Election Day myths: The Republican Party will benefit from some time out of office. A Congress and a White House unified under the control of a single party will function more efficiently. If Obama wins, our standing in the world will improve immediately. And this:
After the election, we can finally stop talking about politics. No! This interminable political season will not, I'm afraid, be over so quickly. If Obama wins, every single one of his first moves will touch off debate: Not only will he be the first black president, the first post-boomer president, and the first Democrat in eight years, he will be the first Democrat post-9/11, which makes all his early security decisions crucial. By contrast, if John McCain wins, every polling organization in the country—along with the entire U.S. political commentariat, as Slate's John Dickerson has already observed—will be utterly discredited. A lot of explanations will be required.
I confess that I've been one of the ones thinking, "Thank God this will soon be over." But of course it won't be. We'll just move from endlessly debating the politics of the horse race to nitpicking the politics of governance. And the 2012 presidential race starts tomorrow.
