How To Control The Election

I'm addicted to the Los Angeles Times' electoral map. It shows all the states and how many electoral votes they offer. States which are clearly going to Bush or Kerry are shaded for that candidate.

The addictive part is two-fold. First, putting the arrow on any state calls up the latest polls to show where the candidates stand. Second, you can click on a state several times, changing their status in any way you like -- giving Florida to Kerry or Florida to Bush and seeing the change in the electoral vote totals. Go across the country and make your predictions on California (which the LA Times has just called for Kerry), Michigan, New Jersey and so on. You can map out any kind of scenario you want: Texas for Kerry! Massachusetts for Bush. The scary/exciting part is that once you swing enough states for a candidate, the site starts to play "Hail to the Chief." The first time it happened, I'd thrown a few states like California and Florida to Bush and when the music started playing I practically jumped out of my skin. In context, it's scarier than the theme from "Jaws."

Enjoy controlling the election -- you'll feel just like Jeb Bush!