...Would be my 4 month-old son, who weathered the disaster that America's election process has become far better than his mother or father.
So, like the geniuses we are, my wife and I decided to hit our Norfolk, Virginia polling station at opening this morning. Any earlier was ludicrous, given her chronic exhaustion from being a pediatrics resident, combined with having an infant in the house. It was pelting rain (boo mother nature!) at that time, so we figured 6 am was a good time to start, half hour wait tops. As such, we left the diaper bag and formula in the car. No line outside? Bonus, we'll be outta here by sunrise!
Ha! The line was all inside the school, looping twice around the same hallway and back (a fact that was not well distributed). For the next 2 1/2 hours Mom and I bitched nonstop about the disgrace of hundreds (if not over 1000) people there before dawn for a total of 6 touch-screen machines, dealt with other surly voters in a hallway sweltering with the heat of humanity, and put up with the rudeness of a gentleman who was BEYOND DOUBT a McCain supporter. During this time, with a cloth diaper that overflowed, soaking the strap-on carrier, heat that required removing his outfit, and a stomach that was 3 hours past the last feed by the time we voted at 8:30, the little rascal didn't cry once. I tip my hat to my son--he gets it best of all, and only 4 months old. The "I voted" sticker they stuck on him is going in the baby book. And yes, after feeding and changing, he's working on his 3rd hour of napping since getting home. :)
Rachel Maddow had it right. These wait are nothing more than a glorified polling tax. This needs to be right up there on the list of Mr. Next President's list of things to do (even though we all know full well that the Rethugs like things very much as they are).