A LONG WAY TO NOVEMBER
An editorial by Ian Gibson
	I’m exhausted. More than a year ago the presidential campaigns were launched 
and one by one, senators, governors, and general nut-jobs entered the race for the White 
House. Since then we’ve seen debates packed with candidates, millions begged from 
bourgeois donors, networks filled to the brim with “breaking” election news, and pundits 
double-crossed by their own predictions. Today, we find ourselves no closer to a future 
president than O’Malley to a state surplus – and there’s still nine months to go until 
Election Day.
	They said it would be over by Super Tuesday. By then we’d see each party united 
behind their respective candidate, eager to duke it out for the precious votes of the 
Electoral College. Yet here we stand, bewildered by religion and race, unsure of who 
exactly is even running for president any more.
	“McCain?” I hear you mutter, but even that’s not a done deal. The conservative 
base hates the prominent Senator more than gay-pride parades and will do anything to 
block his nomination – even if it means supporting Huckabee. The evangelical from 
Hope, Arkansas is still tagging along in the race, picking up the votes of conservatives 
that feel disenfranchised by McCain’s bipartisan record. And now with Mitt “Plastic” 
Romney out of the race, there’s no telling what candidate his abandoned delegates will 
turn to. Confused? Don’t feel bad – not even Karl Rove has any clue what is in store for 
the Republican Party.
	Sadly, the Democrats don’t fair any better. The fight for delegates, super or not, is 
creating an extremely close race between Hillary and Obama. On one side of the party 
you have a sassy politician known for her unique brand of aggressive Socialism, and on 
the other side stands a man with little experience but “change we can believe in.” Up to 
this point, the Democrats seemed more intent on tearing each other apart than even 
recognizing the existence of a Republican challenger. There might not even be two 
parties left standing for a general election in November – we may find America divided 
behind a slew of candidates with no nominees in sight.
	 I’m looking forward to November 4th not for the opportunity to vote for my 
favored candidate, nor for the excitement of a new president, but rather for the ability to 
relax in the quiet, uneventful calm of a post-election world. The only question is, what 
will the around-the-clock news networks talk about then?