A couple of things I was thinking about this morning while on a long walk with the dog:
* In my neighborhood, most of the signs are for Kerry, and there is a distinct difference between the houses with Bush signs and those with Kerry signs. I am of course biased, but the way I see it, most of the Kerry signs are in front of well-kept and larger homes, the “nice houses” of the neighborhood. These houses have a brightness, an optomism about them. On the other hand, the Bush signs tend to be in front of the more dumpy, run-down, and smaller homes in the neighborhood, ones that have a more pessimistic feel. The fact that they are less affluent-appearing homes is probably skewed by the fact that Ypsilanti is a very liberal city. These Bush houses tend to be little, and they have brick or have vinyl siding. There are a couple with a distinctly militaristic feel.
Two examples (which I swear I am not making up): one Bush house, just a few doors away from me, is a tiny yellow cinderblock number, practically hidden under overgrown trees. Out front, there’s a flagpole where the man of the house, a Civil War reenactor enthusiast, frequently flies historic war banners. Another Bush house, quite a few blocks from here, has two large trucks parked in the driveway; both of them are painted in military-style camo green. Hmmm.
* I also noticed several Kerry signs had been recently vandalized, either torn up or with “W”s in black spary-paint, a marking that quite frankly reminded me of a swastika. I’m not sure the democrats are any better though; I’ve seen a fair number of Bush signs violated. What worries me is what will happen with this violence against mere signs after the election?
* I heard a blurb on public radio about how the majority of Americans think that the election won’t be decided next Tuesday, and that we might not know the results for some time. A sign of things to come, I’m afraid.