It's close. It's very close. I am trying hard not to get optimistic about the posted on Wonkette especially as the early high margins in favour of Kerry have been getting narrower as the evening goes on. We don't have TV at our house so I'm relying (again) on live TV streaming from the BBC and endless prodding of the refresh button on many blogs and websites.
Behind in Ohio and Florida in the precinct results so far, way ahead in Pennsylvania...it's still on a knifeedge, with legal challenges coming in from all directions in the swing states.
Today our 'critical reading' class turned, inevitably, into a discussion about the election and American political process. I was really surprised by the prevailing belief among all the class that the people and the state had no connection to one another - that the state was run by a political and social elite, bent on self-preservation rather than the common good, which none of them entertained any hope of every penetrating. I mean none of them - despite high levels of education (including graduates from some of the country's most elite universities) - thought it would be possible for them to amass the wealth and influence that they saw as the only means to any sort of political power.
As I am used to being berated by North Americans for the supposed 'class society' and elitism of 'old England', I was half pleased, half shocked by this revelation. No grocers' daughters will be leading the US of A on the basis of what these guys believe. Cynicism regarding campaign finance, lobbyists and business interests was directed at all those who have reached any level of political power. The extent of pessimism regarding the ability to affect the nations government, despite the heated opinions flying around the room on the election issues, was quite staggering.
Behind in Ohio and Florida in the precinct results so far, way ahead in Pennsylvania...it's still on a knifeedge, with legal challenges coming in from all directions in the swing states.
Today our 'critical reading' class turned, inevitably, into a discussion about the election and American political process. I was really surprised by the prevailing belief among all the class that the people and the state had no connection to one another - that the state was run by a political and social elite, bent on self-preservation rather than the common good, which none of them entertained any hope of every penetrating. I mean none of them - despite high levels of education (including graduates from some of the country's most elite universities) - thought it would be possible for them to amass the wealth and influence that they saw as the only means to any sort of political power.
As I am used to being berated by North Americans for the supposed 'class society' and elitism of 'old England', I was half pleased, half shocked by this revelation. No grocers' daughters will be leading the US of A on the basis of what these guys believe. Cynicism regarding campaign finance, lobbyists and business interests was directed at all those who have reached any level of political power. The extent of pessimism regarding the ability to affect the nations government, despite the heated opinions flying around the room on the election issues, was quite staggering.
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