I’m looking forward to a good result, yes, but I’ve been chafing at the persistence of some of the ugly rumors and advertising. If the McCain campaign engages in suspect behavior by, say, talking about how exotic and scary Obama is, pundits might call him on it. But too often they’ll balance it out by claiming the Obama camp guilty of ageist rhetoric because they criticize McCain’s actual behavior and record.

On the other hand, I think radiocynic is on to something with the hope that more moderate voters will be swayed away from McCain by some of the extreme tactics. I know a few people for whom that has already happened. I just hope the dog whistle tactics sway more people the right way than the wrong way.

[All I kept thinking while watching the debate was, "Isn't there some kind of computer algorithm that could filter out any line (from either side) that's already been used ad nauseum in their horrible ads, and just let us hear the smattering of new info?"]

The McCain camp’s current tactics are truly embarrassing. While even seeming to realize he has to appeal to the moderates and near left (ie attempting to steal the mantle of “change” and playing up the “reaching across the aisle”,) he simultaneously continues to allow all of the ridiculous racist fear-mongering stuff. I trust that there are many sensible and tolerant folks who are pushed more firmly into the Obama side with every middle-name joke and racist comment they hear, so I hope to God we find out on November 4 that they outnumber those drawn into the racism and fear-mongering.

Also – I truly believe that regardless of the outcome the choice of Palin will end up being viewed as costly to McCain, and that choice will end up defining his candidacy. When he had the choice to choose someone of substance, he chose sex appeal. To me it’s hard to get past that.

Yes, I don’t think history will look kindly on McCain or even most of the last 8 years.

I often find myself wishing I had been born in various other (past) time periods because I wish I could feel the electricity those world-changing events that happened. But here we are!

I also wonder how McCain’s campaign will be judged by history for trying to paint Obama as a scary, black, anti-American terrorist during these last four weeks of the election season. I do not think, after the passage of time, that McCain will be judged positively. What a coward.