The Apocalypse

Did anyone see Swing Vote with Kevin Costner?

In the movie, Kevin Costner plays Bud Johnson, an apathetic, beer slinging loafer who is coasting through a life that has passed him by. But one day, Election Day, Bud Johnson goes from a nobody to becomes the voice for all of America when the world realizes that his vote, and his alone, will be the one that elects the next President of the United States. Politicians invade the small town of Texico, New Mexico and its unwitting inhabitants, waging war for Bud's vote.

They say art imitates life. No truer is this phrase than now.

I'm not saying that the election can come down to one vote, but it very well may come down to one or two congressional districts.

Let me explain:

Remember last week when Sen. John McCain pulled out of Michigan at the same time the U.S. Labor Department reported 159,000 job losses in the month of September? I honestly found myself wondering why he'd do such a thing, afterall pulling out of a state with the highest unemployment levels in the country speaks volumes about a candidate's priorities, right?

His own running mate, Sarah Palin, and political mastermind Karl Rove also questioned McCain's decision as an act of political erraticism.

Well, now we know the reason behind such a move.

McCain wants to use the money he was pouring into Michigan in Maine instead. Yes Maine, with its four electoral college votes. But under the McCain strategy, he only really needs two of them.

The reason, according to Newsweek Magazine. "The Pine Tree State (that would be Maine) awards two of its four electoral votes by congressional district--meaning that if Barack Obama adds Iowa, New Mexico and Colorado to John Kerry's 2004 states (which is likely), but loses New Hampshire (which is possible), a McCain victory in Maine's rugged, northern Second Congressional District could break a 269-269 Electoral College tie and propel the Arizona senator to the presidency. Now comes word that Team Obama has opened another field office in Nebraska--the only other state to divvy up its electors by district. If Obama wins Nebraska's Second (which includes Omaha, the site of his new office) and McCain wins Maine's Second, then the two regions will cancel each other out--and we'll be right back where we started, a 269-269 stalemate."

Political strategists are calling it "The Apocalypse," and say the likelihood of this happening is a very real possibility given the state of the current electoral map.

If a tie does result, guess who gets to decide the election?

The U.S. Supreme Court a la 2000? No, worse. The U.S. House of Representatives. Sure Democrats control the House, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee an Obama win.

It is all so complicated to explain.

Suffice it to say that while there are more than one member in the House to represent individual states, the U.S. Constitutions states that under such Apocalyptic circumstances, each state only gets one vote when it comes to deciding who will be President.

Members of the House will be under so much pressure from constituents back home to vote one way or another, that it could threaten, well, complete chaos.

Can you say sheer madness? Riots and hysteria would ensue, predicts Newsweek. Hence a declaration of Martial Law (big shout out to Marxist Rev. Richie).

Funny thing is, none of this would even be possible if it weren't for the Electoral College, the very creation of which is steeped in slavery and devised by this country's founders as a way to deal with, or not deal with, the issue of slavery.

Oh, it is all so complex and my head is already spinning. If you want to know more about the Electoral College and why it was created, go here, here and here (look under slavery).

Meanwhile, I'll pray that we can somehow avoid The Apocalypse.