I just returned from voting. The weather in Chicago and its sprawling suburbs is bad and only going to get worse what with a predicted foot of snow starting before rush hour tonight. This will probably keep many voters from stopping off at the polling place on their way home from a very trying commute home.

I voted at our 120 year old former Town Hall -a picturesque little building that once sat at a sleepy crossroads in McHenry County but now looks a little incongruous when you consider that crossroads is now one of the busiest intersections in the state. But Algonquin, Illinois is still as reliably Republican as just about anywhere in the United States - at least, I used to think so.

Talking with the poll watcher, a neighbor of many years, she informed me that there was something strange happening. In a town that went 72-28% for Bush in 2004, almost as many Democratic ballots were being handed out so far as Republican ones (Illinois is an "open" primary).

Certainly some of this can be explained by the state pride being shown for our home state Senator Obama. But just as clearly, it may be that recent polls showing a surge to Obama among independents could be right and what is happening in my little town is a bellweather for the rest of the country.

All I can hope for is that the Democrats are too dumb to nominate Obama and stick with Hillary. Otherwise, a fundamental shift in each party's fortunes may occur.