Thanks

With everything over but the voting (one hopes), I’d like to put a personal thanks out to a lot of people on the Internet for making this, the most important election ever (with the possible exception of the election of 1860), also the most discussed, most debated, most opinionated, and maybe most informed election ever. Special thanks to the Electoral Vote Predictor site and its Votemaster, newly revealed to be Andrew Tanenbaum; Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo and Oliver Willis; the Instapundit, anchoring the right hand side; Salon’s coverage; Eric Olsen and Blogcritics (especially this post); Tony Pierce for uncommon sense; Dave for focusing attention early on the role of blogs and the Internet in politics; Greg for being the deep-thinking gadfly he’s always been; Fury for coming in late but strong; Wonkette for keeping it funny; and a host of other folks I’ve forgotten but linked to before.

In case anyone has missed it, I endorse John Kerry for President, because he lives in the reality-based world:

Because he doesn’t have people on his side who so dramatically misunderstand the history of America that they try to claim the country was founded on principles that those who would seek to keep church out of state and vice versa are anti-American and anti-Christian. (Thanks to Christian Ethics Today for debunking this point of view, which has claimed several people I know);

Because he will admit it when he screws up;

Because he won’t need rigged voting machines built by a committed campaign contributor to get into office;

Because he will get elected in spite of help from the liberal media, who were going to run a slanted 45-minute attack against him for free but refused to run the ad of a bunch of Iraq veterans who are calling BS on the administration;

Because he will get elected in spite of attempts from the GOP to interfere with voters in Ohio, and Ohio, and Wisconsin, and Florida, and elsewhere;

Because his campaign cares about people who don’t have cars (see page 2);

Because his campaign wants people who think, not people who take loyalty oaths;

Because his campaign hasn’t promised not to use the greatest tragedy that has ever hit our country for political purposes, and then turned around and done it.