Wednesday, November 03, 2004

It's Over: Although technically Ohio is still in contention, the fact is that George W. Bush has won re-election as President of the United States. It was a closely divided election, but Bush won solidly, earning an impressive win. This is the first time that a presidential candidate has garnered more than 50 percent of the popular vote since the 1980s. Even Clinton never accomplished that.

Of course, it's only the Electoral College that matters. And that's still divided among pretty much the same Red States and Blue States as in the 2000 election. However, Bush has earned the requisite 270 electoral votes needed to win, possibly garnering a total of 286.

I understand that Senator Kerry doesn't want to give up prematurely only to find out that he had a reasonable expectation to win. But it appears that it's all but impossible for him to pull this one out. For the sake of the country, he needs to come to that conclusion soon and concede. Otherwise, desperation among some of his supporters might kick in, and rumors of stolen elections and fraud will start to seep out, even though there is no evidence of that.

There's a lot we have to learn from this election. But before we can pay attention to the lessons, we have to put this campaign behind us. It's time to move forward.

Update: Kerry has conceded. The senator is a class act, and I hope he continues to be a strong and loyal opposition to President Bush during the next four years.