This one goes out to Ace and Sarah

When I was nearly old enough to start first grade, I began listening to pop music on my little AM radio and quickly developed a weakness for romantic ballads that's stayed with me all the years since. In 1963 I was in high school and had a summer job working in the cottonfields, chopping weeds and assisting in breeding experiments. Another kid on the crew would usually have a transistor radio tuned to the local AM Top 40 station, and we'd listen to music while we slaved away in the afternoon heat.

One of my favorite songs that summer was Blue On Blue, sung by Bobby Vinton and co-written by Burt Bacharach. The chorus begins like this:

Blue on blue, heartache on heartache...
Blue on blue, now that we are through.

To this day, Blue On Blue is one of my favorite songs and it's one of the melodies I mentally hum to keep time when I'm out walking. As it played in my mind today, I thought that if the Electoral College map looks the same on November 5th as it does today, I may dedicate the song's chorus to Them Two Mavericks.

Speedbump was on Meet The Press today and told Tom Brokaw the election would be close and that he thought he'd win. Maybe, maybe not. He did say one thing I agree with - that it's going to be a long night.

I got really wrapped up in the 2000 election. I hated W's guts and never prayed for a political outcome harder than I prayed for him to lose to Al Gore. When the first network announced that Gore had won Florida, I remember getting a celebratory long distance call from my bro in Houston, but that elation didn't last long. I ended up sitting in front of the television until about 5:00 am, and finally called it a night. I went to bed with a heavy heart, and stayed depressed for weeks. In fact, in some ways I've never gotten over the sick feeling I had that night.

In 2004, I wasn't optimistic that Kerry could knock off W, but the exit polls that afternoon seemed to indicate he would. I spent the day tracking the action on the internet, but again ended that night with a sick feeling. When Kerry conceded the next day, I decided to adopt a give-a-shit attitude. I figured worrying about politics and the piss-ignorant American people was a total waste of time.

Now we're creeping up on still another presidential election, and in some ways I'm ambivalent about the outcome. One thing is for sure, though: it will be a long night on November 4th.

After working through various scenarios, I've concluded that Barry will max out at 286 Electoral College votes. Not saying he'll win that many, just that he won't win more. That means he'll need the West Coast Blues (California, Oregon, Washington) and their combined 73 votes to close the deal, assuming he can close it at all. Which means we'll be seeing some blue as the East Coast polls close, but we'll be watching a long stretch where the map starts turning red and Speedbump pulls into the lead: the Carolinas, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee. Then the Dixie states like Alabama and Mississippi, then working west across the plains and the mountain states. Lots of red as shitholes like Nebraska, Kansas, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah fall into place.

Win or lose, I'm expecting a long night. But when it's all over, maybe it'll be time for Ace and Sarah to sing it:

Blue on blue, heartache on heartache...
Blue on blue, now that we are through.