As this incredibly fascinating election season draws to a close, I've been thinking about what my dream come true scenarios would be for November 4. So in order of importance, what follows is a list describing what I'd like to see come to fruition on the night of the election.
I know that many people may not really want to envision dream scenarios, for fear that they may somehow "jinx" the outcome. I'm not one of those people. I once read that "rarely are our greatest hopes or worst fears ever realized." So in this case, I expect to be disappointed in a couple of these outcomes--but only a couple. Indeed, the outcomes I've listed are not entirely out of my control, since like many of you, I've given money, time and in a couple of cases, votes, to seeing that some of these predictions come true.
- Barack Obama is elected President of the United States (364 electoral votes - Kerry states + Ohio + Virginia + North Carolina + Florida + Missouri + Colorado + New Mexico + Nevada).
- Democrats win 60 seats in the Senate.
- Democrats win 25-30 new seats in the House.
- Proposition 8 is voted down in California.
- Kay Hagan defeats Liddy Dole for the U.S. Senate for North Carolina.
- Al Franken defeats Norm Coleman for the U.S. Senate for Minnesota.
- Elwyn Tinklenberg defeats Michelle Bachmann in the 6th Cong. Dist. of Minnesota.
- Dan Seals defeats Mark Kirk in the 10th Cong. Dist. of Illinois.
- Barack Obama wins Indiana, Georgia, and Arizona for a grand total of 400 electoral votes (obviously including the 364 votes above).
- Barack Obama wins the majority of the vote nationwide from white Americans (as he's already expected to win the most votes from African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans).
What I've listed are ambitious but fairly realistic possibilities. I'd love to see the rabid Republican hater Steve King from Iowa's 5th Congressional District voted out of office, but unfortunately that's not a realistic goal this year. I'd also love to see the Disasta from Alaska, Sarah Palin, fail to win her own state (or at least her hometown Wasilla); but alas that too is not a realistic dream. So I've left those two, and other equally longed for, outcomes off of my list.
In addition, I know that for the Democrats to take 60 Senate seats that Hagan and Franken would both almost certainly have to be elected; but I highlight their races partly because it would be a dream come true for me to see their especially despicable opponents go down in glorious defeat.
I look forward to reviewing this diary on November 5 to see how close my dream come true predictions match reality.