Words are a big part of the American experiment in democracy. To commemorate this we’ve assembled a collection of explanations about one year’s election into the following “Ode to This Election”.

If you had to walk a gauntlet of politicos and pundits, each pushing a different view on you, this is what you might hear:

This election is a two-horse race

What’s important to me in this election is a vision

This election is not about who’s best, who’s prudent, or who has the slickest TV ads

This election is more intense

This election is between you and me

This election is about the future of this country

This election is about my state

This election is very significant for us, as a community

This election is about our candidate and the good work she has done

This election is about fixing health-care, providing education, protecting borders, balancing civil liberties with national security, and how best to prosecute the war

This election, it is imperative to elect people with high moral values

In this election, God is in control

This election is a no-brainer

This election is about honor, dignity and comity in this country

This election is going to be all war, all the time

This election is about a referendum on the war

This election is about amnesty as much as about war or taxes

This election is about power

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This election is a decision between receding or advancing

This election is about dealing with terrorism on the offense, or going back to being on the defense

This election is bringing out of the closet the crowd who will say anything to get votes

This election is a national intelligence test

This election is all about which party has the most aggrieved victims

This election is about creating a new majority in the Senate

This election is about leadership, not party affiliation

This election is worth $500 million, if it will get the Party back to controlling Congress

This election is not worth $500 million to the voters; it is worth that to interest groups buying support for their causes

This election is about the issues that we’re confronting right now

This election is about a finishing of business, an older sort of politics

This election is critical to the future of our country

This election is about change; a big part of that change is energy security

This election is about an electorate that is frustrated, dissatisfied, and just plain ready for change nationally

This election is important because of an accumulation of power in the executive

This election is being fought on the streets

This election is about decency maybe more than anything else.

This election is meaner, dirtier, and more divisive

This election is not about race

This election is a fight for the hearts and souls of black folks

This election is not just about winning; it’s about working to change the country

This election is all about winning

This election is in jeopardy

This election is going to be very, very close

I can’t wait until this election is over