In 2016, I was so confident that Hillary was going to win, that I

[Ocelot II]

17. Me, too. I voted that morning, left the community center feeling good

and thinking to myself, "Thank God that's over!" and assuming the election was in the bag for Hillary. Well, you know the old saw about the word ASSUME - it makes an ASS of U and ME. That evening I was at a choir rehearsal which would be over at 9:30 and had made plans to meet some friends to watch the final victory. But as I surreptitiously checked my phone it became apparent that it had all gone sideways. Obviously there was no get-together that evening, and all I could feel was shock. Like an awful lot of people - probably including the Clinton campaign - I'd dismissed Trump as an obnoxious, unqualified buffoon who couldn't possibly win. He was and is an obnoxious, unqualified buffoon, but he won anyhow, and maybe that was in part because he wasn't taken seriously. We couldn't imagine that someone like him could somehow persuade so many people - not a majority but enough to capture the Electoral College - to vote for him. Looking back, I think there was a lot of complacency. Here in Minnesota, Clinton's campaign was almost invisible. I couldn't even get a lawn sign because there weren't any and nobody knew where to get one - and that wasn't because they were sold out. Hardly anybody had them. Minnesota wasn't and still isn't a swing state so we're left out of the live campaign rally circuit, but it was like they assumed that since we've been a blue state since 1976 they wouldn't have to do anything. She did win here, but only by a disturbingly small margin.

So, this time I'm kind of snakebit because I vividly remember the shock and horror of the 2016 election. I know that this time things are very different. My neighborhood in the People's Republic of Minneapolis has more lawn signs even than in 2020, and there were quite a few then - not that lawn signs are an indicator of anything but enthusiasm. Still, enthusiasm is important, and there's far more now than in 2016. I've given up on polls, though they seem to be swinging our way. The pundits say it will be close, and it probably will be. Trump will do his best to throw sand in the gears and his minions might try something extreme. I hope it won't be like in 2020 when the election wasn't finally called for Biden until Saturday - I don't want to endure another four days on tenterhooks like that. But that's a definite possibility. I don't know what will happen. I'm cautiously optimistic but I'm not popping that champagne cork yet.

So - Take a deep breath. Keep calm and vote if you haven't already.