It’s Election Day, and hopefully most of you are braving the weather and the lines at your local polling place to make sure your voice is heard. If you cast your ballot for a presidential candidate in the District, you exercised a right that has only been around since 1961; that’s how long DC residents have had the right to vote in presidential elections, a right granted by the 23rd Amendment.
Well, the Redskins may have trouble winning football games these days, but they have proven quite effective at predicting presidential elections over the years. Since the team moved to Washington in 1937 there have been 18 presidential elections. In 17 of those, the so-called "Redskins Rule" has held up:
If the Redskins win their last home game before the election, the incumbent's party will win the election and keep the White House. If the Redskins lose, the challenging party's candidate will win the election.
So, what does this mean about this year's election?
I came across this photo while doing some research about the National Zoo. It's a picture of jazz quintet playing a concert for a polar bear in the 1920s. Errr... what? I'd really like to know what precipitated this. Did these dudes just wake up one morning and say, "Hey, let's go down to the zoo and play a set for the bears." "Good idea, I'll see if Gertrude is free to dance for them."? Well, in any case, the bear seems to be enjoying it. Or maybe he's just waiting for his chance to take a swipe at them through the bars.
