As a country, we are between celebrations. We have yet to finish our Halloween candy. We have yet to chose our next president.
On Halloween, we have come to celebrate the wicked over the wise. But it is in the historical fabric of the holiday that Halloween be a night to celebrate both our finer, and our worse, natures.
Some 2,000 years ago, Halloween was the last night of the Celtic year. As the day between the new and the old year, it was the time when the dead would visit the earth. This was both good and bad news. While the spirits caused damages to crops, they also helped the priests predict the year ahead.
In the evening, the Celts built huge bonfires. It was the tradition that individual houses would put out the fires in their homes, and gather around these communal blazes to dress in costumes and tell each others' fortunes. They would then return home with a piece of the fire to relight the fires in their hearths. It was this fire that kept them warm though the cold months ahead.
We might think of the coming election in these terms. Over the next couple of days, we will come together to share in the grand spectacle of a national election. There will be enough dancing, and chanting, and drinking, for all. And when it's over, we'll all carry a piece of the warmth home with us.
The election will determine what kind of warmth this is. Should McCain win, our homes will be warmed by the fires of expanded oil exploration, unabated coal production, and a fairy tale of short-term nuclear power proliferation. Should Obama win, he has indicated that he will back a push towards a portfolio of renewable energy. This is, in his words, his number one priority.
And so, in the Celtic spirit of Halloween, let me make a prediction.
Most polls show Obama ahead by as little as seven percent. Some show him ahead by as much as eleven percent, others more so. The election isn't over. Obama hasn't won until the polls close; anything else would be reckless. But it looks like he's rolling towards a victory.
If Obama does change the election, than in one year's time -- when we gather together again for another All Hallows' Eve celebration -- we will warm ourselves by a fundamentally different fire.
An Obama administration, back by a Democratic majority, will push through an energy policy that moves us away from a dependence on foreign oil. Obama has indicated a ten year time line to energy independence. Has also indicated strong support for renewables. In the short term, this would mean a development and implementation of new energy technology. In the long term, it would mean lower home heating bills.
And so, as we roll out and onto the streets in the coming days, let us remember why we gather together. Whether you're dressed as a Republican, or as a Democrat, the next few days are about how we choose to come together. They're about national energy. They're about how we heat our homes.