Katrina vanden Heuvel | The Nation

America can be a strange place. Tuesday night, after learning that President Obama had won Ohio and thus (what a relief!) secured re-election, many of us went to sleep without knowing which candidate more Americans had voted for.

It turns out Obama won the popular vote too, averting a much-predicted electoral college/popular vote split. Some will argue that winning the popular vote as well as the electoral college gives Obama more of a mandate to govern—and it should. But this election—the latest to be fought out over a dozen counties rather than fifty states—should still offer an inspiration to fix how we pick our presidents.

Some argued in recent weeks that Obama wouldn’t score a “real” win if he secured the electoral college alone. But the real issue wasn’t the legitimacy of a victory—it was the integrity of our democracy. After all, this election was governed by the archaic rules we still use. Both campaigns knew this, and essentially wrote off efforts to win the popular vote for its own sake. A popular vote election would have been a very different election in all kinds of respects (consider the drop-off in Obama’s support in deep-blue states, which neither side had reason to care about).

HURRICANE SANDY. “The presidential candidates decided not to speak about climate change, but climate change has decided to speak to them,” writes Mike Tidwell this week. Only a week before the election, the devastation caused by the storm was massive, including a tragic loss of life. Much of the damage—of homes, communities, and natural and cultural landmarks—cannot be repaired. Mark Hertsgaard writes about Hurricane Sandy as Greek tragedy, stating that we can either choose to ignore warnings about climate change or choose to act. “The question Hurricane Sandy really raises,” writes Hertsgaard, “is how long Big Oil will be allowed to hold the government of the United States hostage.” Also, be sure to read my blog—I ask how Romney Republicans can reconcile their anti-government extremism with actual reality. For more coverage, read Michelle Dean’s piece on FEMA and inequality, and take a look at Allison Kilkenny’s report on how the Occupy movement is helping storm victims. Whether you’re in New York or elsewhere, find out how you can help.

The Nation offices were without power this week, but thanks to the tenacity of our production and editorial teams, our new issue went out on time. On Sunday we accelerated our press schedule and worked through the night—despite being physically separated from one another and without access to our usual systems. Our columnists, writers and cover artist Steve Brodner filed a day early, and the Nation team was able to finish up by midday Monday, just in time to close the entire issue before the storm hit. And a good thing, too—if it had been any later, we would have missed the window. Many thanks to our amazing team.

ELECTION DAY: NOVEMBER 6. With just days until the election, Nation reporters are on the ground in battleground states and campaign headquarters around the country. E.J. Graff is optimistic about Elizabeth Warren’s Senate race in Massachusetts—the relentless campaign finds Warren with a small lead and an enthusiastic volunteer base in its final stretch. George Zornick reports that just days before the election big-dollar donations have been funneled into Todd Akin’s campaign. Is the National Republican Senatorial Committee behind the money surge? For the presidential election, follow our reporters throughout the week—and come Election Day, keep an eye on TheNation.com for an opportunity to unload your anxiety and discuss the results in a Live Chat with Nation readers and writers.

ELECTION COVERAGE. With the final debate behind us (and jokes about my role as Romney adviser aside), the presidential race and the fight for Congress is in its final stretch, and The Nation’s smart, truth-telling reporting continues to be invaluable in the days leading up to the election. George Zornick examines what a Republican Senate would look like—and the dramatic effect it would have on policy in the coming years. Lee Fang continues to cover money in politics and how corporate lobbyists manage our presidential debates. In light of the GOP Senate candidate Richard Mourdock’s comments on rape and abortion this week, Jessica Valenti proposes a plan to end rape illiteracy. And be sure to check back daily to our Voting Rights Watch blog. Aura Bogado reports on the surge of suppression efforts as the election nears—follow Bogado, Brentin Mock and Ari Berman for more up-to-speed news on this front.

2012 WRITING CONTEST WINNERS. We’re pleased to announce the winners of The Nation’s seventh annual Student Writing Contest. We asked students to tell us, in 800 words, what they think is the most important issue of Election 2012. The breadth and diversity of responses was simply inspiring. We received close to 1,000 submissions ranging from high school to college students. Congratulations to the winners, Andrew Giambrone, an undergraduate at Yale University who wrote about the human costs of unemployment and the economic crisis, and Tess Saperstein, a junior at Dreyfoos School of the Arts in Boca Raton, Florida, who offered elegant commentary on Susan B. Anthony’s contemporary legacy. You can read their essays, along with the ten finalists here, and the two winning essays will be excerpted in an upcoming issue of The Nation magazine.

REMEMBERING GEORGE McGOVERN. We were deeply saddened this week at the loss of George McGovern, progressive champion of peace and human rights. In my blog, I write how the presidential nominee and Nation contributor never wavered in speaking out against war, poverty and human rights abuses. John Nichols reflects that McGovern practiced “a purer politics, a better politics, because it was so rooted in his love of America’s history, its literature and its possibility.” Representative Jim McGovern remembers his friend as the “Atticus Finch” of American politics, a man who “spoke the truth even when—especially when—it was uncomfortable.” And William Greider calls McGovern “the last honest Democrat,” writing, “George McGovern would tell the truth nobody wants to mention.” Also, I hope you’ll take a look at The Nation’s 1972 profile, “George McGovern: The Man, the Press, the Machine, the Odds.”

Editor’s Note: Each week we cross-post an excerpt from Katrina vanden Heuvel’s column at the WashingtonPost.com. Read the full text of Katrina’s column here.

It’s been ten years since we lost Paul Wellstone, a relentless champion, a true public servant and one of the very few social movement senators we’ve ever had. He was the first politician whose death made me weep. But in an era of craven compromises and bipartisan austerity, it seems almost unfair to call Paul Wellstone a politician at all.

This week marks the anniversary of the airplane crash that killed Paul, his wife, Sheila, their daughter, Marcia, and the plane’s crew. For countless Americans whose lives the Wellstones touched, the loss was personal. But the loss, and Paul’s legacy, are also deeply political as well.