AnalPhilosopher

I've been following the presidential polls for several weeks, as most people have. They suggest that we are in for a close election. It would probably be a mistake to expect to know the identity of the winner before going to bed Tuesday night. There could be five to eight states that are too close to call. It could be two, three, even four days before things sort themselves out. When you add legal challenges to the picture, it gets even murkier.

Although I have a stake in the outcome of the election, I'm trying to enjoy it as a political spectacle. Isn't it amazing how evenly divided we Americans are? No other presidential elections in my lifetime (I'm 47) have been as close as those in 2000 and 2004. Nor do I think it's a bad thing that we're divided. There really are two visions—liberal and conservative—of how things should be. Each political morality tries to secure the power that would allow it to implement its vision. The American people ultimately determine how successful each political morality has been, once it is empowered. If you promise more than you can deliver, you destroy your credibility with the voters. If you don't promise enough, you don't get elected in the first place. American politics is not for the faint-hearted.

I love democracy, messy though it is. I love the electoral college, even if, this year, it costs my candidate the White House. I love it that we resolve our differences peacefully, either in the voting booth or in the courts. Yes, you read that right. I do not consider resort to the courts to be either a failure of democracy or a form of violence. The purpose of courts, at every level, is to resolve disputes in accordance with law. Electoral disputes are disputes. There is a body of electoral law that must be faithfully and fairly applied. I fully expect that we will settle upon a president and come together as a people. There will be no takeover of government by the military. There will be no violence in the streets beyond the usual hooliganism that attends high-profile sporting events. There will be whining and complaining, to be sure, but that's to be expected, even desired. It shows that we're doing—or have done—something important.

All of that said, get plenty of nutritious snacks for the week. You may be glued to the television set as late as Friday, wondering whether it will be President Bush (again) or President Kerry come January.