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Tilting Towards Hope
I timed dinner for the closing of the polls. I wanted to be talking with my kids around the table instead of looking at the New York Times Battleground States needles. We picked up Popeyes, a treat that confused and delighted my kids. Eating out on a weekday is unheard of in our house. The kids spend the meal engaged in that classic childhood dinnertime chatter that accompanies unexpected good fortune. My nine year old laughs, so I do too. I don’t know what she’s laughing about because my plan hasn’t worked. I brought my laptop to the table along with the biscuits and spicy fried chicken. It sits next to me and I’m watching the needles move. The kids stop talking, peek over my screen and ask me how it looks.
I don’t know how it looks.
When I started writing this, Donald Trump had an 82% chance of winning Florida. In between the first sentence and this sentence, there was a potty training emergency and a few drink refills. By the time I got back to my computer there was a 95% chance that he’d win. Other states are reporting now too. Once they’ve got more than 5% of the votes reported, a little needle appears next to each state. They tilt between red and blue. Those needles are just forecasting probability. And I should just stop looking at them. I should be here at this table right now.
But.
