I'm going to stick my neck out and make a few predictions:
1. It's going to be closer than people have been saying.
2. The polls will have exaggerated things.
3. There will be massive logistical problems
(wow, cheerful stuff eh?)
and....
4. Obama will win
The last one is wishful thinking, not much more. I'm not at all one to be complacent about these polls etc- I don't trust them at all and they have been wrong so far. I think complacency opposed by zeal is the thing to be scared tomorrow.
So till we know for sure...I guess there's nothing to do but to hope for the best and vote for the best.
Is it wrong that I am more nervous about this election than any other one before this? This is just so important and historic and will impact all of us. I have to laugh at the thought that I'm turning into one of those fledgling NRI's who Jhumpa Lahiri writes about- in the Namesake she has this great line about how Indians in the US debate US politics with such passion and heat, even though they will never vote (I'm not doing it justice at all, but even as I read it in India, I knew exactly what she was talking about and now I am totally living that cliche... but it has just been such a ride. And I do political science, so this is my life...
This brings me to a huge, compelling question: what in the world am I going to do once this election is over? So much of the last few months, certainly weeks has been wrapped up in talking about, reading, thinking about and yes, writing about election '08. Now I'm going to have to find something to do.....hmm, perhaps my work?
It's going to be a big day tomorrow- we're having an election party in the department. What better way to watch the elections than with a bunch of liberal political scientists? I remember how crushing the same party was in 2004, hopefully tomorrow the US will elect Barack Obama...and this chapter will end differently and happily, for now at least.
Fingers crossed.
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4 comments:
the party will be awesome! regardless of my 300-page reading to do for wednesday.
boooo hooo!! i wanna come to the party!!!! i miss you guys all the time but tonight it will be exceptionally acute. dammit where is that teleporter i ordered!!!
as for what to do next, yes i suppose our work is one good answer but i also think whatever happens we (yes,even us foreigners) should harness this election fever into some productive political activism post election. no matter the result there's plenty of work left to be done. and juhmpa may be right that we'll never vote here but we do live here after all and that counts for something in my books. not sure if i'll make good on that challenge but i'm putting it out here anyhow...
You're absolutely right Heather that this spark needs to stay lit for a long time. I for one am really ashamed now that I have never voted in an Indian election (for one reason or the other) and now that will change. And of course the smaller things...
We're going to miss you a lot Heather...but hopefully one way or the other, we will all be celebrating tonight!!
Chanbong: reading-shmeading.....there are more important things tonight: Beer, Buds and Barack!!
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