I know, it’s a little early to be thinking about the next election, but I’m curious what people think will happen election night 2004. I’d like to think that the media will be much slower to predict who wins which state, but I’m somewhat doubtful that even this past elections problems will do anything to curtail their haste. Am I being too cynical?
(on another note, how is it that people are both annoyed by one starting a new thread on something already discussed and annoyed by old threads being dragged up? Is one worse than the other?)
Well, they’ll call the Democratic candidates victories in key states quickly, but hold out on the Republican’s victories for a long time, won’t they? 
::Mahaloth ducks to avoid the liberal tomatoes::
I think that the media will be too busy saying “Remember what happened LAST election? Remember? Remember?!?”
And they’ll go on about the ballots, and about Florida. And, of course, large re-caps of what happend with Election 2000.
I’ll be able to vote…woohooo!!!
They’ll go on and on about 2000, and then they’ll show us how things have changed, and they’ll all be poised to make the call as soon as possible so they can claim they ‘scooped’ the others.
Count on it. Barring free-speech-damaging legislation, the competition will get to them again. Gotta be the first, gotta be the best, if I can make the call I’ll be better than the rest.
Depends. How many more of George W. Bush’s cousins will be planted in key election coverage spots at the news networks by 2004?
I think that it will depend on the situation. If the election is really close again, they’ll have reason to exercise caution just so that they don’t get anyone too pissed off. On the other hand, if it’s obvious from the start who is going to win, then there will be the standard race to be the first to call it.
Same number as this last election, which is coincidentally the same number of Dodo birds living on Earth.
42?
That seems right, but after 5pm, i will be sick of people saying “unlike last election day” and i’ll have to go and kill me some klingons. 2004 will be a bore (ha! a rhyme) compared to last year. we won’t have the drama “who won?”, the suspense “who will win?”, the annoyance “when’s he gonna give up?”, the despair “please give up, your embarassing me!”, and the shame “yeah, i voted for him, but if i had to do it again, i’m gonna go nader!”
Although if every election year was lik last year, that would rule. people might actually become interested in governemnt and the election process, or more realistically, divide themselves by party lines and riot, but that’d be fun to watch, too.