This weekend I collect my research materials; next week I recommence writing/researching and will not stop until achieving a complete manuscript in the fall.
The death penalty as a political issue has ruled my thoughts lately. It won't fill a chapter, but I expect the 5 or 6 paragraph section on it toward the end of the book to go through probably ten drafts. It'll be a tough, tough composition.
You've heard of Middle America, the I-4 Corridor is perhaps "Middle Florida"--the ultimate swing, undecided constituency. A cursory glance at the Florida Division of Elections results reveals that Obama swept this region from Pinellas to Orange to Volusia. And he won the state.
Otherwise, I thought the results were pretty standard for a Democrat. It wasn't a broad, Chiles-style victory. Obama ran up the score in south Florida and survived in north Florida.
I wish the Division of Elections had "victory maps" colored red and blue--at least for the presidency. It would make it so much clearer for interested voters. Maybe they do and I just haven't found them online.
Vote, Vote, Vote, by order of the He-Coon!
A Brookings Institution piece I hope to read soon because it's co-written by Ruy Teixeira, one of the preeminent theorists on campaigns, elections, and demography around these days.
I'll resume writing around Nov. 15, after I collect all my research materials. When I began my hiatus, I scattered them across three storage areas. But soon the books and the binders will all find a new home in my new office space.
I've secured office space and plan to restart writing after the election. Concluding research/interviews will follow the writing period. Cheers!
Again, unprecedented. Perhaps in conditions as bad as these Chiles could have accomplished the long-term tax reform he long sought.
I may be getting some office space soon. I'm excited. This is one of the key logistical problems I mentioned.
