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I am both stoked and stocked for next Tuesday night and beyond.
I am just about over the edge with thrill that the 2016 election will actually come to an end, and this column is my last crack at the whole thing.
I am also prepping for what happens that night and beyond. I have a fresh supply of Tylenol PM to help with all the sleepless nights. I have a dozen bottles of Pepto-Bismol. I have a copy of the Constitution. I also have permanently blocked Fox News and MSNBC on my cable channel system. And finally, I have begun the debate about whether I ever want to vote again.
In terms of predictions, though, here’s what I think is going to happen.
I think that Russ Feingold is going to beat Ron Johnson and return to the United States Senate, where he belongs and Johnson doesn’t.
And in the big one, I think that Donald Trump – and I can’t believe I’m going to say this – is going to beat Hillary Clinton and become the next president of the United States.
Can you say and remember "hanging chad?"
It may not be as close as the George W. Bush-Al Gore election, but I do think this race is going to come down to Florida. With its 29 electoral votes, it’s going to be the ultimate battleground state, and I think it’s going to come down to where those votes go.
Also, I agree with the remarkable Nate Silver and his statistical-based FiveThirtyEi
There you have it. That’s what I think is going to happen. I’m sure everybody else has an opinion, and, either way, I think we are in for a turbulent four years that will make the "birther" discussion seem like a Sunday walk in the park.
If Trump wins, the overwhelming popular reaction of the public (that’s me and everyone else) is going to be remarkable uncertainty. Each day, I expect to wake up and wonder what he’s done overnight and what he’s going to do that day. Who will he insult? Who will he abandon? What wacky scheme will he unveil?
Nobody has a clue what this guy will do once he’s president – including himself. He has no plans. He has no plans for plans. He may have a plan for a plan for a plan, but whatever he has is based on some skewed notion of America.
When Donald Trump is the president, we are going to be buried by his "fantastic" family, some of whom are going to be cabinet secretaries. Barron Trump may be only 10, but he goes to school, so he can be Secretary of Education, right?
But a Trump presidency may seem like a soft mattress when compared to the rocky road of a Clinton presidency. There is only one thing you need to know if she is elected president.
Republicans. Hate. Her.
It’s not that they disagree with her policies or that they don’t like her or that they don’t trust her or that they don’t like pantsuits. They absolutely HATE her. I have a number of friends who are Republicans. The way they talk about Clinton is the way Idi Amin used to talk about his political enemies.
If Clinton wins, the first task of a Republican-controlled House of Representatives will be to file articles of impeachment. Please understand that the House doesn’t really need any grounds to impeach a president. If a majority of the members vote for impeachment, then impeachment it is. It’s kind of like an indictment in our court system. Then the Senate conducts the trial.
The over/under on number of days after inauguration before the official impeachment debate begins is 42. The over/under on number of days after the election that some crazed congressman announces he or she is going to work to impeach Clinton is three hours and 45 minutes.
So once we all heave a sigh of relief that the election is over – whichever way it goes – our fatigue with a broken system may just be starting.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.