley on Imus...

...Christie Brinkley. Channel surfing this morning, I came across Imus on MSNBC. Christie Brinkley was on the phone. She was talking faster than the guy in the old FedEx commercials - citing every negative aspect of Bush she could remember. Imus interrupted her and said she sounded like she was on 'meth'. The best line, however, was from the Imus producer. When the call finished, he commented that 'Brinkley made Cameron Diaz sound like Jeanne Kirkpatrick!' Outstanding!

Election Day on the Internet

Wow. Way too much information. I thought the 'live' blogging of political speeches during the convention was over the top - this is crazy. The trouble is, information is way too fluid and dynamic. Everyone is looking for THE story - fraud, suppression, exit polls, predictions, etc.

From the outside looking in, I imagine that the election process looks more and more like a big game. I can almost understand some people's decision not to participate. I don't agree with that decision, but I think I understand.

Rich Lowry on Kerry and post-Election 2004

Rich Lowry is setting the trap for the media. If you are still not convinced about media bias, follow this story over the next few weeks and months:

"If John Kerry wins, that all changes. Nov. 3 will mark the beginning of what will be known forevermore in the media as 'the Kerry recovery.' The number 5.4 will be noted again and celebrated far and wide. Indeed, the low inflation, high productivity, high rates of homeownership, solid corporate profits, and strong gross domestic product growth will be taken to mean what they should have been taken to mean all along: that the economy is in the midst of a sustained, healthy recovery."

Of course, if Bush wins - expect more of the same!

Election Day

I was pleased to see my friends and neighbors exercising their right to vote this morning. My wife voted before me and I went when she got home. We both waited in line about 50 minutes. When I left the building, the line was as long as when I entered. This is great. People are engaged.
Observations:

• It always amazes me how many people vote in our small city. Port Washington only has a little over 10,000 people. Our polling site has only two wards - 5 & 6. While I was in line, I believe only 5 or 6 people voted in the 6th ward. They could have used a second line for the 5th ward.
• The 50 minute wait was about three to four times longer than during the Primary in September, which was a more typical wait. We live in a Republican dominant area - some say Ozaukee County, WI is the second most conservative county in the country. The wait in 2000 was probably closer to 30 minutes. It may be a 'timing' thing - I voted after work in 2000 and in the Primary.
• We had poll observers! There were two individuals 'observing' the polls. The man was behind the volunteers with a palm pilot. I wonder what database he was looking at? The woman was roaming throughout the room. (We vote in an elementary school gymnasium)
• My wife indicated that when she voted, the ballot box was not working. The poll workers were collecting ballots to be entered when the box was repaired. My ballot was initially 'spit' out, but worked when I turned it over.
• Many people commented that they were going to be late for work, but they stayed. Good. A presidential election takes priority over 15 minutes of work.
• The volunteers at the polling site were doing a great job of communicating to the people waiting in line. Every few minutes, one of them would walk down the line asking, "Is anyone from the 6th ward? (to have them get in the proper line)" and "Does anyone need to register or change their address?"
• At one point, all seven booths were empty. This added a little frustration for the people in line who could see all the empty booths, while they were still in line. It turns out that one of the poll workers need to take a 'bio-break' and the fill-in took longer to find names.

Jay Nordlinger's Impromptus on National Review Online

Jay Nordlinger's Impromptus on National Review Online:

"On the subject of stealth, I'll repeat another point: Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Susan Sarandon - they've all urged their followers to vote for Kerry, not Nader. Do you think they're doing so because they believe Kerry when he says he'll wage a better, more effective War on Terror? Really? They know - they certainly sense - that Kerry is talking tough merely to get by the rubes in the general election. Once ensconced in the Oval Office, he can be the John F. Kerry he has always been.

Two weeks ago, Michael Moore told college students, 'There's a reason that [Republicans] are saying Kerry is the No. 1 liberal in the Senate. It's because he is the No. 1 liberal in the Senate.'
Why Republicans don't make an ad of that is a mystery."

The question of the 'pascifist' vote for Kerry has always bothered me. This is the most blatant, hypocritical stance that Kerry and the left have. He can say "I will stand up for America" all he wants, but he hasn't done anything in the last 30 years to demonstrate that he believes in anything 'American'.

1 Day: Redskins' home loss, uh oh!

Guaranteed?:

"'Oh, yeah, he's going to win. It's guaranteed,' said Packers safety Darren Sharper, a Kerry supporter. 'I don't have to vote now. Don't even have to go to the polls. Saved me a trip on Tuesday.' "

As a Packer fan - and Bush supporter - I have issues here. On the one hand, I can only hope Darren does as he says: Stays home (along w/ like-minded friends). On the other hand, I wish Darren would 'stay home' a little more on defense and not get beat so much.

Also, 'guarantees' are bulletin board material in Sharper's line of work. Will that transfer over? GO BUSH!