Judgment Day

My mother used to tell this story about my father, who was convinced that the stars were aligned for an Adlai Stevenson victory in 1956. Not long before the election, he got into a taxi whose chatty driver was avid to discuss the affairs of the day. "What's that guy's name who's running against Ike?" he asked my father, who suddenly realized how badly he'd been fooling himself.The other evening, I was strolling in Brooklyn Heights, just ahead of a guy who was loudly talking on a cell phone. "If you ask me," he volunteered, "Paladino has the answer for every problem this state has. I don't even know who's running against him."It is with a heavy heart that I set off to exercise my franchise this morning.PS I had the place to myself, which bodes ill for Democratic turnout. If I were Cuomo, I'd be mindful of what happened to Bloomberg last time around. It doesn't matter how unpopular or underfunded or out of the mainstream your opponent is if no one wants to cast their vote for you.