A recent diary included a poll asking what would be the big surprise of this election. After 2004...well, I won't say nothing can surprise me any more, because I probably would have said that on November 2nd. Nonetheless, at this point, certainly it would take something so unimaginable and unexpected that the possibility had never even been raised over the past year, not even in jest. I am prepared for almost anything to happen...
Election 2004 had its share of surprises, but the shock of that election was not an October surprise or the fact that, not only was Florida a mess again, but so was Ohio. In 2004, it was John Kerry's pre-emptive concession.
And now here we are, again...
I have wondered quietly over the past months what will happen if Obama does not emerge with a decisive victory the night of November 4. I have not heard Obama say anything about the circumstances under which he would or would not concede, but if he has, I'm sure that there are those here who are aware of it and can enlighten me.
I have also wondered if his most dedicated supporters have any particular expectations of him in this matter. Since Kerry vowed to fight for every vote, the expectations among the thousands of people who had worked tirelessly for months to secure and then mobilize those votes were extremely high. Obama's supporters, I have no clue.
And then there is the matter of recounts. I have wondered under what circumstances Obama would request a recount, and, once started, how far he would be willing to take it...would he bring it to a halt at any point that he decided that he wouldn't win the recount, or would he stick with it until the last vote was counted?
So I write this little diary, to see what I can find out. Perhaps someone out there has heard Obama address these questions? And surely people here have some thoughts regarding the circumstances under which they think he would concede or request a recount, as well as opinions about when they think he or any other candidate should or should not concede, and should or should not halt a recount in progress.